Manitoba

Manitoba is one of Canada's 10 provinces, with a population of 1,182,921 (2007) . It was officially recognized by the Federal Government in 1870 as separate from the Northwest Territories, and became the first Province created from the Territories. It is the eastern most of the three Prairie Provinces. The word "Manitoba" is etymologically related to the native word "manitou" which means spirit. Manitoba, in the Red River area, contained the first western colony and settlement area of Canada. 
==Hockey in Manitoba==
currently
Professional
Winnipeg Jets
Major Junior
Brandon Wheat Kings
Balmoral Hall Blazers
Junior A
Manitoba Junior Hockey League
Flin Flon Bombers
Junior B
Keystone Junior Hockey League
Junior C
Hanover Tache Junior Hockey League
Other Junior
Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League
Manitoba Women's Junior Hockey League
U18 AAA
Manitoba AAA U18 Hockey League
Manitoba Female Midget Hockey League
CSSHL
Pilot Mound Hockey Academy
RINK Hockey Academy
St. Mary's Academy
Senior
Carillon Senior Hockey League
North Central Hockey League
South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League
Tiger Hills Hockey League
The Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League, play in Winnipeg at the MTS Centre. The Brandon Wheat Kings are longtime members of the Major Junior circuit, Western Hockey League. In Junior 'A', Manitoba boasts twelve teams, plus a Junior B, Junior C and Junior Womens loop. Manitoba also boasts 2 Midget AAA leagues, and in senior, 5 leagues.
Hockey Manitoba is the governing body of all amateur ice hockey in Manitoba, Canada. Hockey Manitoba is a branch affiliate of Hockey Canada, and was founded in 1914 as the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association.
Each season, Hockey Manitoba hosts the Minor Hockey Provincial Championships. Approximately 35 communites across the province host provincial tournaments as 400 team entries and 6,000 players compete for a chance to win a Provincial Championship. Various provincial categories are held in both male and female hockey in the Atom, Pee Wee, Bantam and Midget age divisions.
==Hockey History==
*The Beginning 1890
*The 1891-82 Season
*Junior Action 1891-92
*College Games 1891-92
*The Stanley Cup 1896
==Provincial Champions==
Juvenile			
Team Canada	Team Canada West	Team Manitoba	Other Countries
==Famous Hockey Players==
Dan Bain 	Andy Bathgate 	Ed Belfour 	Jennifer Botterill
Turk Broda 	Bobby Clarke 	Art Coulter 	Tom Dunderdale
Red Dutton 	Frank Frederickson	Charlie Gardiner	Herb Gardiner
Butch Goring 	Joe Hall 	Ted Hampson 	George Hay
Andy Hebenton 	Bryan Hextall 	Ron Hextall 	Dick Irvin
Ching Johnson 	Tom Johnson 	Reggie Leach 	Bill Masterton
Steamer Maxwell	Bill Mosienko 	Harry Oliver 	Babe Pratt
Bill Ranford 	Ken Reardon 	Terry Sawchuk 	Sami Jo Small
Joe Simpson 	Jack Stewart 	Blaine Stoughton	Jonathan Toews
==List of Manitoba Players==
==Towns of Manitoba==
City 	2001 	2006
Winnipeg 	619,544	633,451
Brandon 	39,716 	41,511
Thompson 	13,256 	13,446
Portage la Prairie 	12,976 	12,728
Steinbach 	9,227 	11,066
Selkirk 	9,752 	9,515
Winkler 	7,943 	9,106
Dauphin 	8,085 	7,906
Table source: Statistics Canada	 	
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Category:Provinces
Category: Manitoba