Prince George Cougars

The Prince George Cougars are a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. The team is based in Prince George, British Columbia, and plays its home games at the CN Centre. The Cougars were founded in 1971 as the Victoria Cougars, but later moved to Prince George in 1994. On March 19, 2014, after months of rumours, a team of local investors led by Greg Pocock, along with NHLers Dan Hamhuis and Eric Brewer, agreed in principle to purchase the Prince George Cougars. The deal was approved by the WHL Board of Governors on April 30 the same year. 
==History==
The Prince George Cougars played the 1994–95 WHL season at the Prince George Coliseum along the Tier II Prince George Spruce Kings, until the construction of their own arena was complete. The Cougars logo for their first season in Prince George closely resembled that of the Victoria Courgars. For the 1995–96 WHL season, the Cougars moved into their new home, the "Prince George Multiplex", since renamed the CN Centre. A new logo was also unveiled the same season.
The Cougars most successful playoff run came during the 2006–07 WHL season. Prince George achieved their first sweep of the Kamloops Blazers in a best of seven game series, proceeded to defeat the top ranked Everett Silvertips in six games and reached the conference finals for the third time where they lost in five games to the eventual Memorial Cup Champion Vancouver Giants.
The Cougars are the only team in Western Hockey League history to draft 2 brothers in the first round of the Western Hockey League Bantam Draft. Jesse Forsberg, a defenceman, was drated 11th overall by the Cougars in 2008, and his younger brother Alex, a centerman, was taken first overall in 2010.
==2014 sale==
After months of rumours, it was announced on March 19 that a team of local investors led by Greg Pocock, along with current NHLers and former Cougars Dan Hamhuis and Eric Brewer, had agreed in principle to purchase the Prince George Cougars. The price of the sale was undisclosed, and the official confirmation of the sale ocurred on April 30 after approval from the WHL Board of Governors. Cougars Owner Rick Brodsky and Vice President Brandi Brodsky declined to comment at the time of the sale.
==Season-by-season record==
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OL = Overtime losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Season 	GP	W 	L 	T 	OL	GF 	GA 	Pts	Finish 	Playoffs
1994–95	72	14	55	3 	- 	229	392	31 	7th West	Out of playoffs
1995–96	72	17	53	2 	- 	219	340	36 	7th West	Out of playoffs
1996–97	72	28	39	5 	- 	238	287	61 	6th West	Lost West Division final
1997–98	72	43	24	5 	- 	311	236	91 	3rd West	Lost West Division semi-final
1998–99	72	34	32	6 	- 	255	264	74 	4th West	Lost West Division semi-final
1999–00	72	43	20	4 	5 	279	228	95 	2nd West	Lost West Division final
2000–01	72	31	33	4 	4 	242	266	70 	5th West	Lost West Division quarter-final
2001–02	72	34	27	9 	2 	244	215	79 	3rd B.C.	Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2002–03	72	26	41	3 	2 	257	317	57 	5th B.C.	Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2003–04	72	30	34	7 	1 	214	236	68 	5th B.C.	Out of playoffs
2004–05	72	26	41	3 	2 	158	223	57 	5th B.C.	Out of playoffs
Season 	GP	W 	L 	OL	SL	GF 	GA 	Pts	Finish 	Playoffs
2005–06	72	35	31	2 	4 	195	195	76 	4th B.C.	Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2006–07	72	33	31	3 	5 	221	217	74 	3rd B.C.	Lost Western Conference final
2007–08	72	20	48	1 	3 	172	304	44 	5th B.C.	Out of playoffs
2008–09	72	25	44	0 	3 	188	298	53 	4th B.C.	Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2009–10	72	12	56	1 	3 	172	327	28 	5th B.C.	Out of playoffs
2010–11	72	33	35	2 	2 	258	265	70 	4th B.C.	Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2011–12	72	24	46	0 	2 	166	357	50 	5th B.C.	Out of playoffs
2012–13	72	21	43	2 	6 	177	273	50 	4th B.C.	Out of playoffs
2013–14	72	27	35	3 	5 	238	305	62 	4th B.C.	Out of playoffs
2014–15	72	31	36	2 	3 	222	295	67 	3rd B.C.	Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2015–16	72	36	31	3 	2 	240	225	77 	4th B.C.	Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2016-17	72	45	21	3 	3 	253	201	96 	1st B.C.	Lost Western Conference quarter-final
2017-18	72	24	38	5 	5 	217	295	58 	5th B.C.	Out of Playoffs
2018-19	68	19	41	5 	3 	152	237	46 	5th B.C.	Out of playoffs
2019-20	62	17	40	4 	2 	157	302	40 	5th B.C.	Playoffs cancelled
2020-21	22	9 	10	2 	1 	57 	62 	21 	4th B.C.	Playoffs cancelled
2021–22	68	24	39	4 	1 	177	240	53 	3rd B.C.	Lost Western Conference quarterfinal
2022–23	68	37	24	6 	1 	290	241	81 	2nd B.C.	Lost Western Conference semifinal
2023–24	68	49	15	1 	3 	316	187	102	1st B.C.	Lost Western Conference final
==Team records==
Team records for a single season	Team records for a single season	Team records for a single season
Statistic 	Total 	Season
Most points 	95 	1999–00
Fewest points 	28 	2009–10
Most wins 	43 	1997–98; 1999–00
Fewest wins 	12 	2009–10
Most goals for 	311 	1997–98
Least goals for 	158 	2004–05
Least goals against 	195 	2005–06
Most goals against 	392 	1994–95
Individual player records for a single season	Individual player records for a single season	Individual player records for a single season	Individual player records for a single season
Statistic 	Player 	Total 	Season
Most goals 	Quinn Hancock 	54 	1997–98
Most assists 	Quinn Hancock 	58 	1997–98
Most points 	Quinn Hancock 	112 	1997–98
Most points, rookie 	Jozef Mrena 	41 	1998–99
Most points, defenceman 	Christian Chartier 	68 	2000–01
Most penalty minutes 	Clayton Catellier 	287 	1994–95
Most games played (Goalie) 	Scott Myers 	66 	1998–99
Best GAA (goalie) 	Scott Bowles 	2.40 	2005–06
Most shutouts (goalie) 	Scott Bowles 	6 	2005–06
Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played 	 	 	
== NHL alumni ==
Nineteen alumni of the Prince George Cougars have played in the National Hockey League.
*Blair Betts
*Alexandre Boikov
*Derek Boogaard
*Tyler Bouck
*Eric Brewer
*Dustin Byfuglien
*Zdeno Chara
*Brett Connolly
*Jonathan Filewich
*Kyle Freadrich
*Dan Hamhuis
*Trent Hunter
*David Koci
*Joel Kwiatkowski
*Mike Leclerc
*Martin Marinčin
*Chris Mason
*Vladimir Mihalik
*Ronald Petrovicky
*Justin Pogge
*Devin Setoguchi
*Sheldon Souray
*Dana Tyrell
*Mike Wall
*Ty Wishart
Dustin Byfuglien became the first ex-Cougar to win the Stanley Cup as a member of the 2010 Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. He was followed the subsequent season by Zdeno Chara, captain of the Boston Bruins, who won the Stanley Cup in 2011.
==Uniforms and logos==
The Cougars colours are red, white and black. Home jerseys have a white upper portion, with a burgundy lower portion, separated by a diagonal black stripe. Away jerseys have a black upper portion, with a burgundy lower portion, separated by a diagonal white stripe. Prince George's third jersey features a redesigned logo (inset), on a burgundy jersey, with black, grey and white trim on the lower portion. On August 20, 2008, the Cougars unveiled a new logo. It was closer to the third logo than the second. It was designed by Mike Doran of Splash Media.
Aug 20 2008
==External links==
*Prince George Cougars website
*Western Hockey League website
Category:Canadian ice hockey teams
Category:Western Hockey League (junior) team
Category:Established in 1994