On December 30, 1986, the Swift Current Broncos bus crash caused the deaths of four members of the Broncos: Trent Kresse , Scott Kruger , Chris Mantyka , and Brent Ruff . Despite the tragedy, the Broncos opted to continue playing for the remainder of the season. The WHL would later rename its Most Valuable Player award the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy in honour of the four players who were killed in the crash.[ 1]
On March 1, 1987, Regina Pats player Brad Hornung was paralyzed during a game by a body check. In 1988, the WHL renamed its Most Sportsmanlike Player award—previously the Frank Boucher Memorial Trophy—the Brad Hornung Trophy in his honor. The incident also led to a rule change, making body checking from behind illegal.[ 2]
Rob Brown established a league record with a 212-point season for the Kamloops Blazers .[ 3] Joe Sakic .
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes
Medicine Hat earned a bye
Saskatoon earned a bye
Prince Albert defeated Swift Current 3 games to 1
Moose Jaw defeated Regina 3 games to 0 Division semi-finals
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Medicine Hat defeated Moose Jaw 4 games to 2
Saskatoon defeated Prince Albert 4 games to 0
Kamloops defeated Victoria 5 games to 0
Portland defeated Spokane 5 games to 0 Medicine Hat defeated Saskatoon 4 games to 3
Portland defeated Kamloops 5 games to 3 Medicine Hat defeated Portland 4 games to 3
On January 20, the East Division defeated the West Division 4–3 at Regina, Saskatchewan with a crowd of 3,652.
Note: For the 1986–87 season, the WHL handed out separate awards for the East and West Divisions.
Most Valuable Player - Four Broncos Memorial Trophy : East: Joe Sakic , Swift Current Broncos ; West: Rob Brown , Kamloops Blazers
Scholastic Player of the Year - Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Trophy : Casey McMilan , Swift Current Broncos
Top Scorer - Bob Clarke Trophy : East: Craig Endean , Regina Pats ; West: Rob Brown , Kamloops Blazers
WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player : East: Len Nielson , Regina Pats ; West: Dave Archibald , Portland Winter Hawks
Top Defenseman - Bill Hunter Trophy : East: Wayne McBean , Medicine Hat Tigers ; West: Glen Wesley , Portland Winter Hawks
Rookie of the Year - Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy : East: Joe Sakic , Swift Current Broncos ; West: Dennis Holland , Portland Winter Hawks
Top Goaltender - Del Wilson Trophy : East: Kenton Rein , Prince Albert Raiders ; West: Dean Cook , Kamloops Blazers
Coach of the Year - Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy : East: Graham James , Swift Current Broncos ; West: Ken Hitchcock , Kamloops Blazers
Regular season champions - Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy : Kamloops Blazers
WHL Plus-Minus Award : Rob Brown , Kamloops Blazers
^ "Memorial unveiled on 30th anniversary of crash that killed 4 Swift Current hockey players" . CBC News Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2024 .^ Coleman, Cory (February 9, 2022). "Former Regina Pat Brad Hornung remembered for perseverance, positive attitude after death from cancer" . CBC News Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2024 . ^ "Highest scoring seasons in major junior hockey history" . Sportsnet Archived from the original on July 30, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2024 .
