Portage Terriers
The Portage Terriers are a Canadian junior "A" ice hockey team from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada. They are members of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, a part of the Canadian Junior Hockey League.
History
The Portage Terriers were founded in 1932. Ten years later the Terriers won the Turnbull Cup as Manitoba junior champions and went on to defeat the Oshawa Generals to win the Memorial Cup. Their roster included Joe Bell, Gordon Bell, Billy Gooden, Lin Bend, Jack MacDonald, Wally Stefaniw, Bobby Love, Oliver "Bud" Ritchie, Bill Heindl Sr., Jack O'Reilly, Joe Ledoux, Lloyd Smith and Don Campbell.A shortage of players following World War II forced the Terriers to cease operations in 1947. The Portage Terriers would be reborn twenty years later as members of the new Central Manitoba Junior Hockey League. The CMJHL lasted only one season before it merged with the MJHL. The Terriers became a Junior 'A' club following the reorganization of Canadian junior hockey in 1970. In 1972-73, the Terriers won the ANAVET Cup as Manitoba-Saskatchewan champions and Abbott Cup as Western Canadian champions, and then defeated the Pembroke Lumber Kings to win the 1973 Centennial Cup.
The team endured some tough years following their Centennial Cup appearance and it was not until 1989 that the Terriers would recapture the league title. Since the mid-2000s, the Terriers have been the MJHL's most dominant franchise, winning nine Turnbull Cups, three ANAVET Cups, and one national championship.
During the 2014-15 season, the Terriers set a new league record by posting a winning percentage of.917 during the regular season, after which they went undefeated through the playoffs to capture the Turnbull Cup. The Terriers finished second at the Western Canada Cup and then moved on to host the 2015 [Royal Bank Cup] in Portage la Prairie, where they captured the national title with a victory over the Carleton Place Canadians in the championship game. The 2020 national championship, rechristened as the Centennial Cup, was also to be played in Portage la Prairie but cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Terriers have played at Stride Place, originally named the Portage Credit Union Centre, since 2010. Prior to this, the Terriers played at the Portage Centennial Arena. The team's head coach and general manager is Blake Spiller, who has held the position since 2006. Spiller is the winningest coach in the team's history.
The 1942 and 1972-73 Portage Terriers have been inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame under the team category.
List of championships
| Championship | Years won |
| Turnbull Cup | 1942, 1973, 1990, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 |
| Abbott Cup | 1942, 1973 |
| Memorial Cup | 1942 |
| ANAVET Cup | 1973, 2005, 2011, 2019 |
| Royal Bank/Centennial Cup | 1973, 2015 |
Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Points | Finish | Playoffs |
| 1967-68 | 23 | 6 | 17 | 0 | - | 72 | 147 | 12 | 4th CMJHL | |
| 1968-69 | 34 | 3 | 28 | 3 | - | 104 | 236 | 9 | 8th MJHL | |
| 1969-70 | 34 | 12 | 20 | 2 | - | 127 | 156 | 26 | 6th MJHL | |
| 1970-71 | 48 | 27 | 15 | 6 | - | 163 | 158 | 60 | 2nd MJHL | |
| 1971-72 | 48 | 33 | 14 | 1 | - | 266 | 193 | 67 | 2nd MJHL | |
| 1972-73 | 48 | 32 | 16 | 0 | - | 280 | 187 | 62 | 1st MJHL | Won League, won AC, won AbC, won MCC |
| 1973-74 | 48 | 29 | 18 | 1 | - | 255 | 201 | 59 | 4th MJHL | |
| 1974-75 | 48 | 25 | 22 | 1 | - | 223 | 209 | 51 | 4th MJHL | |
| 1975-76 | 52 | 25 | 27 | 0 | - | 236 | 245 | 50 | 7th MJHL | |
| 1976-77 | 52 | 17 | 35 | 0 | - | 214 | 287 | 34 | 10th MJHL | |
| 1977-78 | 52 | 18 | 33 | 1 | - | 244 | 335 | 37 | 8th MJHL | |
| 1978-79 | 48 | 26 | 22 | 0 | - | 267 | 289 | 52 | 4th MJHL | |
| 1979-80 | 44 | 5 | 37 | 2 | - | 186 | 399 | 12 | 9th MJHL | |
| 1980-81 | 48 | 20 | 27 | 1 | - | 240 | 271 | 41 | 5th MJHL | |
| 1981-82 | 48 | 15 | 32 | 1 | - | 215 | 288 | 31 | 7th MJHL | |
| 1982-83 | 48 | 23 | 24 | 1 | - | 259 | 254 | 47 | 6th MJHL | |
| 1983-84 | 48 | 10 | 38 | 0 | - | 156 | 371 | 20 | 8th MJHL | |
| 1984-85 | 48 | 6 | 42 | 0 | - | 184 | 370 | 12 | 9th MJHL | |
| 1985-86 | 48 | 12 | 35 | 1 | - | 209 | 326 | 25 | 9th MJHL | |
| 1986-87 | 47 | 27 | 20 | 0 | - | 299 | 245 | 54 | 5th MJHL | |
| 1987-88 | 48 | 27 | 21 | 0 | - | 293 | 278 | 54 | 4th MJHL | |
| 1988-89 | 48 | 28 | 19 | 1 | - | 276 | 232 | 57 | 4th MJHL | |
| 1989-90 | 52 | 43 | 9 | 0 | - | 352 | 194 | 86 | 1st MJHL | Won League |
| 1990-91 | 48 | 23 | 25 | 0 | - | 268 | 267 | 46 | 5th MJHL | |
| 1991-92 | 48 | 29 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 310 | 203 | 59 | 4th MJHL | |
| 1992-93 | 48 | 34 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 282 | 188 | 70 | 1st MJHL | |
| 1993-94 | 56 | 31 | 24 | 1 | 0 | -- | -- | 63 | 4th MJHL | |
| 1994-95 | 56 | 24 | 27 | 1 | 4 | 218 | 249 | 53 | 6th MJHL | |
| 1995-96 | 56 | 34 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 255 | 196 | 70 | 3rd MJHL | Lost quarter-final |
| 1996-97 | 56 | 31 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 243 | 200 | 65 | 3rd MJHL | Lost quarter-final |
| 1997-98 | 62 | 39 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 271 | 204 | 84 | 3rd MJHL | |
| 1998-99 | 62 | 42 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 310 | 214 | 88 | 2nd MJHL | |
| 1999-00 | 64 | 34 | 23 | - | 7 | 291 | 254 | 75 | 5th MJHL | |
| 2000-01 | 64 | 36 | 23 | - | 5 | 226 | 210 | 77 | 4th MJHL | |
| 2001-02 | 64 | 43 | 19 | - | 2 | 275 | 169 | 88 | 3rd MJHL | |
| 2002-03 | 64 | 44 | 12 | - | 8 | 331 | 181 | 96 | 2nd MJHL | |
| 2003-04 | 64 | 32 | 26 | - | 6 | 232 | 230 | 70 | 6th MJHL | Lost final |
| 2004-05 | 63 | 39 | 18 | - | 6 | 237 | 191 | 84 | 1st MJHL | Won League, won AC |
| 2005-06 | 63 | 23 | 30 | - | 10 | 196 | 218 | 56 | 8th MJHL | Lost quarter-final |
| 2006-07 | 62 | 34 | 20 | - | 8 | 271 | 231 | 76 | 5th MJHL | Lost quarter-final |
| 2007-08 | 62 | 42 | 15 | - | 5 | 278 | 188 | 89 | 3rd MJHL | Won League |
| 2008-09 | 62 | 46 | 13 | - | 3 | 287 | 175 | 95 | 2nd MJHL | Won League |
| 2009-10 | 62 | 35 | 17 | - | 10 | 223 | 173 | 80 | 2nd MJHL | Lost quarter-final |
| 2010-11 | 62 | 40 | 15 | - | 7 | 227 | 164 | 87 | 1st MJHL | Won League, won AC |
| 2011-12 | 62 | 42 | 15 | - | 5 | 266 | 189 | 89 | 1st MJHL | Won League |
| 2012-13 | 60 | 32 | 27 | - | 1 | 188 | 188 | 65 | 6th MJHL | Lost quarter-final |
| 2013-14 | 60 | 36 | 16 | - | 8 | 206 | 155 | 80 | 4th MJHL | Lost quarter-final |
| 2014-15 | 60 | 53 | 3 | - | 4 | 285 | 120 | 110 | 1st MJHL | Won League, Won RBC |
| 2015-16 | 60 | 52 | 6 | - | 2 | 276 | 123 | 106 | 1st MJHL | Won League |
| 2016-17 | 60 | 37 | 19 | - | 4 | 256 | 198 | 78 | 5th MJHL | Won League |
| 2017-18 | 60 | 38 | 16 | - | 6 | 251 | 163 | 78 | 3rd MJHL | Lost quarter-final |
| 2018-19 | 60 | 46 | 11 | - | 3 | 277 | 150 | 95 | 1st MJHL | Won League, won AC |
| 2019-20 | 60 | 44 | 14 | - | 2 | 240 | 145 | 90 | 2nd MJHL | Cancelled |
| 2020-21 | 8 | 4 | 3 | - | 1 | 25 | 25 | 9 | 5th MJHL | Cancelled |
| 2021-22 | 54 | 23 | 24 | - | 7 | 169 | 186 | 53 | 8th MJHL | DNQ |
| 2022-23 | 58 | 43 | 11 | - | 4 | 181 | 206 | 86 | 1st MJHL | Lost-Semi-final |
| 2023–24 | 58 | 36 | 14 | - | 4 | 213 | 156 | 80 | 3rd MJHL | Lost quarter-final |
| 2024–25 | 58 | 40 | 17 | - | 1 | 197 | 152 | 81 | 3rd of 7 East Div 3rd of 13 MJHL | Won Div Semifinal 4-3 Lost League Semifinals 2-4 |
Playoffs
- 1971 Lost quarter-final
- 1972 Lost semi-final
- 1973 Won League, won Man/Sask Championship, won Abbott Cup, won 1973 Centennial Cup
- 1974 Lost semi-final
- 1975 Lost semi-final
- 1976 Lost quarter-final
- 1977 DNQ
- 1978 Lost quarter-final
- 1979 Lost semi-final
- 1980 DNQ
- 1981 Lost quarter-final
- 1982 Lost quarter-final
- 1983 Lost quarter-final
- 1984 Lost quarter-final
- 1985 DNQ
- 1986 DNQ
- 1987 Lost quarter-final
- 1988 Lost final
- 1989 Lost quarter-final
- 1990 Won League, lost Anavet Cup
- 1991 Lost quarter-final
- 1992 Lost semi-final
- 1993 Lost semi-final
- 1994 Lost quarter-final
- 1995 Lost quarter-final
- 1996 Lost quarter-final
- 1997 Lost quarter-final
- 1998 Lost quarter-final
- 1999 Lost quarter-final
- 2000 Lost quarter-final
- 2001 Lost quarter-final
- 2002 Lost semi-final
- 2003 Lost semi-final
- 2004 Lost final
- 2005 Won League, won Anavet Cup, lost in 2005 Royal Bank Cup round robin
- 2006 Lost quarter-final
- 2007 Lost quarter-final
- 2008 Won League, lost Anavet Cup
- 2009 Won League, lost Anavet Cup
- 2010 Lost quarter-final
- 2011 Won League, won Anavet Cup, lost in 2011 Royal Bank Cup round robin
- 2012 Won League, lost in 2012 Royal Bank Cup round robin
- 2013 Lost quarter-final
- 2014 Lost quarter-final
- 2015 Won League, WCC Runner-up, Won Royal Bank Cup
- 2016 Won League, lost in WCC runner-up game
- 2017 Won League, lost in WCC round robin
- 2018 Lost quarter-final
- 2019 Won League, won Anavet Cup, lost in 2019 National Junior A Championship round robin
- 2020 Playoffs cancelled
- 2021 Playoffs cancelled
- 2022 DNQ
- 2023 Lost semi-final
- 2024 ''Lost quarter-final''
Notable executives
- E. A. Gilroy, manager of the Terriers for the 1938–39 season