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The Calgary Wranglers: An Early History In the past two weeks, multiple articles have been written on various aspects of the Victory Hockey League’s history. With 40 seasons in the books, there have been some spectacular stories shared and forgotten players remembered. That trend will continue today, as we will take a look back at one the first franchises in league history to win consecutive Continental Cup championships: the S2 and S3 Calgary Wranglers. The S2 Continental Cup Champion Calgary Wranglers The early success of the Wranglers was, in large part, due to the team’s ability to draft players who practiced regularly and consistently improved. The Wranglers had a widely recognized team-first mentality, demonstrated through the decision to trade away the first overall pick in the league’s inaugural draft. When the trade was announced, future Hall of Famer Brett Slobodzian was quoted as saying, “Some are going to think, ‘what the hell am I doing?’ Well what I’m doing is making sure this team has depth and not just one superstar.” In a draft that featured stars like Scotty Campbell, David Night, and Matthew Pogge, making such a move certainly had its risks. But the Wranglers managed to stick to that mentality and ultimately execute it perfectly. While the team certainly had its fair share of superstars – Slobodzian, Scott Boulet, and Sterling Labatte to name a few – there were also plenty of supporting players who were not as widely renowned. Guys like Alex Watson, Brad Janssen, Joey Kendrick, and Doug Schneider all played major roles in bringing two Continental Cups to Calgary. All it takes to understand these teams’ depth is a quick look at the all-star teams from these two seasons. In the season two game, the Wranglers had five players selected. This included a forward line of Boulet, Janssen, and Slobodzian, with Schneider and goaltender Joseph Baker on the back end of the roster. The following season, six players were selected: Ondrej Skokan, Slobodzian, and Watson at forward, Kendrick and Labatte on the blue line, and Robert Sharpe in net. While the numbers themselves are impressive, what really makes them special is the number of different players the Wranglers sent to each all-star game. Out of 11 selections, Slobodzian was the only one chosen to play in both of the games. The Wranglers didn’t have to rely on any individual player, so that even when some players had a down year, there were plenty of others to pick up the slack and help lead the charge. Brett Slobodzian and his glorious mustache Much of that can also be attributed to the Wranglers’ team-first focus. While many players could have worried about their individual stats, Calgary’s players simply wanted to contribute in any way they could. Perhaps that’s what makes the awards named after former Wranglers’ players so fitting: of the three (the Brett Slobodzian Trophy for most valuable player, the Sterling Labatte Trophy for top defenseman, and the Scott Boulet Trophy for top two-way forward), two go to players who make the majority of their contributions in their own end. In today’s high salary game, whether a team full of players this dedicated can ever be assembled again remains to be seen. One thing is certain, though: The S2 and S3 Calgary Wranglers left a long lasting mark on the Victory Hockey League.

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