The 1987–88 WHL season was the 22nd season of the Western Hockey League. Fourteen teams completed a 72 game season. The Medicine Hat Tigers won their second consecutive President's Cup and Memorial Cup.
League notes[]
- The Calgary Wranglers relocated to Lethbridge, Alberta to become the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Regular season[]
Final standings[]
| East Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x Saskatoon Blades | 72 | 47 | 22 | 3 | 97 | 381 | 294 |
| x Medicine Hat Tigers | 72 | 44 | 22 | 6 | 94 | 353 | 261 |
| x Prince Albert Raiders | 72 | 43 | 24 | 5 | 91 | 373 | 284 |
| x Swift Current Broncos | 72 | 44 | 26 | 2 | 90 | 388 | 312 |
| x Regina Pats | 72 | 39 | 29 | 4 | 82 | 342 | 286 |
| x Brandon Wheat Kings | 72 | 26 | 43 | 3 | 55 | 348 | 371 |
| Lethbridge Hurricanes | 72 | 20 | 48 | 4 | 44 | 257 | 356 |
| Moose Jaw Warriors | 72 | 18 | 52 | 2 | 38 | 308 | 458 |
| West Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x Kamloops Blazers | 72 | 45 | 26 | 1 | 91 | 399 | 307 |
| x Spokane Chiefs | 72 | 37 | 32 | 3 | 77 | 330 | 296 |
| x Victoria Cougars | 72 | 37 | 34 | 1 | 75 | 346 | 335 |
| x New Westminster Bruins | 72 | 33 | 34 | 5 | 71 | 338 | 358 |
| Seattle Thunderbirds | 72 | 25 | 45 | 2 | 52 | 313 | 436 |
| Portland Winter Hawks | 72 | 24 | 45 | 3 | 51 | 328 | 449 |
Scoring leaders[]
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Sakic | Swift Current Broncos | 64 | 78 | 82 | 160 | 64 |
| Theoren Fleury | Moose Jaw Warriors | 65 | 68 | 92 | 160 | 235 |
| Mark Recchi | Kamloops Blazers | 62 | 61 | 93 | 154 | 75 |
| Troy Mick | Portland Winter Hawks | 72 | 63 | 84 | 147 | 78 |
| Dennis Holland | Portland Winter Hawks | 67 | 58 | 86 | 144 | 115 |
| Terry Yake | Brandon Wheat Kings | 72 | 55 | 85 | 140 | 59 |
| Craig Endean | Regina Pats | 69 | 50 | 86 | 136 | 50 |
| Greg Hawgood | Kamloops Blazers | 63 | 48 | 85 | 133 | 142 |
| Trevor Jobe | Prince Albert Raiders | 72 | 69 | 63 | 132 | 111 |
| Mike Modano | Prince Albert Raiders | 65 | 47 | 80 | 127 | 80 |
WHL Playoffs[]
First round[]
- Saskatoon earned a bye
- Medicine Hat earned a bye
- Prince Albert defeated Brandon 3 games to 1
- Swift Current defeated Regina 3 games to 1
Division semi-finals[]
- Saskatoon defeated Swift Current 4 games to 2
- Medicine Hat defeated Prince Albert 4 games to 2
- Kamloops defeated New Westminster 4 games to 0
- Spokane defeated Victoria 4 games to 3
Division finals[]
- Medicine Hat defeated Saskatoon 4 games to 0
- Kamloops defeated Spokane 5 games to 2
WHL Championship[]
- Medicine Hat defeated Kamloops 4 games to 2
All-Star Game[]
On January 12, the East Division defeated the West Division 5–4 at Kamloops, British Columbia with a crowd of 2,689.
WHL awards[]
| Most Valuable Player - Four Broncos Memorial Trophy: Joe Sakic, Swift Current Broncos |
| Scholastic Player of the Year - Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Trophy: Kevin Cheveldayoff, Brandon Wheat Kings |
| Top Scorer - Bob Clarke Trophy: Joe Sakic, Swift Current Broncos |
| Most Sportsmanlike Player - Brad Hornung Trophy: Craig Endean, Regina Pats |
| Top Defenseman - Bill Hunter Trophy: Greg Hawgood, Kamloops Blazers |
| Rookie of the Year - Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy: Stu Barnes, New Westminster Bruins |
| Top Goaltender - Del Wilson Trophy: Troy Gamble, Spokane Chiefs |
| Coach of the Year - Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy: Marcel Comeau, Saskatoon Blades |
| Executive of the Year - Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy: Jim Loria, Spokane Chiefs |
| Regular season Champions - Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy: Saskatoon Blades |
| WHL Plus-Minus Award: Mark Recchi, Kamloops Blazers |
All-Star Teams[]
| East Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Team | Second Team | |||
| Goal | Tim Cheveldae | Saskatoon Blades | Mark Fitzpatrick | Medicine Hat Tigers |
| Defense | Curtis Leschyshyn | Saskatoon Blades | Dean Kolstad | Prince Albert Raiders |
| Scott McCrady | Medicine Hat Tigers | Rich Pilon | Prince Albert Raiders | |
| Center | Joe Sakic | Swift Current Broncos | Theoren Fleury | Moose Jaw Warriors |
| Left Wing | Grant Tkachuk | Saskatoon Blades | Mark Pederson | Medicine Hat Tigers |
| Right Wing | Craig Endean | Regina Pats | Trevor Linden | Medicine Hat Tigers |
| West Division | ||||
| First Team | Second Team | |||
| Goal | Troy Gamble | Spokane Chiefs | [[]] | [[]] |
| Defense | Greg Hawgood | Kamloops Blazers | [[]] | [[]] |
| Jayson More (tied) | New Westminster Bruins | [[]] | [[]] | |
| Andrew Wolf (tied) | Victoria Cougars | [[]] | [[]] | |
| Center | Dennis Holland | Portland Winter Hawks | Stu Barnes | New Westminster Bruins |
| Left Wing | Troy Mick (tied) | Portland Winter Hawks | [[]] | [[]] |
| Darcy Norton (tied) | Kamloops Blazers | [[]] | [[]] | |
| Right Wing | Mark Recchi | Kamloops Blazers | [[]] | [[]] |
Team Photos[]
References[]
- whl.ca
- 2005–06 WHL Guide
| Preceded by 1986–87 WHL season |
WHL seasons | Succeeded by 1988–89 WHL season |
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