University of Saskatchewan held its first classes In September 1909. By February 1910, a team had been formed to represent the University in the Saskatoon city league. Except for a “practice game” against a team from Massey-Harris and some intra-university games, the team saw no real action until the 1910-11 season when it competed in the City League as well as against its first university opposition. On 27 February 1911, in what was the first interuniversity game in Western Canada, the Green and White Varsity hosted the Green and Gold Varsity from University of Alberta. The result was a 16-0 drubbing at the hands of the Edmonton team. For the next decade, “Varsity” as it was called, competed against such local teams as the Baracas, Collegiate, Bankers, Liberals, Conservatives, Quakers, and Normal School. By the 1920s the team was winning against a variety of teams under coach Reg Brehaut who guided the team for nine seasons, including 1922-23 when the team was a finalist for the Allan Cup.
1923 University of Saskatchewan Hockey Team
The moniker “Varsity” lasted until 1932, when sports teams at University of Saskatchewan adopted the name “Huskies.” Concurrent to its competition within the province against various senior teams, the University team of the first half of the twentieth century would play periodic interuniversity tilts against University of Alberta, University of Manitoba, and Brandon College as well as make an infrequent foray across the border (1948, 1949, and 1950) to play exhibition games against University of Colorado, University of North Dakota, and University of Denver. With two World Wars in the early period and Western Canadian university competition limited, University of Saskatchewan had few games of record most years, although some excellent players emerged from its ranks. Future NHL players Eddie McCalmon, Earl Miller, Charlie Mason, Gerry Couture, Max McNab, Eddie Litzenberger, and Billy Hay as well as a man who would become famous behind the microphone for NHL games, Dick Irvin Jr. all played Huskie Hockey in this era.
Among the coaches, there was no standout mentor either in terms of longevity or success except for Brehaut, and the team’s record over the span was mediocre at best. The team played no more than eight interuniversity games in any Western Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union (WCIAU) season until 1956-57 when it faced off for ten games. As the 1950s turned into the 1960s, Huskie Hockey had developed a tradition, but not a strong winning legacy. That was to come in the decade ahead.
#1960-69 # The 1960s saw Don Burgess behind the bench (1959-64), succeeded by Cec Eaves (1964-66), Ed Lepp (1966-67), and Dave Chambers (1967-69). Chambers would go on to coach Quebec Nordiques in the NHL. The decade saw Huskies post a 70-57-1 won-lost-tied ledger in Western Canada Intercollegiate Athletic Union (WCIAU)/Western Intercollegiate Athletic Association (WCIAA) play. The best record Huskies had in the decade was an impressive 13-3-0 in 1966-67 under coach Ed Lepp. That year Huskies captured a one-game playoff with University of Alberta and thus placed the Green and White into Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU) University Cup tournament. It also represented Saskatchewan at the Canada Winter Games where they posted a 3-2 record. The team featured goalie Jim Shaw who went on to play with Toronto Toros in the World Hockey Association and rookie defenceman Dave Dunn, who would perform in the NHL with Toronto and Vancouver.
--Historical Excerpt Taken from Dogs on Ice: A History of Hockey at University of Saskatchewan
Written by Michael P. J. Kennedy, Ph.D.
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