Lethbridge Longhorns Statistics and History

The Lethbridge Longhorns were a Canadian Junior A hockey team based in Lethbridge, ALTA playing in the Alberta Junior Hockey League for the 1973-74 season. The Longhorns were a new franchise that replaced the failed Lethbridge Sugar Kings, which had folded following the prior season. The Longhorns were coached by Stan Maxwell and they played their games at the Henderson Park Ice Centre in Lethbridge.

The team owners, led by Herb Christie of Lethbridge, formed the Longhorns under the impression that as a locally operating team, they would have priority to operate a team at the Canada Winter Games Sportsplex which would open in Lethbridge in the fall of 1974. Following the 1973-74 season, the Swift Current Broncos of the WCHL applied to become a tenant at the Sportsplex; the owners of the Longhorns also applied for an exclusive right to use the facility, potentially for both the Longhorns and a future expansion WCHL club. The Lethbridge City Council endorsed the transfer of the Swift Current Broncos, embracing the Tier 1 WCHL owners over the Tier 2 AJHL owners.

Although the Longhorns explored the option of operating as a secondary tenant in the Sportsplex, they could not arrive at an agreement with the city for a lease. They suspended their franchise for a season, and later decided to make their withdrawl permanent.