The Saskatoon Rage were a Tier-II Junior “A” team based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, who played in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
- Minot Americans 1987−1994
- Minot Top Guns 1994−1997
- Beardy’s Rage 1997−1998
- Saskatoon Rage 1998−1999
History
The Rage franchise originated in 1987 in the city of Minot, North Dakota, originally named the Minot Americans before later becoming the Minot Top Guns in homage to both the 1986 movie Top Gun and the nearby Minot Air Force Base.[1]
The team was never very successful as the SJHL’s first and only franchise based in the United States. They faced low attendance and a consistent losing record. During one of their final seasons in Minot, the Top Guns had to play their first 14 games on the road due to bookings at their home arena, then fired their coach after a 20-game losing streak and faced immigration-related issues in finding a replacement. [2]
The franchise was sold to interested parties at the Beardy’s 97, Saskatchewan reserve in 1997 after beginning discussions with the team’s ownership the previous year. [2][3] That arrangement lasted one season in 1997-98.
In 1998-99, the team became the Saskatoon Rage and played their home games at Harold Latrace Arena. It marked the SJHL’s return to Saskatoon for the first time since the Saskatoon J’s folded in 1982, but the Rage would meet a similar fate and folded after one season in Saskatoon due to financial reasons.[4]
Season-by-season standings
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | P | Results | Playoffs |
| 1987-88 | 60 | 20 | 35 | 5 | – | 246 | 310 | 45 | 9th SJHL | |
| 1988-89 | 64 | 32 | 30 | 2 | – | 305 | 328 | 66 | 3rd SJHL South | |
| 1989-90 | 68 | 25 | 39 | 4 | – | 259 | 334 | 54 | 5th SJHL South | DNQ |
| 1990-91 | 68 | 13 | 52 | 3 | – | 219 | 378 | 29 | 6th SJHL South | DNQ |
| 1991-92 | 64 | 21 | 40 | 3 | – | 218 | 317 | 45 | 6th SJHL South | DNQ |
| 1992-93 | 64 | 15 | 44 | 5 | – | 228 | 357 | 35 | 6th SJHL South | DNQ |
| 1993-94 | 68 | 12 | 49 | 7 | – | 193 | 318 | 31 | 7th SJHL South | DNQ |
| 1994-95 | 64 | 24 | 35 | 5 | – | 264 | 287 | 53 | 6th SJHL South | DNQ |
| 1995-96 | 64 | 19 | 39 | 6 | – | 231 | 304 | 44 | 6th SJHL South | DNQ |
| 1996-97 | 64 | 24 | 33 | 7 | – | 219 | 265 | 55 | 4th SJHL South | Lost quarter-final |
| 1997-98 | 64 | 18 | 43 | 3 | – | 185 | 309 | 39 | 7th SJHL North | DNQ |
| 1998-99 | 66 | 9 | 55 | 2 | – | 176 | 362 | 20 | 7th SJHL South | DNQ |
Playoffs
- 1988 DNQ
- 1989 Lost quarter-final
- Notre Dame Hounds defeated Minot Americans 4-games-to-2
- 1990 DNQ
- 1991 DNQ
- 1992 DNQ
- 1993 DNQ
- 1994 DNQ
- 1995 DNQ
- 1996 DNQ
- 1997 Lost preliminary
- Estevan Bruins defeated Minot Top Guns 2-games-to-none
- 1998 DNQ
- 1999 DNQ
References
- ^ Atkinson, Corey (December 18, 2018). “Rod Pedersen puts together extensive book about SJHL”. SaskToday. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b “Beardy’s makes bid for Minot Top Guns | Ammsa.com”. ammsa.com. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
- ^ “Let us clarify the situation | Ammsa.com”. ammsa.com. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
- ^ “Historical Statistics”. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
External links