thumb|SaskTel Centre is a multi-purpose arena, home to the WHL's Saskatoon Blades the CEBL's Saskatchewan Rattlers and the NLL's Saskatchewan Rush. Ice hockey is a popular sport in Saskatoon and the city is home to numerous amateur teams, including the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Saskatoon was a major league hockey city from 1921 to 1926 when the Saskatoon Sheiks played in the Western Canada Hockey League. Major professional hockey appeared poised to return to the city in 1982. Bill Hunter, a local sports promoter, attempted to purchase the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL) and move them to Saskatoon. The city built a new arena to support the move, but the relocation was prevented by the league. In the early 1990s, Hunter made a bid for a Saskatoon expansion NHL franchise, but ultimately failed to secure adequate funding.
thumb|SaskTel Centre is a multi-purpose arena home to the WHL's Saskatoon Blades the CEBL's Saskatchewan Rattlers and the NLL's Saskatchewan Rush. Ice hockey is a popular sport in Saskatoon and the city is home to numerous amateur teams, including the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Saskatoon was a major league hockey city from 1921 to 1926 when the Saskatoon Sheiks played in the Western Canada Hockey League. Major professional hockey appeared poised to return to the city in 1982. Bill Hunter, a local sports promoter, attempted to purchase the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL) and move them to Saskatoon. The city built a new arena to support the move, but the relocation was prevented by the league. In the early 1990s, Hunter made a bid for a Saskatoon expansion NHL franchise, but ultimately failed to secure adequate funding.