Honourable senators, I am very happy to rise today and congratulate the Western Hockey League, or WHL, champion, the Moose Jaw Warriors.

The Warriors have had an incredible WHL playoff run. In 20 playoff games this year, Moose Jaw had only one regulation loss. The people of Moose Jaw are thrilled to cheer on their beloved Warriors’ best season ever. This is the Moose Jaw Warriors’ first WHL championship in their 40-year history.

The Warriors started this remarkable playoff season with series wins over the Brandon Wheat Kings and Swift Current Broncos. Then, Moose Jaw faced the Saskatoon Blades in an all‑Saskatchewan Eastern Conference championship. The Warriors won that thrilling seven-game series in which six out of seven games went into overtime, including the deciding game seven. That is a Canadian Hockey League record.

Next up was the Western Hockey League final against the Portland Winterhawks. Moose Jaw shocked the U.S. crowd by winning both games in Portland. They came home up 2-0.

Last week was huge for Moose Jaw and their gorgeous arena. To kick off the week, the legendary band, Foreigner, rocked the rink and showed Moose Jaw just how “Urgent” it was for the Warriors to be “Hot Blooded” yet as “Cold as Ice” the next two nights.

I was elated to attend game three at the jam-packed Moose Jaw arena. My husband, Dave Batters, was Moose Jaw’s member of Parliament the last time they went to the WHL final. I wore Dave’s 2006 Warriors jersey for luck, and it worked: They won again in overtime. I thought the roof might blow right off the building that night when that crowd roared.

Then, Moose Jaw swept the WHL championship by winning game 4 at home, in front of their ecstatic fans. The Warriors are a community-owned club, and they are spurred on by their fantastic fans at home in “the Jaw” and on the road. Thank you to all the people in Moose Jaw who have so loyally supported the Warriors for 40 years, and thank you to all those who had the vision, fortitude and stamina to press to build the outstanding Moose Jaw Events Centre, the 4,500-seat home of the Moose Jaw Warriors. I am also so proud of how hard my husband Dave worked as Moose Jaw’s MP to secure federal infrastructure investment for this major successful project.

Now, the Moose Jaw Warriors will compete for junior hockey’s biggest prize, the Memorial Cup, which will be held in Saginaw, Michigan. Head Coach Mark O’Leary leads a very deep and talented team, with players like Jagger Firkus, who led the WHL regular season and playoff scoring; Brayden Yager; Matt Savoie; and WHL playoff most valuable player and Warriors captain, Denton Mateychuk. But the heart of this Moose Jaw team was best expressed last week by hometown boy Atley Calvert, who said, “We had a special group and we’re going to be brothers forever.”

Go Warriors go. Bring home that Memorial Cup.

Thank you.