Editing Calgary Hitmen (section)

{{short description|Western Hockey League team in Calgary, Alberta}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=August 2017}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox hockey team
| team        = Calgary Hitmen
| colour      = background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#E2373C 5px solid; border-bottom:#9F7152 5px solid;
| colour text = #000000
| logo        = Calgary Hitmen logo.svg
| logosize    = 230px
| city        = [[Calgary]], [[Alberta]]
| league      = [[Western Hockey League]]
| conference  = Eastern
| division    = Central
| founded     = {{Start date|1994}}
| arena       = [[Scotiabank Saddledome]]
| colours     = Black, Red, Copper, White <br /> {{Color box|black}} {{Color box|#E2373C}} {{Color box|#9F7152}} {{Color box|#FFFFFF}}
| owner       = [[Calgary Sports and Entertainment]]
| GM          = Garry Davidson
| coach       = [[Paul McFarland]] 
| captain     = 
| championships  = [[Ed Chynoweth Cup]]<br> '''2''' ([[1998–99 WHL season|1999]], [[2009–10 WHL season|2010]])<br>Conference Championships<br> 3 ([[1998–99 WHL season|1998–99]], [[2008–09 WHL season|2008–09]], [[2009–10 WHL season|2009–10]])
|reg_season_titles='''4''' ([[1998–99 WHL season|1998–99]], [[1999–2000 WHL season|1999–2000]], [[2008–09 WHL season|2008–09]], [[2009–10 WHL season|2009–10]])
| website     = {{URL|https://chl.ca/whl-hitmen/}}
| uniform_image=WHL-Uniform-CGY.png}}

[[File:HitmenHurricanesFaceoff.jpg|thumb|250px|right|2005 playoff game against the [[Lethbridge Hurricanes]] at the Saddledome.|alt=Players on two teams, one in white and the other in dark blue, face off against each other while a referee prepares to begin play]]

The '''Calgary Hitmen''' are a Canadian [[junior ice hockey]] team based in [[Calgary]], [[Alberta]]. The Hitmen play in the Central Division of the [[Western Hockey League]] (WHL), hosting their home games at the [[Scotiabank Saddledome]]. [[Bret Hart|Bret "Hitman" Hart]], a [[professional wrestler]] and Calgary native, was a founding owner and the inspiration for the team's name. Established in 1994, the team has been owned by the [[Calgary Flames]] hockey club since 1997. They are the third WHL team based in Calgary, after the [[Calgary Centennials|Centennials]] and [[Calgary Wranglers (WHL)|Wranglers]].

The Hitmen have won four regular season titles, and the team qualified for the playoffs for thirteen consecutive seasons between 1998 and 2010. In 1999, they became the first Calgary team to win the [[Ed Chynoweth Cup|President's Cup]] as league champions, and the first to represent the city in the [[Memorial Cup]] since the [[Calgary Canadians]] won the national junior title in 1926. The team won a second league championship in 2010. The Hitmen hold numerous WHL attendance records, and in 2004–05 became the first team in [[Canadian Hockey League]] history to average 10,000 fans per game. Thirty-nine former Hitmen players have gone on to play in the [[National Hockey League]].