When they were players with the Moose Jaw Warriors, seeing Chris Armstrong and Harlan Anderson on the ice in their respective eras meant two things: you were going to see some shutdown defensive play and a few points from the blueline on top of it all.
The Warriors announced Wednesday that the duo, along with original builder Lorne Humphries, will be the 2019 inductees into the Conexus Warriors and Legend Hall of Fame.
Armstrong made his debut with the Warriors during the 1991-92 season and would go on to play 240 games for the Tribe through the 1994-95 campaign. He drew Canada-wide accolades for his performance in 1993-94 as he recorded 13 goals and 55 assists for 68 points and was named to the Western Hockey League’s First All-Star team as well as the Canadian Hockey League Second All-Star Team. Armstrong followed that campaign with a career high in goals (17) and points (71), finishing his WHL career with 41 goals, 151 assists and 192 points to sit third all-time in Warriors defencemen scoring.
With numbers like that, it was all but inevitable that the National Hockey League would come calling, with the Florida Panthers selecting Armstrong in the third round, 57th overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. While Armstrong wouldn’t crack the NHL with the Panthers, he’d play three regular-season NHL game during the 2000-01 season after being selected in the Minnesota Wild in the first round, 13th overall.
Armstrong would go on to play 488 games in the American Hockey League, putting up 63 goals and 294 points, to go along with 162 games in the International Hockey League, where he had 71 assists and 88 points. He followed his domestic career with six seasons in the German Elite League where he had 27 goals and 131 points in 265 games.
Armstrong has also played for Team Canada’s gold medal-winning crew in the 1994 World Junior Hockey Championship in addition to the 2002-03 Spengler Cup and 2009 Deutschland Cup.
Armstrong now lives in Raleigh, N.C. where he is a community sales manager for Smith Douglas Homes.
Anderson, a Vernon, B.C. product, made his Warriors’ debut in the 1999-2000 campaign and would play four seasons for the Tribe, racking up 32 goals and 139 points through 258 games. He served as the Warriors’ 19th captain in the team history during his overage season.
‘Harpo’ would go on to play five seasons with the University of Alberta Golden Bears, where he would score 55 goals and 156 points in 176 games while emerging as one of the top defencemen in Canada West and the USports.
Anderson was named the USports University Cup MVP at the USports national championships in 2006 and in 2008 was the Canada West Most Outstanding Defenceman and Most Valuable Player for the USport national champion Golden Bears.
While at the University of Alberta, Anderson graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and in 2013 obtained his chartered accountant designation.
Today, Anderson lives in Salmon Arm, B.C. where he is a partner in an accounting firm.
Lorne Humphries played an integral part in the Moose Jaw Warriors moving to the city from Winnipeg, with initial correspondence with the league dating back to 1982, with inquiries looking into a new or re-located franchise for the 1984-84 season.
On Dec. 30, 1983, Humphries and his group were informed that the WHL had approved the sale and transfer of the Winnipeg Warriors to Moose Jaw.
Armstrong, Anderson, and Humphries will be inducted to the Conexus Warriors and Legends Hall of Fame during a ceremony at Mosaic Place on Friday, Feb. 7. They will be honoured again Saturday, Feb. 8 before the Hall of Fame Game against the Saskatoon Blades at Mosaic Place.
Tickets for the 2019 Conexus Warriors and Legends Hall of Fame Banquet are $75 each or $500 for a table of eight. They are available at the Warriors Office located in Mosaic Place or from Hall of Fame Committee members.
