Kamloops Blazers
The Kamloops Blazers are a Canadian professional ice hockey team that began playing in 1966. They currently play in the Western Hockey League. They play their home games in Kamloops, British Columbia at the Interior Savings Centre.
| Kamloops Blazers | |
|---|---|
| City | Kamloops, British Columbia |
| League | Western Hockey League |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | B.C. |
| Founded | 1966 |
| Home arena | Sandman Centre |
| Colours | Blue, white and orange |
| Owner(s) | Tom Gaglardi (majority)[1] Shane Doan Jarome Iginla Mark Recchi Darryl Sydor |
| General manager | Matt Bardsley[2] |
| Head coach | Shaun Clouston[3] |
| Championships | 6 WHL championships: 1984, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995 3 Memorial Cup championships: 1992, 1994, 1995 |
Website www.blazerhockey.com | |
| Franchise history | |
| 1966–1971 | Estevan Bruins |
| 1971–1981 | New Westminster Bruins |
| 1981–1984 | Kamloops Junior Oilers |
| 1984–present | Kamloops Blazers |
The franchise was created in 1966 and first played in Estevan, Saskatchewan as the Estevan Bruins. The team then moved to New Westminster, British Columbia and became the New Westminster Bruins in 1971. Finally, it moved to Kamloops, British Columbia to become the Kamloops Junior Oilers in 1981. The team changed their name to the Blazers in 1984.[4]
The franchise has won the most Memorial Cups of any team in the WHL with five; two wins as New Westminster (1977 and 1978) and three wins as Kamloops (1992, 1994 and 1995). The CHL record is seven cups, held by the Toronto Marlboros (now the Guelph Storm). Since moving to Kamloops, the Blazers have only missed the playoffs twice in their 30 seasons.
References
- ↑ "Ownership". Blazerhockey.com.
- ↑ "Matt Bardsley Named Kamloops Blazers General Manager". OurSportsCentral.com. 1 June 2018.
- ↑ "Kamloops Blazers Name Shaun Clouston Head Coach, Darryl Sydor Associate Coach". OurSports Central. 18 June 2019.
- ↑ "History". Kamloops Blazers. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
