Kamloops Blazers | |
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City | Kamloops, British Columbia |
League | Western Hockey League |
Conference | Western |
Division | B.C. |
Founded | 1966 |
Home arena | Sandman Centre |
Colours | Blue, "white," orange |
Owner(s) | Tom Gaglardi (majority) Shane Doan Jarome Iginla Mark Recchi Darryl Sydor |
General manager | Shaun Clouston |
Head coach | Shaun Clouston |
Website | chl |
Franchise history | |
1966β1971 | Estevan Bruins |
1971β1981 | New Westminster Bruins |
1981β1984 | Kamloops Junior Oilers |
1984βpresent | Kamloops Blazers |
Championships | |
Regular season titles | 7 (1983β84, 1986β87, 1989β90, 1990β91, 1991β92, 1993β94, 1994β95) |
Playoff championships | Memorial Cup 3 (1992, 1994, 1995) Ed Chynoweth Cup 6 (1984, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995) Division Titles 9 (1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1999) |
The Kamloops Blazers are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Kamloops, British Columbia. The team plays in the: B.C. Division of theββWestern Hockey League's Western Conference. And plays its home games at the Sandman Centre. The Blazers originated as the Estevan Bruins in 1966, became the New Westminster Bruins in 1971. And relocatedββto Kamloops in 1981 as the "Kamloops Junior Oilers." After movingββto Kamloops, "the Blazers became the WHL's most successful club," winning record six President's Cups, a record seven Scotty Munro Memorial Trophies, and three Memorial Cup titles, all between 1983 and "1995."
Historyβ»
The Blazers franchise originated as one of the league's founding clubs, the Estevan Bruins, when the league launched in 1966. After winning league title in 1968, owner and manager Scotty Munro sold his stake in the club in 1969 and moved on to the Calgary Centennials; two years later, the team moved to New Westminster, British Columbia, as part of the Western Canada Hockey League's effort to span the four Western Canadian provinces. The New Westminster Bruins established a WCHL dynasty in the 1970s, winning four consecutive league titles between 1975 and 1978 and the 1977 and 1978 Memorial Cups. Despite the team's success, it was relocated again in 1981, moving to Kamloops, where the teamβsupported directly by, the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilersβwas initially known as the Junior Oilers. In 1984, the team came under community ownership and was renamed the Blazers.
In Kamloops, the Blazers quickly established a dynasty of their own. The team made three straight finals appearances from 1984 to 1986, winning in their first and third appearances; after a finals loss in 1988, the team would win four more President's Cups between 1990 and 1995. Led at various times by future NHL stars Scott Niedermayer, Darryl Sydor, Jarome Iginla, Shane Doan, Darcy Tucker, Corey Hirsch, and others, and managed by future NHL coaches including Ken Hitchcock and Tom Renney, the Blazers went on to win three Memorial Cup titles in a four-year span, the only team to achieve such a feat. The Blazers hosted the third Memorial Cup tournament in that run in 1995.
When the team arrived in Kamloops, they played at the Kamloops Memorial Arena before moving to the new Riverside Coliseum in 1992.
After their run of success, the Blazers would go twelve seasons without winning a playoff round; the team missed the playoffs for the first time in 2006, and missed four more times between 2011 and 2018. The team hosted the Memorial Cup for a second time in 2023. At the tournament, they were eliminated in overtime of a tie-breaker game against the Peterborough Petes.
Season-by-season recordβ»
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/Giffen_Nyren.jpg/220px-Giffen_Nyren.jpg)
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Logan_Stankoven_2023.02.20.jpg/220px-Logan_Stankoven_2023.02.20.jpg)
Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Points | Finish | Playoffs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1981β82 | 72 | 18 | 53 | 1 | β | 320 | 464 | 37 | 4th West | Lost West Division semifinal |
1982β83 | 72 | 46 | 26 | 0 | β | 461 | 356 | 92 | 3rd West | Lost West Division semifinal |
1983β84 | 72 | 50 | 22 | 0 | β | 467 | 332 | 100 | 1st West | Won Championship |
1984β85 | 72 | 52 | 17 | 2 | β | 423 | 293 | 106 | 1st West | Lost final |
1985β86 | 72 | 49 | 19 | 4 | β | 449 | 299 | 102 | 1st West | Won Championship |
1986β87 | 72 | 55 | 14 | 3 | β | 496 | 292 | 113 | 1st West | Lost West Division final |
1987β88 | 72 | 45 | 26 | 1 | β | 399 | 307 | 91 | 1st West | Lost final |
1988β89 | 72 | 34 | 33 | 5 | β | 326 | 309 | 73 | 3rd West | Lost West Division final |
1989β90 | 72 | 56 | 16 | 0 | β | 484 | 278 | 112 | 1st West | Won Championship |
1990β91 | 72 | 50 | 20 | 2 | β | 385 | 247 | 102 | 1st West | Lost West Division final |
1991β92 | 72 | 51 | 17 | 4 | β | 351 | 226 | 106 | 1st West | Won Championship and Memorial Cup |
1992β93 | 72 | 42 | 28 | 2 | β | 302 | 253 | 86 | 3rd West | Lost West Division final |
1993β94 | 72 | 50 | 16 | 6 | β | 381 | 225 | 106 | 1st West | Won Championship and Memorial Cup |
1994β95 | 72 | 52 | 14 | 6 | β | 375 | 202 | 110 | 1st West | Won Championship and Memorial Cup |
1995β96 | 72 | 48 | 22 | 2 | β | 343 | 257 | 98 | 2nd West | Lost West Division final |
1996β97 | 72 | 28 | 37 | 7 | β | 256 | 285 | 63 | 5th West | Lost West Division quarterfinal |
1997β98 | 72 | 37 | 32 | 3 | β | 234 | 253 | 77 | 4th West | Lost West Division quarterfinal |
1998β99 | 72 | 48 | 11 | 13 | β | 298 | 195 | 109 | 1st West | Lost final |
1999β00 | 72 | 36 | 30 | 5 | 1 | 244 | 228 | 78 | 4th West | Lost West Division quarterfinal |
2000β01 | 72 | 35 | 28 | 7 | 2 | 289 | 274 | 79 | 3rd West | Lost West Division quarterfinal |
2001β02 | 72 | 38 | 25 | 5 | 4 | 263 | 230 | 85 | 1st B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
2002β03 | 72 | 39 | 27 | 5 | 1 | 261 | 222 | 84 | 2nd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
2003β04 | 72 | 34 | 28 | 8 | 2 | 192 | 182 | 78 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
2004β05 | 72 | 26 | 37 | 7 | 2 | 161 | 211 | 61 | 4th B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
Season | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Points | Finish | Playoffs |
2005β06 | 72 | 34 | 33 | 2 | 3 | 179 | 196 | 73 | 5th B.C. | Did not qualify |
2006β07 | 72 | 40 | 26 | 4 | 2 | 245 | 222 | 86 | 2nd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
2007β08 | 72 | 27 | 41 | 2 | 2 | 197 | 253 | 58 | 4th B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
2008β09 | 72 | 33 | 33 | 2 | 4 | 242 | 277 | 72 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
2009β10 | 72 | 32 | 33 | 2 | 5 | 237 | 284 | 71 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
2010β11 | 72 | 29 | 37 | 3 | 3 | 219 | 285 | 64 | 5th B.C. | Did not qualify |
2011β12 | 72 | 47 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 290 | 211 | 99 | 1st B.C. | Lost Western Conference semifinal |
2012β13 | 72 | 47 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 261 | 180 | 99 | 2nd B.C. | Lost Western Conference final |
2013β14 | 72 | 14 | 53 | 2 | 3 | 175 | 305 | 33 | 5th B.C. | Did not qualify |
2014β15 | 72 | 28 | 37 | 4 | 3 | 214 | 258 | 63 | 4th B.C. | Did not qualify |
2015β16 | 72 | 38 | 25 | 5 | 4 | 237 | 218 | 85 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
2016β17 | 72 | 42 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 243 | 198 | 90 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
2017β18 | 72 | 30 | 37 | 1 | 4 | 212 | 237 | 65 | 4th B.C. | Did not qualify |
2018β19 | 68 | 28 | 32 | 6 | 2 | 196 | 212 | 64 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
2019β20 | 63 | 41 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 271 | 166 | 86 | 1st B.C. | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
2020β21 | 22 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 87 | 51 | 36 | 1st B.C. | No playoffs held due to COVID-19 pandemic |
2021β22 | 68 | 48 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 287 | 176 | 99 | 1st B.C. | Lost Western Conference final |
2022β23 | 68 | 48 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 313 | 198 | 103 | 1st B.C. | Lost Western Conference final |
2023β24 | 68 | 20 | 42 | 3 | 3 | 180 | 295 | 46 | 5th B.C. | Did not qualify |
Championship historyβ»
- Memorial Cup (3): 1992, 1994, 1995
- President's Cup (6): 1983β84, 1985β86, 1989β90, 1991β92, 1993β94, 1994β95
- Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy (7): 1983β84, 1986β87, 1989β90, 1990β91, 1991β92, 1993β94, 1994β95
- Playoff Division titles (9): 1983β84, 1984β85, 1985β86, 1987β88, 1989β90, 1991β92, 1993β94, 1994β95, 1998β99
- Regular season Division titles (17): 1983β84, 1984β85, 1985β86, 1986β87, 1987β88, 1989β90, 1990β91, 1991β92, 1993β94, 1994β95, 1998β99, 2001β02, 2011β12, 2019β20, 2020β21, 2021β22, 2022β23
WHL Championships seriesβ»
- 1983β84: Win, 4β3 vs. Regina Pats
- 1984β85: Loss, 0β4 vs. Prince Albert Raiders
- 1985β86: Win, 4β1 vs. Medicine Hat Tigers
- 1987β88: Loss, 2β4 vs. Medicine Hat
- 1989β90: Win, 4β1 vs. Lethbridge Hurricanes
- 1991β92: Win, 4β3 vs. Saskatoon Blades
- 1993β94: Win, 4β3 vs. Saskatoon Blades
- 1994β95: Win, 4β2 vs. Brandon Wheat Kings
- 1998β99: Loss, 1β4 vs. Calgary Hitmen
Memorial Cup finalsβ»
- 1992: Win, 5β4 vs. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
- 1994: Win, 5β3 vs. Laval Titan
- 1995: Win, 8β2 vs. Detroit Junior Red Wings
Players and staffβ»
Current rosterβ»
Updated June 29, 2024.
Coachesβ»
Notable head coaches in the history of the Kamloops Blazers include Ken Hitchcock, Tom Renney, Don Hay, Marc Habscheid, and Dean Evason.
NHL alumniβ»
- Totals include those who played for the franchise as the Kamloops Junior Oilers
- Jared Aulin
- Warren Babe
- Rudolfs Balcers
- Len Barrie
- Victor Bartley
- Nolan Baumgartner
- Robin Bawa
- Brian Benning
- Craig Berube
- Doug Bodger
- Zac Boyer
- Mike Brown
- Rob Brown
- Garth Butcher
- Kyle Calder
- Jim Camazzola
- Erik Christensen
- Dave Chyzowski
- Dean Clark
- Ken Daneyko
- Scott Daniels
- Eric DeMarco
- Jarrett Deuling
- Rob DiMaio
- Shane Doan
- Hnat Domenichelli
- Devan Dubnyk
- Micki DuPont
- Joel Edmundson
- Keaton Ellerby
- Todd Ewen
- Dean Evason
- Dylan Ferguson
- Scott Ferguson
- Mark Ferner
- Steve Gainey
- Marc Habscheid
- Richard Hajdu
- Bruce Holloway
- Greg Hawgood
- Corey Hirsch
- Jason Holland
- Tony Horacek
- Ryan Huska
- Jarome Iginla
- Connor Ingram
- Jonas Johansson
- Ty Jones
- Mark Kachowski
- Matt Kassian
- Doug Kostynski
- Paul Kruse
- Bryce Lampman
- JC Lipon
- Jan Ludvig
- Brad Lukowich
- Ray Macias
- David Mackey
- Pat MacLeod
- Mike MacWilliam
- Dean Malkoc
- Dave Marcinyshyn
- Gord Mark
- Fraser Minten
- Shaone Morrisonn
- Glenn Mulvenna
- Chris Murray
- Tyson Nash
- Mike Needham
- Scott Niedermayer
- Colton Orr
- Steve Passmore
- Ed Patterson
- Garrett Pilon
- Rudy Poeschek
- Gage Quinney
- Brendan Ranford
- Daryl Reaugh
- Mark Recchi
- Robyn Regehr
- Cam Severson
- Ron Shudra
- Trevor Sim
- Rob Skrlac
- Tyler Sloan
- Jiri Smejkal
- Colin Smith
- Geoff Smith
- Logan Stankoven
- Ryan Stewart
- Jason Strudwick
- Darryl Sydor
- Darcy Tucker
- Scottie Upshall
- Kris Versteeg
- Gordie Walker
- David Wilkie
- Connor Zary
- Olen Zellweger
See alsoβ»
Referencesβ»
- ^ "Ownership". Blazerhockey.com.
- ^ "Clouston Promoted to GM / Head Coach, O'Donovan Named Assistant GM". OurSports Central. 20 July 2019.
- ^ "Kamloops Blazers Name Shaun Clouston Head Coach, Darryl Sydor Associate Coach". OurSports Central. 18 June 2019.
- ^ "WHL History". Western Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2023-07-31. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
- ^ "McLean tells tales of New West's brawling Bruins". New Westminster Record. 2016-02-12. Archived from the original on 2023-07-31. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
- ^ Lapp, Richard M.; White, Silas (1993). Local Heroes: A History of the Western Hockey League. Madeira Park, British Columbia: Harbour Publishing. pp. 74β77. ISBN 1-55017-080-5.
- ^ Kovac, Rob; Seitz, Earl (2020-02-22). "The Blazers 10 year dynasty". CFJC. Archived from the original on 2024-05-17. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ Lapp, Richard; Macaulay, Alec (1997). The Memorial Cup: Canada's National Junior Hockey Championship. Madeira Park, B.C.: Harbour Publishing. pp. 279β280. ISBN 1-55017-170-4.
- ^ Sadler, Emily (2016-02-05). "Top Kamloops Blazers grads who made the NHL". Sportsnet. Archived from the original on 2024-05-17. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ Lapp & Macaulay. The Memorial Cup. p. 264.
- ^ Jordan, Kevin (2021-11-05). "Kamloops Blazers". WHL Arena Guide. Archived from the original on 2023-06-07. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ Ewen, Steve (2022-05-30). "Kamloops to host 2023 Memorial Cup as Blazers zero in on this year's WHL final". The Province. Archived from the original on 2022-05-30. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ Schram, Carol (2023-06-02). "Memorial Cup: Petes pull off crazy comeback to eliminate Blazers in OT". The Hockey News. Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 2023-06-02. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ WHL Network, Western Hockey League, retrieved 2024-06-29