The Kamloops Blazers franchise has somewhat faded from its previous main character status in the Western Hockey League. They have won their fair share of B.C. Division titles the last decade and a half, but true postseason success has evaded them this century. That said, what they accomplished in their fairly lengthy window of top-level competitiveness has left a long-lasting legacy on the entire Canadian Hockey League, and perhaps high-level hockey across the entire world. They did what so few can do in junior hockey and built a dynasty, which included what could be argued is the greatest four-year run in the history of the CHL in the 1990’s. For this next installment, I present the story of the juggernaut Kamloops Blazers dynasty.
The franchise now known as the Kamloops Blazers began play as the Estevan Bruins in 1957, originally as a member of Saskatchewan’s SJHL. The website for the current incarnation of the team (which formed after the “old” Bruins relocated to British Columbia – More on that momentarily) details that early history very thoroughly:
“Scotty Munro descended on Estevan in the summer of 1956 to lay the groundwork for his upcoming entry into the hockey world here. ‘Scotty’ as he is known throughout hockey circles explained the operation of his club and stressed the fact that the ‘Indians” would not cost the city a cent, if they made the move here. In fact, he said, ‘We will bring money into the community.’ Munro said, ‘Not only will we bring money into Estevan, we will bring top notch hockey entertainment, and much needed help for minor hockey here.’ He added, ‘The league that we play in, is the best junior hockey in the world.’
[…] The reason for moving the Humboldt Indians from that community, is that they can no longer support the team. With a population of only 3,000 and not growing, it is no longer a viable situation. Melville was also being considered as a home for the Indians. Mr. Munro explained that a team such as his, and playing in the best league in the Province, would help pay for a new arena building in 10 years. He stated that only ‘a good hockey team’ can make the $250,000.00 arena pay. Munro explained that he alone cannot make the decision as to where his team will move, that decision will come from the Boston Bruins, the Indians’ parent club.
Rinko’s were held and profits went to complete the quarter of a million dollar auditorium expected to be completed by the end of August, 1957, ready for Scotty Munro’s Junior Hockey team to move in and commence training in September. The franchise and location having been approved by the parent club, The Boston Bruins. Estevan’s entry into the SJHL [extended] the league travelling distance to 600 miles. The Flin Flon Bombers, being Canada’s most northerly junior hockey team, will have to travel 600 miles to play Estevan, Western Canada’s most southerly team. The new unnamed club will play 25 home games. The Estevan Mercury ran a contest to name the new club.
The new name, ‘The Estevan Bruins’, was chosen by C.H. Hook, of Toronto, who was visiting in the city. Some of the other names considered for Estevan’s first Junior Hockey Team were: 1. The Estevan Gushers, 2. The Estevan Oilers, 3. The Estevan Cups, 4. The Estevan Boomers, 5. The Estevan Wildcats and 6. The Estevan Soo Liners. Needless to say the best possible name was chosen. Scotty was quite pleased with the name chosen and said it would certainly meet with the approval of The Boston Bruins.
William ‘Moe’ George, was appointed The Estevan Bruins’ first business manager.
Roderick ‘Scotty’ Munro has been coaching hockey for 14 years, since 1943, and during this period he has developed more professional hockey players than any other coach in Junior Hockey. Scotty has had 78 players to date, go from teams he has coached, to the N.H.L., A.L.L., and the Western Canada League. Some of the big names Scotty has produced are: Al Rollins, Jack Evans, Bert Olmstead, Jack Le Clair, Metro Prystia, Glen Hall, Bill Gadsby, and a host of others including Estevan’s own Al Nicholson. Sports writers in Western Canada declared Scotty Munro, the most colorful coach in Western Hockey. The new team colors [were] the same as the parent club, Black, Yellow and White.”
With this being another reminder of the farm team system of old, it is curious that our story begins because of the Boston Bruins. Continuing with another set of quotes from this history, though, we shall cover the early history on the ice, as well as their transition from the SJHL to what was then a new junior hockey landscape – Specifically what can be known as a “rebel league.”
“Thursday October 17th, 1957 was the Estevan Bruins first hockey game, where they defeated the Winnipeg Rangers, 8 – 4 in an Exhibition game. There was a long list of firsts associated with that game.
It was the first Junior Hockey Game played in Estevan.
It was the first game ever played in the new arena.
It was the first game ever played on artificial ice in the city.
It was the first hockey game ever played in October in Estevan.
There were 1,321 paying fans attending that first game.
Ernie McLean, an Estevan boy became Scotty’s first assistant. The team, that first year, ended in 4th place.
In the 1965-66 season, Scotty sold the club to 35 shareholders, which included Ernie McLean and Bill Shinske. Ernie McLean began his coaching career in the 1966-67 season, only one other coach had shared the reins and that was Howie Milford, during the 1960 campaign. This was also the year the Round Robin playoff system was introduced.
The 1967-68 season saw the formation of the Western Hockey League. Estevan was one of the founding teams, other teams were Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Flin Flon, Regina, Moose Jaw, Weyburn, Swift Current, Saskatoon, Brandon and Red Deer. Estevan also had the honor of hosting the first W.C.H.L. All Star Game.
It proved to be the right move and an extraordinary year, as the Bruins were winners of the Abbott Cup, symbol of Western Canada Hockey Supremacy and went on to meet the Westfort Hurricanes in the Memorial Cup. As runners-up it was a great start in the new league. Jim Harrison also beat out a young fellow by the name of Bobby Clarke, from the Flin Flon Bombers for the leagues M.V.P.
Ed Hudson, one of the major promoters in bringing the team to Estevan and in getting the rink built remained as an Executive Director for 14 years and a great supporter for many more. He passed away in 1979.”
Despite the legacy that was had been carved out, this team was not to remain, though they would be “replaced” by a stand-in franchise that has cultivated a fantastic story of its own in Estevan. Following the story of just our target, though, here is how their story truly began to pick up:
The beginning of the end of the ‘Old’ Bruins undoubtedly began when Scotty sold his and his wife’s shares, in 1969 to Ernie and Bill and moved on to Calgary in the W.C.H.L. The new owners became Ernie, Bill and the other 33 shareholders.
During their last two seasons in Estevan, the Bruins made history as they became an international team, known as the Bismarck Bruins. They played as many as half a dozen home games there. Both they and their successors, the ‘new Bruins’ made their home in the beautiful Civic Centre in Bismarck. Visiting teams were bussed down and all were treated extremely well by a city which grew to love the Bruins and the ‘New’ game of hockey.
Throughout the entire period, the Bruins were assisted by very capable professional people, such as Dr. Bob Inglis, team doctor, and trainer John MacDonald. Larry Dean began his training and went on to become Ernie’s trainer at New Westminster. His younger brother, Rod, later became trainer for the ‘New’ Bruins, following John MacDonald’s retirement.
Following the 1970-71 season, Ernie informed the Directors and the City of Estevan that he and Bill were moving the team to New Westminster as a B.C. entry in the W.C.H.L. Estevan, long accustomed to the great entertainment provided by the Bruins, were sorry to see them leave. So they did something about it. Ray Frehlick approached the SJHL about re-entry into the Jr. league, that endeavor was successful, and the ‘New’ Bruins were born. The shareholders along with many others who acted as Directors lent their support and another local sportsman, Gary McKechney, became their first coach. The late George Sereggela, a local business man, was the first fan to make a membership loan and remained the Bruins #l fan, lending every type of support to the team.
[…] Strong ties remained between Estevan and New West. Both coaches attended each others camps. New West used the Bruin bus on eastern swings and New West provided great hockey entertainment at the annual Bruin vs Bruin game. Most games were to see a 2 goal difference with Estevan winning one and tying one with their seniors. Old fans enjoyed renewing Ernie and Bill’s acquaintance at the social gatherings after each game.”
In their new home of New Westminster, B.C., the “old” Bruins found more than their fair share of success. They won four consecutive President’s Cups as WHL champions between 1975 and 1978, were finalists in the Memorial Cup each of those years, and captured the grand prize of what was then known as the CMJHL in the latter two seasons. This dynastic run was facilitated by many future NHL talents, perhaps most notably Stan Smyl, Barry Beck, and Glenn Anderson. The 1976–77 squad was additionally noteworthy for boasting four Finnish nations in its forward group, namely Tero Käpynen, Jari Lindgren, and Jari Viitala. This chapter of franchise history ends in 1981, however, and begins the crucial one, wherein the org relocated to Kamloops, BC, and initially commenced play as the Junior Oilers.
“On July 2, 1981 junior hockey was reborn in Kamloops, BC. After the New Westminster Bruins were purchased by Peter Pocklington, the owner of the Edmonton Oilers, decided to move the franchise to Kamloops. A local interest group in Kamloops raised $110,000 to purchase 33% of the franchise from Pocklington. The first General Manager of the Kamloops Jr. Oilers was Harvey Roy, while Lyle Moffat was named the team’s Head Coach. Doug Kostynski was named the Jr. Oilers first-ever Captain. The hockey club’s first season in Kamloops was not glamorous as Moffat was replaced by Ron Harris midway through the season. Junior hockey was back in Kamloops though, and good things were to come for the franchise.
Team Record: 18-53-1, 4th West (Spokane folded midway through season)
Playoffs: Lost in West Division Semi-Final (4 games to 0 to Portland)
Leading Regular Season Scorer: Doug Kostynski – 39 Goals, 42 Assists, 81 Points
Leading Playoff Scorer: Dean Evason, Darryl Murray – 3 Points
Notable Players: Dean Evason, Doug Kostynski, Jan Ludvig, Richard Hajdu”
The Jr. Oilers would see improving results over the next couple of seasons, culminating in some true glory. It was a special time that captured the imaginations of the entire Kamloops community. Most importantly, it announced the organization to the hockey world. Letting the Blazers take the floor again about the 1982–83 and 1983–84 seasons:
“After a disappointing inaugural season in Kamloops, the Jr. Oilers hired Bill Laforge as the team’s General Manager and Head Coach. The Jr. Oilers started the season on a tear with a 15-1 record which included a 10-0 record at Memorial Arena. The hockey club hit a few road blocks as the season went on, including losing Marc Habscheid to injury after he recorded 23 points in only 6 games. It was a 55 point improvement from the previous season, but the Jr. Oilers bowed out in the first round of the playoffs losing a best-of-7 series to the Victoria Cougars 4-3. There was promise for the following year led by the return of team Captain and star Dean Evason who was the league’s Player of the Year.
Team Record: 46-26-0, 3rd West
Playoffs: Lost in West Division semi-final (4 games to 3 to Victoria)
Leading Regular Season Scorer: Dean Evason – 71 Goals, 93 Assists, 164 Points
Leading Playoff Scorer: Dean Evason, Garth Butcher – 12 Points
Notable Players: Dean Evason, Garth Butcher, Jim Cammazola, Doug Bodger, Dean Clark, Gord Mark, Robin Bawa, Mark Ferner, Marc Habscheid, Todd Ewen, Craig Berube
[1983–84] was the year the Jr. Oilers made a name for themselves. It was the final season that the hockey club would be named the Kamloops Jr. Oilers, and it would also be their first championship season in Kamloops. The team was led by returning veterans Dean Evason, Greg Evtushevki and Doug Bodger, but had a taste of the future with two dynamic 15-year-olds in Greg Hawgood and Rob Brown. The Jr. Oilers finished the season atop the Western Conference and swept two best-of-9 series’ defeating Seattle and Portland 5-0 on their way to the League Final. It was one of the most memorable League Finals in WHL history as the Jr. Oilers took on the Regina Pats. The Jr. Oilers were down 3-2 in the best-of-7 series with Game 6 and 7 at Memorial Arena in Kamloops. With the Jr. Oilers down 3-2 late in Game 6, Dean Evason, the team’s Captain, scored with only 12 seconds left to send the game to overtime. Rookie forward Ryan Stewart was the hero scoring 13:13 into overtime to force a Game 7. Stewart scored the winning goal and Evason had an insurance marker as the Jr. Oilers won 4-2 and earned a birth into the Memorial Cup. Despite a disappointing showing at the tournament held in Laval, Que, the Kamloops Jr. Oilers won the hearts of the city of Kamloops and ignited a passion for winning.
Team Record: 50-22-0, 1st West
Playoffs: Won League Championship (4 games to 3 over Regina)
Leading Regular Season Scorer: Dean Evason – 49 Goals, 88 Assists, 137 Points
Leading Playoff Scorer: Dean Evason – 41 Points
Notable Players: Dean Evason, Doug Bodger, Rob Brown, Jim Cammazola, Dean Clark, Robin Bawa, Gord Mark, Mark Ferner, Ken Daneyko, Greg Hawgood, Mark Kachowski, Rudy Poeschek, Daryl Reaugh, Ryan Stewart”
Aa further noted, Pocklington desired to cash in and sell the franchise to a group in Swift Current, Saskatchewan; but the Kamloops community raised enough money to purchase the team. The community-owned, newly dubbed Kamloops Blazers began play in 1984–85. Under a new identity, the team continued to have success, with a 57-17-2 record and the second of three consecutive President’s Cup finals berths to their name. While they were swept by a very strong, not to be denied Prince Albert Raiders club, the team would continue to build upon their success. The aforementioned Rob Brown would truly come into his own in 1985–86, recording a combined 219 points between the regular season and playoffs, while the team went 49-19-4 and defeated the Medicine Hat Tigers 4 games to 1 in the final. The Memorial Cup ended in disappointment again for them, as they lost 9-3 to the Hull Olympiques in the semifinal, but there were plenty of reasons to believe in what this franchise could be.
A Blazers team driven primarily by future Hockey Hall of Famer and current franchise part-owner Mark Recchi (who led the team with 154 points in just 62 games that season, powered by 61 goals and 93 assists) finished 1st in the West Division with a record of 45-26-1 and reached the finals, but were defeated by the Medicine Hat Tigers 4 games to 2. This was the followup to a 1986–87 season in which they scored the most goals in WHL history 496, with Brown additionally making his own mark on the record books with a 212 point campaign, but lost to the Portland Winterhawks 5 games to 3 in the best-of-9 Western Conference finals. In 1988–89, the Blazers’ regular season record was middling, but the playoff run still saw the team (led offensively by Phil Huber) make it to the conference finals, where they again lost to Portland in eight games.
1989–90 saw the Blazers return to the mountaintop. Len Barrie led the team in points with a whopping 185 in 70 games played, while Huber (who had an incredible 152), Mike Needham, and Brian Shantz all surpassed at least 110, and Darryl Sydor neared the century mark at 95. Kamloops went 56-16-0 to capture the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as regular season champs, then doubled up. They defeated the Spokane Chiefs 5 games to 1, then the Seattle Thunderbirds 5 games to 2 to return to the finals. Unconquerable in the WHL that season, they defeated the Lethbridge Hurricanes 4 games to 1 to capture the President’s Cup. Unfortunately, they did not record a single victory at the Memorial Cup, but the taste for victory was reactivated in the org.
After a 50-20-2 season ended in a division final defeat to eventual President’s Cup and Memorial Cup champions the Spokane Chiefs in 1990–91 (a 5 games to 0 one, at that), Kamloops was back with a vengeance in 1991–92. The Blazers were relatively muted offensively compared to previous years this season (for context, the team had five consecutive 400+ goal campaigns after their inaugural season as the Jr. Oilers, with the record-setting year the capoff to that run, the 1987–88 team came close at 399, and the 1989–90 squad recorded 484 – The 1991–92 team scored “just” 351, with only one 100+ point scorer in the form of Zac Boyer, though Shayne Green and Craig Lyons tallied 98 and 95, respectively). That said, their defensive core was outstanding, boasting both Sydor and Scott Niedermayer – Yes, that one – and the Blazers were very hard to play against. They captured the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy with a record of 51-17-4, then subsequently defeated the Tacoma Rockets (now the Kelowna Rockets) and Seattle Thunderbirds to find themselves in the final. The B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame remembers the season in these terms and with these highlights in mind:
“It’s almost impossible to build a dynasty in junior hockey, because of the high rate of turnover of players, but the Kamloops Blazers of the early 1990s came as close as anyone. Coached by Tom Renney, the 1992 Blazers cruised to the best regular season record in the Western Hockey League, with 51 wins and four ties in 72 games. Their road to the Memorial Cup took them through Tacoma (winning four games to none), Seattle (4-2) and Saskatoon (4-3). [Beyond Zac Boyer, other] players of note on that championship team included netminder Corey Hirsch, the Western Hockey League’s Top Goaltender and Player of the Year, as well as a first-team all-star in both the regular season and Memorial Cup; Scott Niedermayer, who was a WHL and Memorial Cup first team all-star, and Memorial Cup Most Valuable Player; and blueliner Darryl Sydor, who earned a berth on the WHL’s first all-star team.” Curiously, Jarrett Deuling, who had a fairly subdued regular season campaign, was a postseason riser and captured the playoff MVP after averaging nearly a PPG as they captured the President’s Cup. The BCHHOF recalls their eventual Memorial Cup victory:
“The Memorial Cup itself opened on a sour note for the Blazers, who dropped a 6-3 decision to the Ontario Hockey League Champion Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in round-robin play. Kamloops rebounded for wins over the Quebec Major Junior League representative from Verdun, and the host Seattle Thunderbirds, to earn a berth in the semi-finals. An 8-3 romp over Seattle in the semis assured Kamloops of a trip to the championship game, and another shot at the Greyhounds. A closely-fought final came right down to the last minute of play, before the regular season and playoff scoring leader Zac Boyer buried the winning goal in a 5-4 Blazer victory.”
While this would be this team’s first successful journey to the top of the CHL, it wouldn’t be the last. The following season (where they were sans Niedermayer, Boyer, Sydor, and goaltender Corey Hirsch) saw them come up a bit short with a loss in the division finals to Portland, 4 games to 1, but the 1993–94 squad got them back to the promised land. It didn’t look like it would happen, at first. The team’s history page provides us with the following perspective setting:
“The Blazers were off to a slow start in this campaign, sitting around .500 in mid-November. The first place Portland Winter Hawks came to town, sitting 15 points ahead of the Blazers, and were crushed 9-0. This was the start of what would be a memorable season.”
Not memorably bad, as you might think, with such a “Knightmare“-esque beginning. In fact, some impressive fortune lay ahead for Kamloops:
“The Blazers were also given tremendous news that they would be the host city of the 1995 Memorial Cup. A WHL record was set by the Blazers as they won 29 straight home games from November 13th until March 12th. They stretched that record to 33 games, winning their first four home games of the 1994-95 season. The Blazers went on to win the West Division for the ninth time in eleven years and the Scotty Munro trophy for the sixth time in ten years. The Blazers ousted the Seattle Thunderbirds and the Portland Winter Hawks 4 games to 2 to set up a league final with the Saskatoon Blades. The Blades forced a game seven, but the Blazers repeated what they did in 1992 as they throttled the Blades 8-1 in the deciding game. In the Memorial Cup, the Blazers finished with a perfect 3-0 record and earned a bye to the final. The hockey club won 5-3 over the host Laval Titan for their second Memorial Cup championship in three years. Darcy Tucker was the tournament MVP and joined Aaron Keller, Nolan Baumgartner and Rod Stevens on the tournament all-star team. With the Blazers hosting the Memorial Cup in 1995, a dynasty was already being discussed.
Team Record: 50-16-6, 1st West
Playoffs: Won League Championship (4 games to 3 vs. Saskatoon) Won Memorial Cup
Leading Regular Season Scorer: Darcy Tucker – 52 Goals, 88 Assists, 140 Points
Leading Playoff Scorer: Darcy Tucker – 27 Points”
How could it get any better than this? Well, perhaps by being capped off by what might have been the greatest CHL team ever, or at least an EXTREMELY close second behind the 2004–05 London Knights. Here is how the Blazers remember their finest ever campaign:
“The 1994-95 Kamloops Blazers is arguably one of the best junior hockey teams ever assembled. The Blazers were ranked the #1 team in the CHL from the beginning of the season to the end and were hosting the Memorial Cup. A terrific regular season led to another 50+ win campaign as the team won its tenth west division title in twelve seasons and their seventh Scotty Munro trophy, as the WHL’s top team, in eleven seasons. Darcy Tucker finished second in WHL scoring with 137 points. Following the round robin portion of the playoffs, the Blazers pushed aside Portland with a 4 games to 1 series victory and then ousted Tri-City 4 games to 2. This set up a WHL final with the Brandon Wheat Kings. The Blazers and Wheat Kings were both secured spots in the Memorial Cup, but the Blazers wanted to go in as WHL champions. Despite losing the first two games of the series at home, the Blazers went to Brandon and won all three games. They closed out the Wheat Kings, at home, in six games for their sixth WHL championship. The Blazers went 3-0 in the round robin earning a bye to the Memorial Cup final. It was a convincing victory as the Blazers demolished the Detroit Jr. Red Wings [remember them?] 8-2. Shane Doan was the Memorial Cup MVP, while Jarome Iginla was the Most Sportsmanlike player. Doan, Darcy Tucker and Nolan Baumgartner were all honoured as Memorial Cup all-stars. It was a season that will be remembered by Blazer fans for many years to come.
Team Record: 52-14-6, 1st West
Playoffs: Won League Championship (4 games to 2 vs. Brandon) Won Memorial Cup
Leading Regular Season Scorer: Darcy Tucker – 64 Goals, 73 Assists, 137 Points
Leading Playoff Scorer: Darcy Tucker – 31 Points”
Notable Players: Tyson Nash, Darcy Tucker, Ryan Huska, Hnat Domenichelli, Shane Doan, Nolan Baumgartner, Brad Lukowich, Jason Holland, Jarome Iginla, Jason Strudwick, Cam Severson, Rob Skrlac
Obviously, one will recognize a number of names on these last couple of teams, as they went on to have decorated NHL careers. It becomes evident that those players also had amazing junior careers and accomplished a considerable amount in that space. As such, one might anticipate that the Blazers had tremendous recruiting pull to get the best names on the Western Canadian circuit. The truth of the matter is what the roster construction was really defined by was innovation, risk taking, and grit. Consider this quote from a retrospective written by Kamloops news writer Eagle Andersen:
“Bob Brown, then the Blazers’ general manager, said the team wasn’t built overnight — and two of its best players, Tucker and Iginla, were gambles that paid off. ‘Darcy came from a small town area in Alberta, and a video was sent to us,’ Brown said. ‘With Jarome Iginla, I just happened to be in Edmonton at a bantam game and he happened to be playing in it.’ With the help of scout Stu McGregor, the on-ice pieces were slowly falling in place. Behind the bench, a winning culture was being fostered.”
The lattermost aspect is also worth considering. After Renney’s time came to an end, he was replaced by long-time assistant Don Hay, who was a Kamloops firefighter (and, up until this week, was still employed by the team). Hay himself said: “It started with Bill Laforge, it went to Ken Hitchcock, it went to Tom Renney, it went to myself to uphold that type of tradition and get the players to play the way that we thought it would take to be successful.” In essence, a combination of getting players to buy in, after putting the right ones together, was what allowed this team to flourish. Irrespective of what has occurred for Kamloops in the thirty years since, this winning formula has its echoes felt to the present day. I guarantee you that, when examining many Memorial Cup champions since, getting the “right” guys on both sides of the player/personnel relationship and coalescing around a team identity has been a common theme.
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