* OKANAGAN-MAINLINE JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE *
** OKANAGAN JUNOR HOCKEY LEAGUE **
*** BRITISH COLUMBIA JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE ***
1960'S
LEAGUE YEARS - 1960's
Today, British Columbia's top junior league is known as the BC Hockey League (BCHL), or as some of the more old-school fans call it, the BC Junior Hockey League (BCJHL) as it was known from 1967 to 1995. But, lets look at how it all started and some of it's history that unfolded.
The 1960's
Before the 1960's there were Junior "A" Hockey Leagues all over Canada, however, no Junior "A" Hockey League within the province of British Columbia. Not until four men, representing four different Okanagan cities got together one day at a Vernon hotel back in 1961. That's when Vernon Jr. Canadian's owner Bill Brown persuaded three other owners of Junior "B" Clubs to convert their league into B.C.'s first Junior "A" Hockey circuit.
With his other three counterparts in agreement, the Okanagan-Mainline Junior "A" Hockey League was born. The Kamloops Junior Rockets, Kelowna Buckaroos, Penticton Junior Vees, Vernon Junior Canadians made up the fledgling league, which took to the ice to begin the 1961/1962 season.
First League Game
- Played October 31,1961
- Kelowna Buckaroos at Vernon Canadians
First League Goal
- Scored by Bob Gruber (Kelowna)
- October 31,1961
The new leagues' playoff champions would be presented the Nat Bailey Cup, donated by Nat Bailey, the owner of the White Spot Restaurants and an avid fan and supporter of junior hockey. The new league was also sanctioned by the C.A.H.A. for the Memorial Cup playdowns.
"I did it for one reason," said Brown. "We had the nucleus of the best Junior "A" Hockey League in Canada, but they kept raiding our players." Brown served as the league's first President, a post he held for two years.
The Okanagan (Mainline) Junior "A" Hockey League did not have an official logo at this time. All the teams, including any media, just used the words "Okanagan Mainline Junior Hockey League" or later "Okanagan Junior Hockey League" in various fonts and forms.
Kamloops and Kelowna dominated the first five years of the new Okanagan Junior Hockey League, occupying the first two places in the standings, and meeting in the championship final every season. Also, during that time the Vernon franchise changed its nick-name to the Blades in 1963. It wasn't until the Penticton Broncos, who entered the league in 1964 following the demise of the Penticton Jr. Vees, that a different champion was born as they up-ended the Kelowna Buckaroos, in a six game final, to win the 1967 title and put an end to the Kamloops Rockets;Kraft Kings/Kelowna Buckaroos dynasty.
At the time, each team was required to fill all but five roster positions with 'home-grown' talent, products of their respective city's minor hockey systems.
Tom Williamson was a member of the Blades and the Essos and got the opportunity to play for his hometown team in Vernon from 1966 to 1968. He remembers a league that was bursting with a sense of community, even though the players at the time had to be tough as nails.
"My first year, I was 10th in scoring, but I also was 10th in penalties, so if you add the two, I was the leading scorer," Williamson said with a chuckle. "There were no helmets, so the attitude was, don't pretend to be tough unless you are."
"It was a community then. The other cities were the same too. One of the reasons why we attracted a lot of fans in those days is we were all Vernon kids. We all played minor hockey together. There was that sense of community there."
As is pretty much the case by even today's
standards, there wasn't much money to be made
minimizing their losses over a 30-game schedule
was the owners' greatest financial concern.
The league merged with two teams of the Pacific Coast Junior Hockey League, New Westminster Royals and Victoria Cougars, to form the new British Columbia Junior Hockey League. The BCJHL also adopted a official logo at his time.
June 24, 1967 - Nanaimo Daily News: "A six-team British Columbia Junior A Hockey League was formed Sunday including teams from New Westminster, Victoria, Kelowna, Kamloops, Penticton, and Vernon. In making the announcement, Ivan Temple, secretary-treasurer of the B.C. Amateur Hockey Association, said there were eight applications for franchises but Trail and Vancouver were turned down. ... Penticton, Kelowna, Kamloops, and Vernon played in the Okanagan Junior Hockey League while New Westminster participated in the Pacific Coast Junior Hockey League."Raplh Slate of HockeyDB
With new owners came a name change for the Vernon franchise in 1967. Now nicknamed the Essos, co-owner Vern Dye recalls mere existence. "In our first year (1967/1968), our budget was $15,000.00. We traveled by car to road games, and we did pay the players a bit. They got $20.00 to $40.00 a month, and room and board. Back then, skates cost $50.00, sticks were $1.10."
In 1969 the Vancouver Centennials entered the BCJHL. One year later, in 1970, the Chilliwack Bruins joined the fold, and league governors opted for a two-division set-up. The four newest clubs , New Westminster Royals, Victoria Cougars, Vancouver Centennials Chilliwack Bruins, were put in the Coastal Division, and the original Okanagan franchises, Kamloops Rockets, Penticton Broncos, Vernon Essos, Kelowna Buckaroos, comprising the Interior Division. With the league having doubled in size, from 1961 to 1970, so did the schedule, from 30 to 60 games.
Source Material: 60th Anniversary Series PDF
1960's Season by Season Overview
Below you will find a brief overview of the each season in the 1960's.
- 1961-62
- Kamloops Jr. Rockets
Kelowna Buckaroos
Penticton Jr. Vees
Vernon Jr. Canadians - 28 game schedule
- Playoffs: Best-of-five - 1 vs 3, 2 vs 4 - Semi-Finals, Finals
- Champion - Kamloops Jr. Rockets
- 1962-63
- Vernon Jr. Canadians » Vernon Blades
- 32 game schedule
- Playoffs: Best-of-seven - 1 vs
3, 2 vs 4 - Semi-Finals, Finals
Penticton defaults after two losses in semi-final - Champion - Kamloops Jr. Rockets
- 1963-64
- Okanagan Mainline Junior Hockey League » Okanagan Junior Hockey League
- Penticton Jr. Vees leave
- 35 game schedule
- Playoffs: All teams, 7 game Round-Robin
- Champion - Kamloops Jr. Rockets
- 1964-65
- Penticton Broncos added
Kamloops Jr. Rockets » Kamloops Kraft Kings - 30 game schedule
- Playoffs: Best-of-seven - 1 vs 3, 2 vs 4 - Semi-Finals, Final
- Champion - Kelowna Buckaroos
- 1965-66
- 30 game schedule
- Playoffs: Best-of-seven - 1 vs 3, 2 vs 4 - Semi-Finals, Final
- Champion - Kamloops Kraft Kings
- 1966-67
- 40 game schedule
- Playoffs: Best-of-seven, - 1 vs 3, 2 vs 4 - Semi-Finals, Final
- Champion - Penticton Broncos
- 1967-68
- Okanagan Junior Hockey League » British Columbia Junior Hockey League
- New Westminster Royals added
Victoria Cougars added
Vernon Blades » Vernon Essos
Kamloops Kraft Kings » Kamloops Rockets - 40 game schedule
- Playoffs: Best-of-seven, Top 4
teams - 1 vs 3, 2 vs 4
Semi-Finals, Finals - Champion - Penticton Broncos
- 1968-69
- 40 game schedule
- Playoffs: Best-of-seven, Top 4
teams - 1 vs 3, 2 vs 4
Semi-Finals, Finals - Champion - Victoria Cougars
- 1969-70
- Vancouver Centennials added
- 48 game schedule
- Playoffs: Best-of-seven, Top 4
teams - 1 vs 3, 2 vs 4
Semi-Finals, Finals - Champion - Vernon Essos