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) Shane Doan Jarome Iginla Mark Recchi Darryl Sydor |
General manager | Stu MacGregor |
Head coach | Don Hay |
Championships |
1984, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995 WHL Champions 1992, 1994, 1995 Memorial cup champions |
Website | www.blazerhockey.com |
Franchise history | |
1966–1971 | Estevan Bruins |
1971–1981 | New Westminster Bruins |
1981–1984 | Kamloops Junior Oilers |
1984–present | Kamloops Blazers |
1984, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995 WHL Champions
The Kamloops Blazers are a major junior ice hockey team currently members of the B.C. Division of the Western Conference in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team is based out of Kamloops, British Columbia, and plays their home games at the Sandman Centre.
Their franchise was granted in 1966 as the Estevan Bruins in Estevan, Saskatchewan. In 1971, it moved to New Westminster, British Columbia, and was known as the New Westminster Bruins. It then moved to Kamloops in 1981 and was known as the Junior Oilers until 1984, when they were given their present name, the Kamloops Blazers. The team moved from the Kamloops Memorial Arena to the new Riverside Coliseum, then renamed to the Interior Savings Centre, in 1992, and finally changed to the Sandman Centre in 2015, due to co-owner Tom Gagliardi also owning the Sandman hotels brand.
The team has won the most Memorial Cups of any team in the WHL with five, two as New Westminster (1977 and 1978) and three as Kamloops (1992, 1994 and 1995). The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) record is seven, held by the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s Toronto Marlboros, now known the Guelph Storm.
The franchise began in 1946 as the Humboldt Indians of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) and moved to Estevan to become the Bruins in 1957. The franchise has won the President's Cup a record 11 times, once in Estevan, four times in a row in New Westminster and six times since relocating to Kamloops. The Blazers hosted the 1995 Memorial Cup, although they went in the "front door" by also winning the WHL championship that year.