Merritt Centennials
| Merritt Centennials | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City | Merritt, British Columbia |
| League | British Columbia Hockey League |
| Conference | Interior |
| Founded | 1961 |
| Home arena | Nicola Valley Memorial Arena |
| Colours | |
| General manager |
 Joe Martin (2015-16)
|
| Head coach |
Joe Martin (2015-16)
|
| Website | merrittcentennials.com |
| Franchise history | |
| 1961–1964 | Kamloops Rockets |
| 1964–1967 | Kamloops Kraft Kings |
| 1967–1973 | Kamloops Rockets |
| 1973 | White Rock Centennials |
| 1973–1985 | Merritt Centennials |
| 1985–1987 | Merritt Warriors |
| 1987–present | Merritt Centennials |
The Merritt Centennials are a junior "A" ice hockey team based in Merritt, British Columbia. They are members of the Interior Division of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). The franchise was established in Kamloops in 1961 and moved to White Rock in 1973 when the WCHL's Vancouver Nats moved to Kamloops and became the Chiefs. The Centennials settled in Merritt midway through the 1973–74 season. They play their home games at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena.
The Centennials have once finished with the best record in the BCHL, and have qualified for the playoffs in twelve of the last thirteen seasons. They won the Mowat Cup and BC/Alberta Junior "A" Championship in 1978.
The Cents, as the team is known, are the longest continuously run franchise in the BCHL. Eleven former Centennials players have gone on to play in the National Hockey League.
The Centennials started the 1973–74 season in White Rock and finished it in Merritt, however, the franchise turmoil seemed to affect the players as they finished the season last in the Interior Division with a record of 20–42–2. The season wasn't a complete wash as Fred Berry would be the first Cents player to lead the BCJHL in scoring with 136 points. That total still stands as a team record for points in a season.Berry and Darrel Zelinski finished 1–2 overall in BCJHL scoring. The Centennials first playoff in their new city ended in the first round in six games to the eventual BCJHL champion Kelowna Buckaroos. At the post season awards, Berry took home rookie of the year while Zelinski was named most sportsmanlike player.
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Wikipedia