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Kamloops Blazers
Email: Team Contact
Web: Official Site |
Governor - Colin W. Day
General Manager - Mike Moore
Coach - Dean Clark
300 Lorne Street
Kamloops, BC
V2C 1W1
Tel: (250) 828-1144
Fax: (250) 828-7822 |
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About the Team
The Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League have provided BC Interior
sports fans with an unsurpassed level of Major Junior Hockey since the
franchise was purchased from the Edmonton Oilers in the spring of 1984.
Major Junior (Tier 1) hockey is recognized as the pinnacle of junior
competition in Canada, where aspiring players under the age of 21 learn and
hone the skills in order to advance to the National Hockey League as "stars
of the future."
In the spring of 1984, the NHL's Edmonton Oilers opted to sell their junior
hockey franchise. A determined group of citizens raised enough money to buy
the club*and the Kamloops Blazers were born.
That first year, the Blazers finished third overall in the WHL, but lost to
the eventual Memorial Cup Champion Prince Albert Raiders in the final. In
their second year, the Blazers swept through the league, won the WHL
Championship over Medicine Hat, and finished third in the Memorial Cup
Tournament.
The Blazers continued their winning ways by taking first place in the WHL's
Western Division in both the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons.
The 1988-89 season was billed as a rebuilding year but the team still
managed to get as far as the Division Final, eventually losing to the
Portland Winterhawks.
1989-90 saw the Blazers again win the WHL Championship, this time over the
Lethbridge Hurricanes. Their subsequent appearance in the Memorial Cup
Tournament in Hamilton, ON, was the second in the franchise's six seasons.
1990-91 was a year for change as Tom Renney assumed the coaching reins from
Ken Hitchcock. Tom proved to be a good choice as his positive attitude and
hard-working approach helped the Blazers to a 50-20-2 regular season record.
They finished first overall in the WHL, but a rash of injuries to key
players led to their elimination by the Spokane Chiefs in the Western
Conference Final. The Chiefs went on to win the Memorial Cup.
In 1991-92, everything came together. Under the guidance of General Manager
Bob Brown, second-year head coach Tom Renney, and assistants Don Hay, Terry
Bangen, and Brian Henderson, the Blazers became a dominant team. They had a
51-17-4 regular season record, again winning the WHL title. This marked the
third consecutive season the Blazers had won 50 or more games, setting a
Canadian Hockey League (CHL) record.
With the Blazers appearing in their 3rd Memorial Cup in 8 seasons, history
was rewritten. The Blazers won the Cup in Seattle, defeating the Sault Ste.
Marie Greyhounds 5-4 in one of the most exciting junior hockey games ever
played. Zac Boyer took a breakaway pass and scored the winning goal with
14.6 seconds left in regulation time.
The 1992-93 campaign saw Tom Renney move on to the Canadian Olympic Team and
long time assistant coach Don Hay take over the coaching job. He became just
the third Blazer head coach in club history. That year saw the club move to
the new 5500-seat Riverside Coliseum. That ended a remarkable record in
their old home, the Memorial Arena, where the Blazers only lost 47 games in
8 seasons! After one complete season in the Coliseum, the Blazers enjoyed
outstanding success both on and off the ice. Record attendance above all
expectations added to the excitement of the new "barn" and created an
atmosphere never-before seen in the city. The games simply became "the place
to be ".
The 1993-94 season saw Don Hay lead his Blazers to another Memorial Cup win;
it's second in three years. A young team, it started slowly, going 6-7-3 in
it's first 16 games, but improved dramatically and ended the season with a
29 game home-ice winning streak, a new WHL record, and the overall regular
season pennant. The Blazers defeated Seattle, Portland and Saskatoon in
tough series to advance to the MC in Laval, Quebec, where they went a
perfect 4-and-0 to win it all.
The 1994-95 season saw the Blazers ranked as the number one team in Canada
from the first game to the last and they did not disappoint, not only
hosting, but winning their third Memorial Cup in the last four years, an
unprecedented feat. They did so in style, defeating the Detroit Jr. Red
Wings 8-2 in the championship game in front of a rabid, standing room only
crowd dressed in nothing but white. It is not likely that we will ever again
see a club that dominates North American junior hockey quite like the
Blazers of the early 90's.
The 1995-96 season saw the Blazers start a retooling process. Stu MacGregor
took over as the team's General Manager, Ed Dempsey became the new Head
Coach, and many new faces were added to the line-up. Amazingly, the team won
48 games and finished second in a tough West Division. The playoffs saw the
Blazers defeat both the Seattle Thunderbirds and Tri-City Americans in
gruelling series, only to fall in six games to Spokane in the Division
Final. However, it was yet another very successful year both on and off the
ice for the franchise.
September 1996 saw the Blazers start what was finally a true rebuilding
season with the youngest squad in the WHL hitting the ice. Eleven rookies
started in the line-up. Gone were the likes of Jarome Iginla, Hnat
Domenichelli, Bob Maudie, Brad Lukowich, Nolan Baumgartner, Aaron Keller and
Jason Holland. The new kids had to learn on the job and some of the teams
past lesser lights, Donnie Kinney, Shawn McNeil, Ajay Baines, and Chris St.
Croix tried hard to pick up the slack. The season had many ups and downs as
it finished with a 28-37-7 record, good enough to place 5th in the Division,
ahead of Prince George and Tri-Cities.
1997-98 saw continued rebuilding and improvement with some new players and
new head coach Marc Habscheid. Led by star netminder Randy Petruk, the
Blazers improved to a 37-32-3 record. Only a last-minute goal by the Prince
George Cougars in game seven of the first round of the playoffs prevented
the Blazers from going further.
The 1998-99 season saw a completion of the rebuilding process. New General
Manager Mike Moore added players like Kyle Calder, Ty Jones, Kyle Kos,
Jordon Flodell, and David Haun via the trade route*to an already great mix
of veterans and rookies*to finish atop the West Division with a 48-11-13
record. What a season it turned out to be! Kenric Exner came out of nowhere
to star in net and the above-mentioned additions dominated in the Western
Division. The Blazers fought off a valiant effort from the Kelowna Rockets
and swept the Tri-City Americans to win the West Division Pennant.
The WHL Final had the #1 ranked Calgary Hitmen facing the #2 Blazers. The
Blazers stole the first game in Calgary only to see the Hitmen storm back to
win the series. It was so close that a triple-overtime in game three turned
out to be the turning point against the Blazers.
The 1999-2000 campaign was one of rebuilding with Blazers' hometown hero
Dean Evason returning to the Blazer fold as Head Coach, and several new
faces to replace retiring vets. Many people called it a complete rebuilding
year, but the Blazers had a strong young group of returning players, so the
term "reloading" (coined by former Blazer's coach Ken Hitchcock) could be
more appropriate.
The 2000-2001 team boasted the addition of several talented rookies to an
already young returning squad. The season was one of many ups and downs with
the young team eventually buckling to the Spokane Chiefs in the first round
of the playoffs.
2001-2002 was full of high expectations. With 19 returning players, the
Blazers entered the year fully expecting to be among the top teams in the
League. Returning stars like Jared Aulin and Shaone Morrisonn, plus a strong
group in supporting roles like Scottie Upshall and Erik Christensen, were to
have made this season one to remember for Blazers' fans. However, the
Blazers once again suffered a first-round playoff exit, a sweep at the hands
of the Kelowna Rockets.
With the dawning of the 2002-03 season, the club is turning a chapter in its
long, illustrious history. Another new face is taking over behind the bench,
Troy Mick, who along with assistants Mark Ferner and Bernie Pimm, have
undertaken the task of bringing this team back to its successful roots. Last
year's supporting cast will be expected to lead. A talented group of
first-year players have been added to the mix, and they will provide the
foundation on which this club is built over the next few seasons.
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