Bellingham Blazers
Encyclopedia
The Bellingham Blazers were an American
junior ice hockey
team from Bellingham
, Washington during the regular season and Langley, British Columbia
during their 1970s playoff runs. They were members of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League.
4-games-to-2 to win the Nat Bailey Cup, the Blazers moved on to the British Columbia Jr. A Championship, the Mowat Cup
, against the Coquitlam Comets of the Pacific Junior A Hockey League. The Blazers swept the PJHL champion 2-games-to-none. In the Alberta/British Columbia Championship
, the Blazers fell to the Alberta Junior Hockey League
's Spruce Grove Mets 4-games-to-2. After winning their two home games in Langley to start the series, the Blazers were beaten in Spruce Grove in four consecutive games to end their season.
For 1975-76, the Blazers briefly relocated to Maple Ridge. They returned to Bellingham in the summer of 1976, but the league placed an expansion team in Maple Ridge for 1976-77 to replace them.
In 1979, the Ice Hawks won the league title 4-games-straight over the Kamloops Rockets
, but the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
banned them from proceeding into the national playdowns as they were playing their home games in the United States.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
junior ice hockey
Junior ice hockey
Junior hockey is a catch-all term used to describe various levels of ice hockey competition for players generally between 16 and 20 years of age...
team from Bellingham
Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...
, Washington during the regular season and Langley, British Columbia
Langley, British Columbia (city)
The City of Langley is a municipality in Metro Vancouver. It lies directly east of the City of Surrey, adjacent to Cloverdale, and surrounded on the north, east and south by Township of Langley.-History:...
during their 1970s playoff runs. They were members of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League.
History
In 1975, the Blazers, playing out of Langley, BC, won their first of two BCJHL championships. After defeating the Kelowna BuckaroosKelowna Buckaroos
The Kelowna Buckaroos were a Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey team from Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. They were a part of the British Columbia Hockey League.-History:...
4-games-to-2 to win the Nat Bailey Cup, the Blazers moved on to the British Columbia Jr. A Championship, the Mowat Cup
Mowat Cup
The Mowat Cup is emblematic of the Junior "A" ice hockey Championship of British Columbia .The cup was donated to the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association by Mr...
, against the Coquitlam Comets of the Pacific Junior A Hockey League. The Blazers swept the PJHL champion 2-games-to-none. In the Alberta/British Columbia Championship
Doyle Cup
The Doyle Cup is a championship ice hockey trophy, won through a best-of-7 series, conducted by the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The series is played between the Fred Page Cup champions of the British Columbia Hockey League and the Enerflex Cup champions of the Alberta Junior Hockey League...
, the Blazers fell to the Alberta Junior Hockey League
Alberta Junior Hockey League
The Alberta Junior Hockey League is an Alberta-based Junior A hockey league that belongs to the Canadian Junior Hockey League . It was formed as a five-team league in 1964. There are currently 16 teams in the league. The regular season league champions receive the Dave Duchak Trophy...
's Spruce Grove Mets 4-games-to-2. After winning their two home games in Langley to start the series, the Blazers were beaten in Spruce Grove in four consecutive games to end their season.
For 1975-76, the Blazers briefly relocated to Maple Ridge. They returned to Bellingham in the summer of 1976, but the league placed an expansion team in Maple Ridge for 1976-77 to replace them.
In 1979, the Ice Hawks won the league title 4-games-straight over the Kamloops Rockets
Kamloops Rockets
The Kamloops Rockets were a Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey team from Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. They were a part of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League....
, but the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey play in Canada from 1914 until 1994 when it merged with the Canadian Hockey Association or Hockey Canada....
banned them from proceeding into the national playdowns as they were playing their home games in the United States.
Season-by-Season record
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Points | Finish | Playoffs |
| 1972-73 | 60 | 15 | 43 | 2 | ||||||
| 232 | 358 | 32 | 4th BCJHL-C | Lost Quarter-final | ||||||
| 1973-74 | 64 | 29 | 35 | 0 | ||||||
| 246 | 251 | 58 | 2nd BCJHL-C | Lost Semi-final | ||||||
| 1974-75 | 66 | 33 | 32 | 1 | ||||||
| 313 | 251 | 67 | 3rd BCJHL-C | Won League, Won MC Mowat Cup The Mowat Cup is emblematic of the Junior "A" ice hockey Championship of British Columbia .The cup was donated to the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association by Mr... |
||||||
| 1975-76 | 66 | 23 | 41 | 2 | ||||||
| 245 | 349 | 48 | 7th BCJHL | Lost Quarter-final | ||||||
| 1976-77 | 68 | 27 | 38 | 3 | - | 311 | 381 | 57 | 5th BCJHL-C | DNQ |
| 1977-78 | 66 | 41 | 25 | 0 | - | 372 | 294 | 82 | 2nd BCJHL-C | Lost Semi-final |
| 1978-79 | 62 | 51 | 10 | 1 | - | 497 | 249 | 103 | 1st BCJHL-C | Won League |
| 1979-80 | 66 | 49 | 16 | 1 | - | 415 | 241 | 99 | 1st BCJHL-C | Lost Quarter-final |
| 1980-81 | 43 | 19 | 24 | 0 | - | 204 | 230 | 38 | 5th BCJHL-C | Lost Quarter-final |
| 1981-82 | 48 | 20 | 28 | 0 | - | 280 | 297 | 40 | 5th BCJHL-C | DNQ |
| 1982-83 | 56 | 29 | 25 | 2 | - | 319 | 321 | 60 | 4th BCJHL-C | DNQ |
| 1983-84 | 50 | 19 | 30 | 1 | - | 242 | 310 | 39 | 5th BCJHL-C | DNQ |
| 1984-85 | 52 | 41 | 10 | 1 | - | 408 | 273 | 83 | 1st BCJHL-C | Lost Final |