Trail Smoke Eaters

History

The Smoke Eaters (aka Smokies) have existed as both junior and senior teams since the 1920s. The senior Smoke Eaters won two Allan Cup championships—1938 and 1962. The senior team also won two Ice Hockey World Championships playing for Canada in 1939 and 1961; they were the last independent ice hockey club to represent Canada in international competition before the Canada men's national ice hockey team was established in 1963. The remainder of this article discusses the junior Smoke Eaters.

The junior Smoke Eaters have competed in British Columbia (BC) since 1926. Junior hockey in BC has evolved over a number of decades. Originally, Junior referred to a general, age-limited, non-professional hockey concept that was distinct from senior and intermediate divisions. Later, the junior division was divided into two levels, Junior A and Junior B. Over time, Junior A would evolve into Major Junior and Junior A.

Through their history, the junior Smoke Eaters have competed in various versions of Junior, Junior "A" and Junior "B" divisions. While they did compete for the national Junior Championship Memorial Cup - emblematic of today's Major Junior championship - the Smoke Eaters have never participated in the post-1960s version of Major Junior.

In 1931-32 the junior Smoke Eaters won their first of 22 Mowat Cups over a run of 29 seasons. Throughout this run, the Mowat Cup was emblematic of the highest level Junior Hockey Championship of BC. During their 22 Mowat Cup winning years, the Smoke Eaters would represent BC in the Western Canadian Junior/Junior A Championship, competing for the Abbott Cup. The Smoke Eaters won the Abbott Cup in 1944, allowing them to represent Western Canada in the national Junior Championship Memorial Cup competition, losing all four games to the Oshawa Generals.

By the 1970s, the Smoke Eaters played as a Junior "B" team in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. They joined the Junior A Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League from the 1991-92 through 1994-95 seasons.

In 1995 the Smoke Eaters bought out the rights to the Bellingham Ice Hawks of the Junior A British Columbia Hockey League, joining that league as the Trail Smoke Eaters for the 1995-96 season.

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Playoffs

1992 Lost Final

Trail Smoke Eaters defeated Kimberley Dynamiters 4-games-to-none Trail Smoke Eaters defeated Cranbrook Colts 4-games-to-3 Prince George Spruce Kings defeated Trail Smoke Eaters 3-games-to-2

1993 Lost Semi-final

Trail Smoke Eaters defeated Creston Valley Thunder 4-games-to-none Cranbrook Colts defeated Trail Smoke Eaters 4-games-to-2

1994 DNQ

1995 DNQ

Chilliwack/Ladner/Bellingham franchise

To secure entry into the BCHL, the Trail Smoke Eaters bought out the franchise rights to the Bellingham Ice Hawks, who previously existed in Ladner and Chilliwack.

Chilliwack Colts 1978-81 Langley Eagles 1981-87 Chilliwack Eagles 1987-89 Ladner Penguins 1989-90 Bellingham Ice Hawks 1990-95

The Eagles played for six seasons in Langley of which 1983-84 was their dream-come-true season. That year, with a record of 40-8-2, placing third in the league, their hope for playoff success, was high. In the Quarter-Finals that year they grounded Abbotsford Flyers, 4–1. They sunk the Nanaimo Clippers in the semi-finals, 4–2 to advance them to the league finals. In that series they jousted with the favoured Penticton Knights, who placed first in the league and won 4–0. The Peace Caribou Junior Hockey League champions, Prince George Spruce Kings, would fare no better as Langley chopped them down, 2–0, for the Mowat Cup. In the BC/Alta Championship, Fort Saskatchewan Traders were out bartered, 4–2. Alas, all good things must come to an end and that is what happened to Langley in the Abbott Cup. The Weyburn Red Wings were having a dream-come-true season of their own, clipping Langleys wings, 4–0, and going on to win the Centennial Cup, emblematic of Junior "A" Hockey supremacy in Canada.

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against