Inaugural season 1965–66 | Founded 1965 No. of teams 9 | |
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The Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL) is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a junior "B" ice hockey league of 9 franchised member clubs, all of which are currently located in Canada. The Brent Patterson Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season. The winner of the Brent Patterson Memorial Trophy competes with the champions of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League and the Pacific International Junior Hockey League for the Cyclone Taylor Cup, the British Columbia Provincial Title. The winner of the Cyclone Taylor Cup moves on to compete for the Western Canada "B" Crown, the Keystone Cup.
Contents
History
The most recent provincial Jr. B champions to come from the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League are the Campbell River Storm in 2015, the Peninsula Panthers in 2011, the Victoria Cougars in 2007, and the Campbell River Storm again in 1999 during their dynasty of the league. The only team in VIJHL history to ever win the Keystone Cup as Western Canadian champions are the 2015 Campbell River Storm. This has been accomplished multiple times by teams in the rival Pacific International Junior Hockey League and Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.
The two all-time leading teams in playoff championships hold their record in much different ways. The Kerry Park Islanders have won seven championships, but they are spread out through the league's history. The Campbell River Storm, on the other hand, won seven of their eight in a row as part of a league dynasty.
In 2012, the VIJHL announced the addition of two new franchises, the Nanaimo Buccaneers and the Westshore Wolves. The Buccaneers are the namesake of a team that played in the VIJHL in the 1970s. The Wolves are not new to the area either, but are replacing an unsuccessful team, the Westshore Stingers, that folded on December 4, 2010.
List of teams
Brent Patterson Memorial Trophy Champions
Teams that went on to win the Cyclone Taylor Cup are listed in bold.