From Brett Hull to Glenn Anderson to Paul Kariya, it’s been quite the six-decade ride for the B.C. Hockey League.
The circuit announced Wednesday it will celebrate its 60th anniversary this season with several special events. They will include retro jerseys for each team, a retro theme night in each rink and loads of digital content taking a look back over 60 years. The centre-piece of the 60th anniversary celebrations will be an outdoor all-star weekend Jan. 14-16 featuring a 3-on-3 all-star game, skills competition and alumni game. The event will take place at a newly constructed outdoor arena in Penticton.
It’s a fitting site for the anniversary celebrations considering the Penticton Junior Vees were a charter member of the Okanagan-Mainline Junior A Hockey League in 1961-62 along with the Kamloops Junior Rockets, Kelowna Buckaroos and Vernon Junior Canadians. The league, to better reflect its growing geographical footprint, changed its name to the B.C. Junior Hockey League in 1967-68 when the Victoria Cougars and New Westminster Royals joined.
“The B.C. Hockey League has been a huge part of British Columbia’s culture all the way back to 1961, producing top-end hockey players, great people and fantastic stories,” said commissioner Chris Hebb, in a statement.
“Over the past 60 years, the BCHL has also grown into the largest Canadian feeder league for college hockey with the majority of players receiving scholarships to play at the NCAA Division I level. We are excited to take a look back at how we got to this point.”
The development angle the league stresses is so prevalent that it will infiltrate through to the celebrations. NCAA and NHL scouts are always watching.
“It’s been a while since the league had an all-star game. Players are going to have to play for real in the [three-on-three and skills portions] of the all-star weekend,” said Victoria Grizzlies GM and head coach Craig Didmon.
“This is not going to be an NHL all-star type weekend.”
The NHL all-stars have already made it in the sport and can treat their all-star festivities as a lark because there is nothing higher to aspire to. But not at the development level where everything is being graded, even in an otherwise celebratory event.
The Grizzlies, among the five BCHL Island Division teams, will feature a retro jersey with touches that harken to the franchise’s years as the Victoria Salsa.
The league said all 18 teams will host retro theme nights in their arenas to honour their franchise’s histories and hockey in their region. The retro nights schedule will be released soon.
Teams have the option of wearing their retro jerseys for the whole season or as an alternate third jersey for specific games.
cdheensaw@timescolonist.com
