Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL)

Edmonton Oil Kings
founding	1951
resolution	1979
history	Part I: Edmonton Oil Kings 1951–1976 Portland Winter Hawks 1976–2009 Portland Winterhawks since 2009 Part II: Flin Flon Bombers 1967–1978 Edmonton Oil Kings 1978–1979 Great Falls Americans 1979–1980 Spokane Flyers 1980–1981
Stadion	Edmonton Gardens
Location	Edmonton , Alberta
Team colors	red, blue, white
league	Western Canada Junior Hockey League (1951–1956) Central Alberta Hockey League (1956–1961) Western Canada Hockey League (1966–1976) (1978–1979)
Memorial Cups	1963 , 1966
Ed Chynoweth Cups	1970/71, 1971/72

The Edmonton Oil Kings were a Canadian ice hockey team from Edmonton , Alberta . The team played from 1966 to 1976 and in the 1978/79 season in one of the three highest Canadian junior ice hockey leagues, the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL).

history

The Edmonton Oil Kings were founded in 1951 as a team in the Western Canada Junior Hockey League . They took part in this until it was dissolved in 1956. The Oil Kings then joined the newly formed Central Alberta Hockey League , in which they competed until it was dissolved in 1961. From 1960 to 1966, the team from Alberta stood seven times in a row in the final of the Memorial Cup , in which they prevailed in 1963 against the Niagara Falls Flyers and in 1966 against the Oshawa Generals . In the summer of 1966, the team was accepted as a founding member of the Canadian top junior league Western Canada Hockey League , in which they only missed the playoffs until 1976. After they lost the Flin Flon Bombers twice in the final of the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 1969 and 1970 , they were able to retaliate in the 1970/71 season by winning the final series against Flin Flon. In the best-of-seven series, they defeated them with four wins in one draw and one loss. In the subsequent final of the Memorial Cup, however, the Oil Kings lost against the Quebec Remparts from the Québec Major Junior Hockey League .

In the 1971/72 season Edmonton won 4-1 wins in the Best-of-Seven series for the second time the Ed Chynoweth Cup, but had to find another team in the subsequent finals for the Memorial Cup with the Cornwall Royals to give defeat to the QMJHL. Despite the success, in 1976, due to stiff competition from the Edmonton Oilers from the World Hockey Association , those responsible decided to relocate the franchise to Portland , Oregon , where it has since participated in the game operations of the Western Hockey League under the name Portland Winter Hawks .

With the relocation of the Flin Flon Bombers to Edmonton, the Oil Kings received a WHL franchise again in 1978, which was only active in the WHL in the 1978/79 season, in which it won only 17 of its 72 games and finished third with 46 points the East Division was eliminated in the playoff qualification. Following this season, the franchise was relocated to Great Falls , Montana , where it then took part in the game operations of the WHL under the name Great Falls Americans .

A franchise of the same name has been playing in the WHL since the 2007/08 season .

Former players

The following players who were active for the Edmonton Oil Kings played in the National Hockey League during their career :

• Garnet Bailey
• John Bucyk
• Marc Dufour
• Al Hamilton
• Bryan Hextall
• Chuck Holmes
• Bruce MacGregor
• Paul Messier
• Bob Murdoch
• Ray Neufeld
• Butch Paul
• Darcy Rota
• Glen Sather
• Roy summer
• Norm Ullman
• Bob Whitlock

Team records (WCHL)

Career records

Games: 326 Terry McDonald

Goals: 167 Darcy Rota

Assists: 183 Terry McDonald

Points: 316 Darcy Rota

Penalty minutes: 972 Ted Olson

Web links

• The Internet Hockey Database Statistics Edmonton Oil Kings WCHL I
• The Internet Hockey Database - Player List Edmonton Oil Kings WCHL I
• The Internet Hockey Database Statistics Edmonton Oil Kings WCHL II
• The Internet Hockey Database - Player List Edmonton Oil Kings WCHL II