Trail Smoke Eaters

Trail Smoke Eaters
Trail Smoke Eaters
City	Trail, British Columbia, Canada
League	British Columbia Hockey League
Conference	Interior
Founded	1926
Home arena	Cominco Arena
Colours	Orange, black and white;
General manager	Jeff Tambellini
Head coach	Jeff Tambellini
Website	www.trailsmokeeaters.com
Franchise history
1926–present	Trail Smoke Eaters

The Trail Smoke Eaters are a junior "A" ice hockey team from Trail, British Columbia, Canada. They are a part of the British Columbia Hockey League.

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

Season	GP	W	L	T	OTL	GF	GA	Points	Finish	Playoffs
1969-70	32	29	3	0	-	335	86	58	1st, KJHL	KJHL Champions
1970-71	28	26	2	0	-	--	--	52	1st, WKHL	WKHL Champions
1971-72	32	21	11	0	-	256	96	42	2nd, WKHL
1972-73	30	17	13	0	-	194	165	34	3rd, KIJHL
1973-74	30	11	19	0	-	184	195	22	6th, KIJHL
1974-75	34	24	10	0	-	270	161	48	2nd, KIJHL
1975-76	34	24	8	2	-	239	178	50	1st, KIJHL
1976-77	44	31	13	0	-	329	188	62	2nd, KIJHL
1977-78	42	33	8	1	-	225	137	67	1st, KIJHL
1978-79	40	37	3	0	-	245	113	74	1st, KIJHL	KIJHL Champions
1979-80	40	18	22	0	-	219	240	36	9th, KIJHL
1980-81	40	31	9	0	-	323	186	62	2nd, KIJHL	KIJHL Champions
1981-82	42	28	12	2	-	299	187	58	2nd, KIJHL
1982-83	42	33	9	0	-	291	191	66	2nd, KIJHL
1983-84	40	7	33	0	-	172	278	14	12th, KIJHL
1984-85	40	24	14	2	-	250	201	50	4th, KIJHL
1985-86	42	34	8	0	-	288	160	68	1st, KIJHL
1986-87	42	13	29	0	-	239	279	26	6th, KIJHL
1987-88	42	26	16	0	-	287	232	52	4th, KIJHL
1988-89	45	33	11	1	-	288	191	67	3rd, KIJHL
1989-90	40	30	10	0	-	292	181	60	3rd, KIJHL
1990-91	41	27	14	0	-	227	176	54	2nd, KIJHL	KIJHL Champions
1991-92	52	31	18	3	-	284	219	65	1st, Kootenay	Lost in Finals, 2-3 (Spruce Kings)
1992-93	52	40	11	-	1	366	227	81	1st, Kootenay	Lost in Semifinals, 2-4 (Colts)
1993-94	52	10	40	-	2	207	376	22	5th, Kootenay	Did not qualify
1994-95	52	21	31	-	0	243	289	42	5th, Kootenay	Did not qualify
1995-96	60	16	39	5	-	214	323	37	4th, Interior	Did not qualify
1996-97	60	39	20	1	-	302	241	79	2nd, Interior	Lost in Semifinals, 1-4 (Vipers)
1997-98	60	35	23	2	-	222	209	72	3rd, Interior	Lost in Semifinals, 1-4 (Panthers)
1998-99	60	14	43	-	3	166	259	31	6th, Interior	Did not qualify
1999-00	60	8	47	-	5	155	353	21	6th, Interior	Did not qualify
2000-01	60	18	34	-	8	199	293	44	6th, Interior	Did not qualify
2001-02	60	29	24	-	7	218	210	65	4th, Interior	Lost in Quarterfinals, 0-3 (Panthers)
2002-03	60	31	24	3	2	275	255	67	3rd, Interior	Lost in Semifinals, 0-4 (Vipers)
2003-04	60	26	26	0	8	242	237	60	5th, Interior	Lost in Quarterfinals, 2-3 (TimberWolves)
2004-05	60	30	21	2	7	220	217	69	4th, Interior	Lost in Preliminary, 0-4 (Vees)
2005-06	60	25	27	1	7	212	229	58	5th, Interior	Lost in Preliminary, 1-4 (Centennials)
2006-07	60	35	19	0	6	230	200	76	3rd, Interior	Lost in Quarterfinals, 1-4 (Vipers)
2007-08	60	23	30	1	6	169	213	53	5th, Interior	Lost in Preliminary, 0-3 (Vipers)
2008-09	60	25	31	2	2	188	215	54	6th, Interior	Lost in Division Quarterfinals, 0-3 (Warriors)
2009-10	60	20	32	1	7	216	271	48	6th, Interior	Lost in Division Quarterfinals, 1-4 (Warriors)
2010-11	60	31	23	2	4	198	172	68	5th, Interior	Lost Division Quarterfinals
2011-12	60	11	42	1	6	151	295	29	6th Interior	DNQ
2012-13	56	26	28	0	2	171	229	54	5th Interior	DNQ
2013-14	58	10	42	2	4	154	274	26	6th Interior	DNQ
2014-15	58	19	33	0	6	208	249	44	6th Interior	DNQ
2015-16	58	23	33	2	0	171	251	46	6th Interior	DNQ
2016-17	58	26	26	5	1	213	204	68	3rd of 6 Interior 8th of 17 BCHL	Won Div. Quarterfinals, 4-1 (Silverbacks) Lost Div. Semifinals, 1-4 (Vipers)
2017-18	58	32	21	4	1	218	203	69	4th of 7 Interior 7th of 17 BCHL	Won Div. Quarterfinals, 4–0 (Warriors) Won Div. Semifinals, 4–3 (Vees) Lost Div. Finals, 1–4 (Wild)

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, of Bellingham, Washington. The Ice Hawks franchise had previously existed in the British Columbia communities of Chilliwack (twice), Langley and Ladner.

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.