The Bellingham Blazers were an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

junior ice hockey Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

team from

Bellingham, Washington Bellingham ( ) is the most populous city in, and county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies south of the U.S.–Canada border in between two major cities of the Pacific Northwest: Vancouver, British Columbia (locat ...

, during the regular season and Langley, British Columbia, during their 1970s playoff runs. They were members of the

British Columbia Junior Hockey League The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league from British Columbia under Hockey Canada and BC Hockey. Founded in Vernon in 1961, the BCHL now includes 18 teams. From 1993 to 2021, the league was a member of the Cana ...

History

In 1975, the Blazers, playing out of Langley, British Columbia, won their first of two BCJHL championships. After defeating the

Kelowna Buckaroos The Kelowna Buckaroos were a Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey team from Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. They were a part of the British Columbia Hockey League. :Kelowna Buckaroos 1961 - 1983 :Summerland Buckaroos 1983 - 1988 History The Kelowna ...

4-games-to-2 to win the Nat Bailey Cup, the Blazers moved on to the British Columbia Jr. A Championship, the

Mowat Cup The Mowat Cup is emblematic of the Junior "A" ice hockey Championship of British Columbia (BC). The winner of the Mowat Cup historically moved on to play the winner of Alberta's Carling O'Keefe Cup for the Doyle Cup, signifying the Canadian Pacif ...

, against the Coquitlam Comets of the

Pacific Junior A Hockey League The Pacific Junior A Hockey League (PJHL) was a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey league operating within the Greater Vancouver metropolitan area in British Columbia from 1971 until 1979. History From 1962 to 1967, a Pacific Coast Junior Hockey Leagu ...

. The Blazers swept the PJHL champion 2-games-to-none. In the Alberta/British Columbia Championship, the Blazers fell to the

Alberta Junior Hockey League The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) is an Alberta-based Junior A ice hockey league that belongs to the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). It was formed as a five-team league in 1964. There are currently 16 teams in the league. The reg ...

Spruce Grove Mets The St. Albert Saints were a junior ice hockey franchise based in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada, for twenty-seven seasons from 1977 to 2004. Before 1977, the team played in nearby Spruce Grove as the Spruce Grove Mets, and in 2004 the team again m ...

4-games-to-2. After winning their two home games in Langley to start the series, the Blazers were beaten in Spruce Grove in four consecutive games to end their season. For 1975–76, the Blazers relocated to

Maple Ridge, British Columbia Maple Ridge is a city in British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the northeastern section of Greater Vancouver between the Fraser River and the Golden Ears, which is a group of mountain summits which are the southernmost of the Garibaldi ...

. They returned to Bellingham in the summer of 1976, but the league placed an expansion team known as the Maple Ridge Bruins for 1976–77 to replace the Blazers. In 1979, the Blazers won the league title four-games-to-none over the

Kamloops Rockets The Kamloops Rockets were a Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey team from Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. They were a part of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League. :Kamloops Jr. Rockets 1961 - 1964 :Kamloops Kraft Kings 1964 - 1967 :Kamloops R ...

, but the

Canadian Amateur Hockey Association The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; french: Association canadienne de hockey amateur) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction include ...

banned them from proceeding into the national playdowns as they were playing their home games in the United States.

Season-by-season record

''Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against''

NHL alumni

External links

BCHL WebsiteVernon Jr. 'A'/BCHL Hockey History
{{BCHL Defunct British Columbia Hockey League teams Ice hockey teams in Washington (state) Bellingham, Washington