The Chilliwack Bruins were a
major junior ice hockey team in the
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior ...
(WHL) based in
Chilliwack
Chilliwack ( )( hur, Ts'elxwéyeqw) is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Chilliwack is surrounded by mountains and home to recreational areas such as Cultus Lake, British Columbia, Cultus Lake and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Park ...
,
British Columbia, Canada. The
2006–07 season marked the Bruins' inaugural season in the WHL. The team played at
Prospera Centre, which was expanded to 5,386 seats for the arrival of the team. The Bruins were sold after the
2010–11 season and subsequently relocated to
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seyche ...
to become the
Victoria Royals
The Victoria Royals are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team currently members of the B.C. Division of the Western Conference in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team began play during the 2011–12 season after the League announced the ...
.
History
In 2005, the City of Chilliwack was granted a WHL expansion team after an attempt by the owners of the
Tri-City Americans (
Brian Burke,
Glen Sather and Darryl Porter) to move the Americans to Chilliwack was voted down by the WHL directors. As a result, Burke, Sather and Porter sold their stake in the Americans and purchased the 21st franchise in the WHL. The arrival of the Bruins displaced the
British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL)'s
Chilliwack Chiefs
The Chilliwack Chiefs are a junior "A" ice hockey team based in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Mainland Division of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at Chilliwack Coliseum wh ...
, who relocated to
Langley Langley may refer to:
People
* Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name
* Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer
* Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perfor ...
to become the
Langley Chiefs
The Langley Rivermen are a junior "A" ice hockey team based in Langley, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Mainland Division of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL).
History
The BCHL franchise was founded as the Richmond So ...
. In early 2011, it became apparent to fans that they had been sold to RG Properties to allow them to move the team to Victoria. The previous ownership group of the original Chilliwack Chiefs franchise before 2006 had an offer of $7.75 million from the Chiefs development group, including
Major League Baseball player
Justin Morneau
Justin Ernest George Morneau (born May 15, 1981) is a Canadian former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, and Chicago White Sox. At and , ...
and
National Hockey League player
Willie Mitchell. This offer was rejected by both the majority ownership of the Bruins as well as the league.
The Bruins opened their inaugural season in
2006–07 at
Prospera Centre on September 21, 2006, defeating the
Kelowna Rockets
The Kelowna Rockets are a major junior ice hockey team based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. The Rockets play in the Western Hockey League (WHL), out of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). They play their home games at Prospera Place.
The Ro ...
by a score of 3–1. Keith Voytechek scored the first goal in franchise history, while Alex Archibald earned the first win by a Bruins goaltender. A month later, on October 28, Archibald became the first Bruins goaltender to record a shutout with a 3–0 win over the Tri-City Americans, which also established the first Bruins road win. Forward Josh Aspenlind established another Bruins first later in the season with the franchise's first
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
on February 23, 2007, against the
Kamloops Blazers
The Kamloops Blazers are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team plays in the B.C. Division of the Western Conference, is based out of Kamloops, British Columbia, and play home games at Sandman Centre.
The Blazers ...
. General Manager
Darrell May
Darrell Kevin May (born June 13, 1972) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher.
Career
May's professional baseball career began when the Atlanta Braves drafted him in the 46th round of the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft.
...
and the team's first head coach,
Jim Hiller, helped the Bruins post an overall record of 25–40–5–2, the third-best overall record for a WHL expansion team, qualifying for the post-season. In the 2007 playoffs, the Bruins played the eventual
Memorial Cup champion
Vancouver Giants
The Vancouver Giants are a major junior ice hockey team playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Inaugurated in 2001–02, the Giants have won one President's Cup (now known as the Ed Chynoweth Cup) in 2006 and one Memorial Cup in 2007 in the ...
in the first round and lost the series four games to one.
Bruins forwards
Mark Santorelli and
Oscar Moller emerged in the team's second season in
2007–08, establishing team-highs in all statistical categories. Santorelli set team-highs with 74 assists and 101 points, earning the team's first major WHL trophy by leading the League in scoring, while Moller scored a franchise-high 39 goals. The Bruins finished in seventh place in the Western Conference and lost to Vancouver in the first round. All games were decided by one goal.
After missing the playoffs in
2008–09, the Bruins fired head coach Jim Hiller.
On June 3, 2009, the team named
Marc Habscheid as the team's new head coach and general manager.
Season-by-season record
''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against''
Team records
Full List of Team Records
NHL draftees
*
Oscar Moller (Drafted by
Los Angeles Kings in
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...
; second round, 52nd overall)
*
Mark Santorelli (Drafted by
Nashville Predators in 2007; fourth round, 119th overall)
* Ryan Howse (Drafted by
Calgary Flames in
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
; third round, 74th overall)
*
Roman Horak (Drafted by
New York Rangers in
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
; fifth round, 127th overall)
* Kevin Sundher (Drafted by
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...
in
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull, Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A ...
; third round, 75th overall)
* Tyler Stahl (Drafted by
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
in
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull, Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A ...
; sixth round, 167th overall)
* Dylen McKinlay (Drafted by
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...
in
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull, Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A ...
; seventh round, 189th overall)
NHL alumni
*
Oscar Moller –
Los Angeles Kings
*
Nick Holden
Nick Holden (born May 15, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Holden began his hockey career in the St. Albert, Alberta area, playing alongside Ryan Stanton w ...
–
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...
,
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play the ...
,
New York Rangers, Boston Bruins,
Vegas Golden Knights, Ottawa Senators
*
Roman Horak –
Calgary Flames,
Edmonton Oilers
*
Brandon Manning
Brandon Manning (born June 4, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Straubing Tigers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Manning previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Chica ...
–
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wel ...
, Edmonton Oilers
See also
*
List of ice hockey teams in British Columbia
References
External links
Western Hockey League official site
{{Defunct WHL
Defunct ice hockey teams in British Columbia
Sport in Chilliwack
Defunct Western Hockey League teams
Ice hockey clubs established in 2006
Sports clubs disestablished in 2011
2006 establishments in British Columbia
2011 disestablishments in British Columbia