The Pacific Northwest Hockey League was an amateur mixed-level

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

league in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

in the 1970s and 1980s. The teams that played in the league were of both the Junior and Intermediate level due to the distances between towns in the area. It operated within the

British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association The British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association, more commonly known as BC Hockey, is a non-profit organization and member branch of Hockey Canada in charge of governing amateur hockey at all levels in British Columbia and Yukon Territory. It comp ...

. There were teams in

Prince Rupert Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 (O.S.) / 27 December (N.S.) – 29 November 1682 (O.S.)) was an English army officer, admiral, scientist and colonial governor. He first came to prominence as a Royalist cavalr ...

Kitimat Kitimat is a district municipality in the North Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of the Regional District of Kitimat–Stikine regional government. The Kitimat Valley is part of the most populous urban distr ...

Terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk a ...

Smithers Smithers is a surname of English origin. It derives from the Middle English term "smyther", referring to a metalsmith, and is thus related to the common occupational surname Smith. The name Smither is related. People *Alan Smithers (born 1938 ...

, Burns Lake,

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Granisle Granisle () is a village on Babine Lake in the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, to the north of Topley between Burns Lake and Houston. History The early inhabitants of the area were Carrier Indians, called " Babine" by the ...

Fraser Lake Fraser Lake is a village in northern British Columbia, Canada. It's located on the southwest side of Fraser Lake between Burns Lake and Vanderhoof alongside the Yellowhead Highway. The small community's population is primarily employed by eithe ...

, and Vanderhoof. At its peak in the mid-1970s there were 10 teams. The Intermediate teams were the Smithers Totems, Houston Luckies, Burns Lake Braves, Kitimat Eagles and Prince Rupert Kings. The Junior teams were the Prince George Spruce Kings, Vanderhoof Jr. Bears, Smithers Nats, Terrace Centennials and Kitimat Cohos. There were a number of notables that played in the PNWHL. One was Bill Riley who won scoring titles playing for the Kitimat Eagles and made the jump to the NHL with the Washington Capitals. Another was Larry Playfair who Doug played for the Jr. Bears in Vanderhoof and went on to an NHL career with the Buffalo Sabres. There were a number of players with outstanding talent including Dave Pickett with the Prince Rupert Kings, Doug Stumpf, Gord Cook and brothers Harry and Hugh Bell all of whom played for the Houston Luckies. Many of the young junior players moved on to Junior Leagues such as the Western Canada Tier 1 after honing their talent against the Intermediate teams in the PNWHL

References

Defunct ice hockey leagues in British Columbia 1970s establishments in British Columbia 1980s disestablishments in British Columbia Sports leagues established in the 1970s Sports leagues established in the 1980s {{icehockey-league-stub