The Penticton Vees are a junior "A" ice hockey team from

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan Valley of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan and Skaha lakes. In the 2016 Canadian Census, its population was 33,761, while its census agglomeration The ce ...

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, ...

, Canada. They are a part of the

British Columbia 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 Ca ...

. The junior Vees were founded in 1961, sharing the name of the senior hockey team, the

Penticton Vees The Penticton Vees are a junior "A" ice hockey team from Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. They are a part of the British Columbia Hockey League. The junior Vees were founded in 1961, sharing the name of the senior hockey team, the Penticton V ...

History

The Junior Vees were one of the inaugural teams in the Okanagan-Mainline Junior A Hockey League (OMJHL), launched in 1961. The league became 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 ...

(BCJHL) in 1967. Although it is commonly thought by many that the name "Vees" refers to "victory", the name actually represents the three types of local peaches (Vedette, Valiant and Victory). The Vees were

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 ...

champions in 1968, 1973, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, as well as in 1986, when they were also

Centennial Cup The Centennial Cup is an annual ice hockey tournament organized by Hockey Canada and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), which determines the national champion of junior A ice hockey. It is a ten-team round robin featuring the winners of ...

champions. After 26 years since their last RBC Cup appearance, the Vees advanced to the championship game in the 2012 RBC Cup in

Humboldt, Saskatchewan Humboldt is a city in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located 113 km east of Saskatoon at the junction of Highway 5 and Highway 20. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Humboldt No. 370. History Named after Ger ...

, defeating the

Woodstock Slammers The Woodstock Slammers were a junior "A" hockey team based in Woodstock, New Brunswick. They played as part of the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL). The team played their home games at the Carleton Civic Centre, formally known to fans as "Sl ...

4–3 on a goal by Joey Benik to win the Canadian National Junior A Championship.

Season-by-season record

''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes'' Records as of 2019–20 season.

Western Canada Cup

Western Canada Cup The Western Canada Cup (WCC); was the Junior 'A' ice hockey championship for western Canada from 2013 to 2017. The annual five-team event consisted of the host team and the champions from the four western leagues (Alberta Junior Hockey League, Bri ...

was the Western Canada Junior A Championship held from 2013 to 2017. The champions from the

AJHL 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 ...

BCHL 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 Can ...

MJHL The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The MJHL consists of thirteen teams all based ...

SJHL The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Open to North American-born players 20 years of ...

, and a host team competed in round-robin tournament. After the round-robin, the first and second place team played for championship, the loser then played a runner-up g game against the winner of a third vs. fourth semifinal game. The champion and runners-up would then qualify to compete for the

RBC Cup RBC may refer to: Media and arts * ''RBK Daily'', a general business newspaper published in Moscow, Russia. * RBK Group, a large Russian media group * RBC Ministries, now Our Daily Bread Ministries, a Christian media outlet in Grand Rapdis, Mic ...

and the National Junior A Championship.

National Junior A Championship

The

National Junior A Championship The Centennial Cup is an annual ice hockey tournament organized by Hockey Canada and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), which determines the national champion of junior A ice hockey. It is a ten-team round robin featuring the winners of ...

, formerly known as the Royal Bank Cup from 1996 to 2018, is the annual championship tournament for

Hockey Canada Hockey Canada (which merged with the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1994) is the national governing body of ice hockey and ice sledge hockey in Canada. It is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and controls the majority ...

's junior A hockey leagues. Depending on the year, various regional champions, qualifiers, and hosts participate in the championship tournament. The tournament usually consists of opening in a round-robin with the top four teams then advancing to a semifinal were the winners compete a championship game.

NHL alumni

Forty-three alumni of the junior Penticton team have moved on to play in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

. Penticton Broncos (1964–1975) *

Bruce Affleck Robert Bruce Affleck (born May 5, 1954) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League in the 1970s. Currently he serves as an executive for the St. Louis Blues, the team with which he s ...

, Tony Currie,

Gary Donaldson Robert Gary Donaldson (born July 15, 1952, in Trail, British Columbia) is a retired ice hockey player. He played one game for the Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League and 5 games for the WHA's Houston Aeros. See also *List of playe ...

Reg Kerr Reginald John Kerr (born October 16, 1957) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League with the Cleveland Barons, Chicago Black Hawks, and Edmonton Oilers between 1977 and 1984. Playing career Bo ...

Dave McLelland David McLelland (born November 20, 1952) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey goaltender who played two games in the National Hockey League with the Vancouver Canucks, on March 25 and March 31, 1973. The rest of his professional career wa ...

Vic Mercredi Victor Dennis Mercredi (born March 31, 1953) is a Canadian of Métis heritage and retired professional ice hockey player. Mercredi played in the National Hockey League (NHL) and World Hockey Association (WHA) as a left winger. Hockey career and a ...

Grant Mulvey Grant "Granny" Mulvey (born September 17, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played all but 12 games of his 586-game National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Black Hawks. A long line of in ...

, Bob Nicholson Penticton Vees (1975–1979) *

Ross Fitzpatrick David Ross Fitzpatrick (born February 4, 1933) was a Canadian Senator representing the Senatorial district of Okanagan-Similkameen, British Columbia. Born in Kelowna, British Columbia, Fitzpatrick received a Bachelor of Commerce and Business Ad ...

Darren Jensen Darren Aksel Jensen (born May 27, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played two seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers. Playing career Jensen was a college goaltender with the Figh ...

Kevin Maxwell Kevin Francis Herbert Maxwell (born 1959) is a British businessman. In the 1990s, Maxwell was acquitted of charges relating to financial crimes connected with the business practices of his father, publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell. Formerly disqu ...

Andy Moog Donald Andrew Moog (; born February 18, 1960) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Moog played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens, and also for the C ...

, Howard Walker Penticton Knights (1979–1990) *

Rick Boh John Richard Boh (born May 18, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He played eight games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in ...

, Jim Camazzola, Ed Cristofoli,

Neil Eisenhut Neil R. Eisenhut (born February 9, 1967) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who spent parts of two seasons in the National Hockey League in the mid-1990s. Eisenhut was born in Osoyoos, British Columbia. He was selected 233rd o ...

Ray Ferraro Raymond Vincent Ferraro (born August 23, 1964) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey player and currently sports commentator, broadcaster for NHL on ESPN, ESPN/NHL on ABC, ABC and formerly of TSN Hockey, TSN. He played for 21 se ...

, Norm Foster,

Brett Hull Brett Andrew Hull (born August 9, 1964) is a Canadian–American former ice hockey player and general manager, and currently an executive vice president of the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Calgary Flames, ...

Ian Kidd Ian Kidd (born May 11, 1964) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He played 30 games for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1987 and 1989, but spent the bulk of his professional career in the mi ...

Scott Levins Scott M. Levins (born January 30, 1970) is an American former professional ice hockey player. Levins was born in Spokane, Washington. Playing career After a successful junior career with the WHL's Tri-City Americans, Levins was selected by the W ...

, Derek Mayer, Joe Murphy, Scott Sharples Penticton Panthers (1990–2004)Penticton Panthers alumni search from legendsofhockey.net
/ref> * Mike Brown,

Kyle Cumiskey Kyle Cumiskey (born December 2, 1986) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing with the Düsseldorfer EG in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Cumiskey won the 2015 Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks. Pla ...

Paul Kariya Paul Tetsuhiko Kariya (born October 16, 1974) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Known as a skilled and fast-skating offensive player, he played in the NHL for the Might ...

Duncan Keith Duncan Keith (born July 16, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers. He won three Stanley Cup championships with Chicago in ...

Chuck Kobasew Nicholas James Kobasew (born April 17, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played eleven seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Amateur Kobasew is from the town of Osoyoos, British Columbia, 3 ...

Rick Lanz Richard Roman Lanz (born September 16, 1961) is a Czech-born Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who spent 10 seasons in the National Hockey League and is best known for his time with the Vancouver Canucks. He was born in Czechoslov ...

Brendan Morrison Brendan Morrison (born August 15, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He has previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New Jersey Devils, Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, Washington Capit ...

, Jason Podollan,

Kevin Sawyer Kevin John Sawyer (born February 18, 1974) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins, Phoenix Coyotes, and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim between 1995 ...

, Robbie Tallas,

Tanner Glass Tanner Glass (born November 29, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. Known as a physical player, he played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets, Pittsburgh Penguin ...

Matt Zaba Matthew Darrell Zaba (born July 14, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played one game in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers in 2010. The rest of his career, which lasted from 2007 to 2015, was spen ...

Penticton Vees (2004–present) *

Zac Dalpe Zac Dalpe (born November 1, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who currently plays for the Charlotte Checkers in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NH ...

Ryan Johansen Ryan Johansen (born July 31, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Growing up, he played minor hockey in the Greater Vancouver area until joining ...

Beau Bennett Beau Daniel Bennett (born November 27, 1991) is an American former professional ice hockey right winger. He last played with the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract with the Arizona Coyotes of the Nationa ...

, Curtis McKenzie, Mike Reilly,

Troy Stecher Troy Stecher ( ; born April 7, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and Arizona C ...

Tyson Jost Tyson Jost (born March 14, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward, currently playing for the Buffalo Sabres in the National Hockey League (NHL). Born in St. Albert, Alberta to a single mother, Jost moved to British Columbia to ...

Dante Fabbro Dante Fabbro (born June 20, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 17th overall, in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Predators. ...

, Hunter Miska

References

External links

Penticton Vees official website
{{British Columbia Sports British Columbia Hockey League teams Sport in Penticton 1961 establishments in British Columbia Ice hockey clubs established in 1961