The Victoria Grizzlies are a
junior "A" ice hockey team based in
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...
. They are members of the Island Division 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 ...
(BCHL). They play their home games at
The Q Centre
The Q Centre (formerly Bear Mountain Arena) is in Colwood, British Columbia, Canada. In 2014, the arena was named "The Q Centre" after local radio station CKKQ-FM. The arena opened in February 2004, has 2,300 seats and houses year-round events ...
. The franchise was founded in 1994 as the Victoria Salsa.
History
The
Victoria Cougars
The Victoria Cougars were a major league professional ice hockey team that played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) from 1911 to 1924 under various names, and (after the PCHA's merger with the Western Canada Hockey League) in the W ...
were created as a Junior A team, playing out of
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...
, which joined 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) as an expansion team for the start of the 1967–68 season. This brought the league to a total of six teams. After a 1971 realignment of junior hockey into "
Major Junior
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 ...
" and "
Tier II Junior A", the Cougars joined the Western Canadian Hockey League (WCHL), now 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 h ...
. In 1994 the Cougars relocated to
Prince George, British Columbia
Prince George is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, with a population of 74,004 in the metropolitan area. It is often called the province's "northern capital" or sometimes the "spruce capital" because it is the hub city for ...
.
In 1990, the BCHL's
Cowichan Valley Capitals
The Cowichan Valley Capitals are a Junior "A" ice hockey team based in Duncan, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Island Division in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at Cowichan Community Cen ...
relocated to Victoria from
Duncan, British Columbia
Duncan (pop. 5,047 in 2021) is a city on southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It is the smallest city by area (2.07 square kilometres, 0.8 square miles) in Canada. It was incorporated in 1912.
Location
The city is about 45 kilo ...
and became the Victoria Warriors.
The Warriors returned to Duncan in 1993 and became the Cowichan Valley Capitals again, so in 1994 the Victoria Salsa joined the BCHL as an expansion team.
At the start of the 2006–07 season, the team was renamed as the Victoria Grizzlies. The Grizzlies hosted and played in the
2009 Royal Bank Cup, won by the
Vernon Vipers
The Vernon Vipers are a junior "A" ice hockey team based in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Interior Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at Kal Tire Place.
History
The ...
. In the 2013–14 season they won the Island Division championship after beating Powell River 4–2 in game six.
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
Awards and trophies
Fred Page Cup
The Fred Page Cup is a championship ice hockey trophy, won by a tournament conducted by the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The award is given to the winner of a round-robin and playoff between the Bogart Cup champions of the Central Canada Hoc ...
* 2001
Mowat Cup
* 2001
Cliff McNabb Memorial Trophy
* 2001
Chevrolet Cup
The Seafair Cup (branded as the HomeStreet Bank Cup for sponsorship reasons, and formerly the Albert Lee Appliance Cup), is an H1 Unlimited hydroplane boat race held annually in late July and early August on Lake Washington in Seattle, Washingt ...
* 2009
Brett Hull Trophy
Matthew Wood: 2022
*
Tyler Bozak
Tyler Bozak (born March 19, 1986) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is currently a free agent. He most recently played for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bozak has also previously played for the Toronto M ...
: 2007
*
Kyle Greentree
Kyle Greentree (born November 15, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. An undrafted player, he previously played two games each for the Philadelphia Flyers and Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing ca ...
: 2004
Joe Tennant Memorial Trophy
* Campbell Blair: 2000
Bob Fenton Trophy
*Gary Nunn: 2007
*
Terry Wilson: 1999
Top Defenceman Trophy
*Jordan Heywood: 2010
Vern Dye Trophy
*
Jordan Sigalet
Jordan Marvin Sigalet (born February 19, 1981) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former goaltender who played one game in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins in 2006. In 2004, while playing at Bowling Green University, Sigalet was d ...
: 2001
*Jimi St. John: 1998
Bruce Allison Memorial Trophy
*
Jamie Benn: 2007
See also
*
List of ice hockey teams in British Columbia
The following is a list of ice hockey teams in British Columbia, past and present. It includes the league(s) they play for, and championships won.
Major Professional
National Hockey League
Pacific Coast Hockey Association
Western Canada Hoc ...
References
External links
Official website of the Victoria GrizzliesOfficial website of the BCHL
{{Victoria Sports
Ice hockey teams in British Columbia
British Columbia Hockey League teams
Grizzlies