The Western International Hockey League (WIHL) was a senior 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 h ...

league that featured teams from the

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the We ...

and

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada� ...

. It operated from 1946–62 and 1963–88. It grew out of the West Kootenay League, which operated in southeast

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, ...

from the 1920s. The league had teams in the British Columbian cities of

Trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. ...

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

, Kimberley, Rossland, Fernie, and Cranbrook; in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Cana ...

;

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

;

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

; and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. The league did not operate in 1962–63 while member team the

Trail Smoke Eaters The Trail Smoke Eaters are a junior A ice hockey team from Trail, British Columbia, Canada. They are a part of the British Columbia Hockey League. History The Smoke Eaters (aka ''Smokies'') have existed as both junior and senior teams since the ...

competed for and won the world amateur championship overseas. At various times in the 1950s and 1960s the league had an interlocking schedule with the Okanagan Senior League and the

Alberta Senior Hockey League Alberta Senior Hockey League (ASHL) may refer to: *Alberta Senior Hockey League (1936–1941) *Alberta Senior Hockey League (1965–1978) See also *Alberta Junior Hockey League *Alberta Midget Hockey League The Alberta Elite Hockey League or AEH ...

. It also played matches against the

Pacific Hockey League : ''For the 1990s semi-professional ice hockey league, see Pacific Hockey League (1994).'' The Pacific Hockey League was a low-level minor professional hockey league that existed for two seasons in 1977–78, and 1978–79. Its member teams from C ...

in 1978–79. In an era when there were fewer NHL and minor professional teams and leagues in North America, winning the Allan Cup was a difficult challenge and the national championship trophy was a coveted prize. The WIHL, along with other highly competitive senior leagues across Canada (with member teams located in the USA as well), was considered among the best amateur hockey in North America. Even until the 1980s, the caliber of play was excellent and many former top CHL, junior A, university and pro level players went on to compete for WIHL teams. The WIHL champions would be considered one of the top non-professional teams in North America each year. The champions of the WIHL received the Shore-Montgomery Trophy, donated by movie stars

Dinah Shore Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore; February 29, 1916 – February 24, 1994) was an American singer, actress, and television personality, and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1940s. She rose to prominence as a recording artist during ...

and George Montgomery in 1946. It is now on display in the Trail Sports Hall of Memories. WIHL teams that went on to win the Allan Cup: 1961–1962 – Trail Smoke Eaters (also won in 1937–1938 and the Trail Smoke Eaters won the World Championship in 1939, 1961) 1969–1970 – Spokane Jets 1971–1972 – Spokane Jets 1975–1976 – Spokane Flyers 1977–1978 – Kimberley Dynamiters (also won in 1935–1936 and the Kimberley Dynamiters won the World Championship in 1937) 1979–1980 – Spokane Flyers 1981–1982 – Cranbrook Royals

Teams

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-o ...

(1978–79) * Cranbrook Royals (1965–88) * Elk Valley Blazers (1979–88) * Kimberley Dynamiters * Los Angeles Ramblers (1946–47) *

Nelson Maple Leafs The Nelson Maple Leafs were a senior men's ice hockey team. They won the British Columbia Senior Championship, the Savage Cup, seven times (1937, 1961, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1986, and 1987). They played in, but lost, the 1965 Allan Cup Final. The Ma ...

(1946–62, 1963–87) * Portland Buckaroos (1974–75) *

Rossland Warriors The Rossland Warriors was a senior men's ice hockey team that operated out of Rossland, British Columbia. They played in the Western International Hockey League The Western International Hockey League (WIHL) was a senior level ice hocke ...

* Spokane Spartans (1946–48) * Spokane Flyers (1948–58,1974–78,1979–80) *

Spokane Jets The Spokane Jets were a senior men's ice hockey team that played out of Spokane, Washington. They played in the Western International Hockey League (WIHL) from 1963-64 through 1973-74. Prior to 1963 the Spokane Flyers were the city's entry in the ...

(1963–74) * Spokane Chiefs (1982–1985) *

(1946–62, 1963–84, 1985–87)

Regular season champions

*1946–47 Kimberley Dynamiters *1947–48 Trail Smoke Eaters *1948–49 Spokane Flyers (league title) *1949–50 Spokane Flyers (league title) *1950–51 Trail Smoke Eaters *1951–52 Trail Smoke Eaters *1952–53 Spokane Flyers *1953–54 Nelson Maple Leafs *1954–55 Kimberley Dynamiters *1955–56 Spokane Flyers *1956–57 Spokane Flyers *1957–58 Rossland Warriors *1958–59 Nelson Maple Leafs *1959–60 Trail Smoke Eaters *1960–61 Nelson Maple Leafs *1961–62 Trail Smoke Eaters (won 1962 Allan Cup) *1963–64 Kimberley Dynamiters *1964–65 Nelson Maple Leafs *1965–66 Kimberley Dynamiters *1966–67 Nelson Maple Leafs *1967–68 Spokane Jets *1968–69 Spokane Jets *1969–70 Spokane Jets (won 1970 Allan Cup) *1970–71 Nelson Maple Leafs *1971–72 Spokane Jets (won

1972 Allan Cup The 1972 Allan Cup was the Canadian senior ice hockey championship for the 1971–72 senior "A" season. The event was hosted by the Spokane Jets and Spokane, Washington with Kimberley, British Columbia. The 1972 playoff marked the 64th time th ...

) *1972–73 Spokane Jets *1973–74 Cranbrook Royals *1974–75 Spokane Flyers *1975–76 Spokane Flyers (won 1976 Allan Cup) *1976–77 Spokane Flyers *1977–78 Kimberley Dynamiters (won 1978 Allan Cup) *1978–79 Trail Smoke Eaters *1979–80 Spokane Flyers (won 1980 Allan Cup) *1980–81 Kimberley Dynamiters *1981–82 Cranbrook Royals (won 1982 Allan Cup) *1982–83 Trail Smoke Eaters *1983–84 Spokane Chiefs *1984–85 Spokane Chiefs *1985–86 Nelson Maple Leafs *1986–87 Nelson Maple Leafs *1987–88 Elk Valley Blazers Note: In 1948–49 and 1949–50 the Trail Smoke Eaters advanced to the British Columbia playoffs because Spokane was not eligible for the Allan Cup.

References

{{WIHL seasons Defunct ice hockey leagues in the United States Defunct ice hockey leagues in Canada