The West Kootenay League, also referred to as the ''West Kootenay Hockey League'' (WKHL), is a defunct senior men's

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 operated in eastern

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 1922–1941, and also during the 1945-46 season. In 1946-47 the league expanded to

Spokane 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 Ca ...

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 ...

and became the

Western International Hockey League The Western International Hockey League (WIHL) was a senior level ice hockey league that featured teams from the Western United States and Western Canada. It operated from 1946–62 and 1963–88. It grew out of the West Kootenay League, whic ...

. In its 20 years of operation, the West Kootenay League won every British Columbia Senior Championship (

Savage Cup The Savage Cup is the trophy that is awarded to British Columbia’s senior ice hockey champions. This trophy was first presented in 1912-13 to the ice hockey team fielded by the Vancouver Rowing Club. and the Savage Cup will be awarded to the BC pr ...

) after its first season (1922–23) and teams from this league won the

Allan Cup The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men's ice hockey champions of Canada. It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal, and has been competed for since 1909. The current champions are the ...

twice.

History

The West Kootenay League operated from 1922–23 through 1940–41. Many of the players resisted the idea of turning professional because, with the promise of high paying mining jobs, they had secure jobs for life and were making as much, if not more, than players in the NHL. In 1931 the Kimberley Dynamiters joined the West Kootenay League, and this began an immediate rivalry with the always strong

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 ...

, a true powerhouse of senior British Columbia hockey. In 1941 the league suspended operations for three seasons due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and its teams merged with the Alberta Senior League to become the

Alberta-British Columbia Senior League The Alberta-British Columbia Senior League is a defunct senior men's ice hockey league that operated for the 1941–42 season. History The West Kootenay League was a senior level hockey league that operated from 1922 to 1923 through 1940–41; and ...

for the 1941–42 season. The West Kootenay League was resurrected for the 1945–46 season, and in 1946–47 the league expanded to

and

and became the

List of champions

* 1922–23

Nelson Hockey Club 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 ...

* 1923–24 Rossland Miners * 1924–25

Trail Hockey Club The Trail Smoke Eaters (previously known as the ''Trail Hockey Club'') were a senior-level men's ice hockey team from Trail, British Columbia, that played from 1926 to 1987. They are recognized as being one of the best senior hockey teams in Cana ...

* 1925–26 Trail Hockey Club * 1926–27 Trail Hockey Club * 1927–28 Trail Hockey Club * 1928–29

* 1929–30 Trail Smoke Eaters * 1930–31 Trail Smoke Eaters * 1931–32 Trail Smoke Eaters * 1932–33 Trail Smoke Eaters * 1933–34 Kimberley Dynamiters * 1934–35 Kimberley Dynamiters * 1935–36 Kimberley Dynamiters (won the

) * 1936–37

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 ...

* 1937–38 Trail Smoke Eaters (won the

) * 1938–39 Kimberley Dynamiters * 1939–40 Trail Smoke Eaters * 1940–41 Trail Smoke Eaters * 1945–46 Trail Smoke Eaters

References

Defunct ice hockey leagues in British Columbia 1922 establishments in British Columbia 1947 disestablishments in British Columbia Sports leagues established in 1922 Sports leagues disestablished in 1947 {{icehockey-league-stub