The Calgary Centennials were a

junior ice hockey 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 ...

team that played in the

Western Canada Hockey League The Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), founded in 1921, was a major professional ice hockey league originally based in the prairies of Canada. It was renamed the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 1925 and disbanded in 1926. The WCHL's Victoria C ...

(WCHL) from 1966–1977. They played in

Calgary 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, maki ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

at the

Stampede Corral The Stampede Corral was a multi-purpose venue (ice hockey, professional wrestling, rodeo, tennis) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Located on the grounds of Stampede Park, the arena was completed in 1950 at a cost of C$1.25 million ($ million tod ...

History

A charter member of the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League in 1966, the franchise was known in its first season as the Calgary Buffaloes before becoming the Centennials (marking

Canadian Centennial The Canadian Centennial was a yearlong celebration held in 1967 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. Celebrations in Canada occurred throughout the year but culminated on Dominion Day, July 1, 1967. Commemorative coins ...

that year) in the renamed WCHL for the 1967–68 season. The franchise had a string of successful regular seasons in the early 1970s, winning three West division titles, however playoff success never followed. The Centennials only reached the WCHL finals once, falling in four straight to the

Regina Pats Regina (Latin for "queen") may refer to: Places Canada * Regina, Saskatchewan, the capital city of the province ** Regina (electoral district) ** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina France * Régina, French Guiana, a commune United States * ...

in 1974. Following the 1976–77 season, the Centennials were sold and relocated to

Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Met ...

and became the Billings Bighorns. Calgarians would not have to wait long for another team, as the Winnipeg Monarchs were sold and relocated to Calgary to become the

Calgary Wranglers The Calgary Wranglers are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, that began play in the 2022–23 American Hockey League (AHL) season. The team plays at the Scotiabank Saddledome, the home of their NHL affiliate team, the Calgary ...

for the 1978–78 season. The Centennials franchise today is known as the

Tri-City Americans The Tri-City Americans are a major junior ice hockey team of the Western Hockey League, based in Kennewick, Washington. The team plays its home games at Toyota Center. Every game is broadcast locally on the Tri-City Americans' flagship radio s ...

, settling in

Kennewick, Washington Kennewick () is a city in Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located along the southwest bank of the Columbia River, just southeast of the confluence of the Columbia and Yakima rivers and across from the confluence of the C ...

, after stops as the Billings Bighorns,

Nanaimo Islanders The Nanaimo Islanders were a junior ice hockey team based in Nanaimo, British Columbia that played one season in the Western Hockey League in 1982–83. They played at Frank Crane Arena. The team relocated to New Westminster, British Columbia b ...

, and

New Westminster Bruins The New Westminster Bruins were a major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League. There were two franchises that carried this name: * 1971–1981 (formerly the Estevan Bruins, now the Kamloops Blazers) * 1983–1988 (formerly the Nan ...

Season-by-season record

''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against''

NHL alumni

Don Ashby Donald Allan Ashby (March 8, 1955 – May 30, 1981) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played six seasons in the National Hockey League from 1975–76 until 1980–81. Early life and career Ashby was born in Kamloops, British ...

* Jeff Bandura *

Wayne Bianchin Wayne Richard Bianchin (born September 6, 1953) is a Canadian-born Italian former professional ice hockey Left Winger. He played in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers between 1973 and 1980. Internationally ...

* Brian Carlin * Glen Cochrane * John Davidson * Ed Dyck *

Len Frig Leonard Elroy Frig (born October 30, 1950) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 311 games in the National Hockey League. He played for the Chicago Black Hawks, Oakland Seals, Cleveland Barons, and St. Louis Blues betw ...

Danny Gare Daniel Mirl Gare (born May 14, 1954) is a Canadian broadcaster, ice hockey coach and former National Hockey League (NHL) player, most notably of the Buffalo Sabres. During a 13-year professional career, Gare also played for the Detroit Red Wings ...

* Rick Hodgson * Jerry Holland *

Ron Homenuke Ronald Wayne Homenuke (born January 5, 1952) is a Canadian former NHL player. He played in only one NHL game for the Vancouver Canucks, who had drafted him with the 51st pick in the 1972 Draft. He retired in 1976. Homenuke now works as a mission ...

* Doug Horbul *

Kevin Krook Kevin Bradley Krook (born April 5, 1958) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played three games in the National Hockey League with the Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball tea ...

Doug Lecuyer Douglas J. Lecuyer (born March 10, 1958) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey forward who played 126 games in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, Winnipeg Jets, and Pittsburgh Penguins. Lecuyer was born in Wainw ...

Craig Levie Craig Dean Levie (born August 17, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 183 games in the National Hockey League for the St. Louis Blues, Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional i ...

* Bob Liddington * Darryl Maggs * Lanny McDonald *

Nick Merkley Nicholas Merkley (born May 23, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger currently playing under contract with HC Dinamo Minsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Merkley was formerly rated as a top prospect who was widely p ...

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 Black Hawks. A long line of injuries forced Mulv ...

* Bob Nystrom *

Harvie Pocza Harvie Dwight Pocza (born September 22, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who briefly played in the National Hockey League with the Washington Capitals. Pocza was drafted 67th overall by the Capitals in the 1979 NHL Ent ...

* Gary Rissling * Mike Rogers *

Randy Rota Randolph Frank Rota (born August 16, 1950) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 212 games in the National Hockey League and 90 games in the World Hockey Association. He played for the Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles ...

Rick Shinske Richard Charles Shinske (May 31, 1955 – October 23, 2012) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played 63 games in the National Hockey League for the Cleveland Barons and St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a profession ...

Roy Sommer Roy A. Sommer (born April 5, 1957) is an American former professional ice hockey player who is currently serving as the head coach of the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League (AHL). Sommer played three games for the Edmonton Oilers of t ...

* Brian Spencer *

Mike Toal Michael James Toal (born March 23, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. Selected in the fifth round (105th overall) in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft The 1979 NHL Entry Draft was the 17th NHL Entry Draft. It took place on Aug ...

Perry Turnbull Perry John Turnbull (born March 9, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 608 career games for the St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in ...

* Jimmy Watson

References

whl.ca
*2005–06 WHL Guide {{Defunct WHL Centennials, Calgary Ice hockey teams in Alberta Ice hockey clubs established in 1966 Defunct Western Hockey League teams 1966 establishments in Alberta 1977 disestablishments in Alberta

History

Season-by-season record

NHL alumni

See also

References