History
The Smoke Eaters (aka Smokies) have existed as both junior and senior teams since the 1920s. The senior Smoke Eaters won two Allan Cup championships—1938 and 1962. The senior team also won two Ice Hockey World Championships playing for Canada in 1939 and 1961; they were the last independent ice hockey club to represent Canada in international competition before the Canada men's national ice hockey team was established in 1963. The remainder of this article discusses the junior Smoke Eaters.
The junior Smoke Eaters have competed in British Columbia (BC) since 1926. Junior hockey in BC has evolved over a number of decades. Originally, Junior referred to a general, age-limited, non-professional hockey concept that was distinct from senior and intermediate divisions. Later, the junior division was divided into two levels, Junior A and Junior B. Overtime, Junior A would evolve into Major Junior and Junior A.
Through their history, the junior Smoke Eaters have competed in various versions of Junior, Junior "A" and Junior "B" divisions. While they did compete for the national Junior Championship Memorial Cup - emblematic of today's Major Junior championship - the Smoke Eaters have never participated in the post-1960s version of Major Junior.
In 1931-32 the junior Smoke Eaters won their first of 22 Mowat Cups over a run of 29 seasons. Throughout this run, the Mowat Cup was emblematic of the highest level Junior Hockey Championship of BC. During their 22 Mowat Cup winning years, the Smoke Eaters would represent BC in the Western Canadian Junior/Junior A Championship, competing for the Abbott Cup. The Smoke Eaters won the Abbott Cup in 1944, allowing them to represent Western Canada in the national Junior Championship Memorial Cup competition, losing all four games to the Oshawa Generals.
By the 1970s, the Smoke Eaters played as a Junior "B" team in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. They joined the Junior A Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League from the 1991-92 through 1994-95 seasons.
In 1995 the Smoke Eaters bought out the rights to the Bellingham Ice Hawks of the Junior A British Columbia Hockey League, joining that league as the Trail Smoke Eaters for the 1995-96 season.
Read more about this topic: Trail Smoke Eaters
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