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Trail Smoke Eaters

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Trail Smoke Eaters
CityTrail, British Columbia, Canada
LeagueBritish Columbia Hockey League
DivisionInterior
Founded1926 (1926)
Home arenaCominco Arena
ColoursOrange, black and white
     
General managerTim Fragle
Head coachTim Fragle
Websitewww.trailsmokeeaters.com
Franchise history
1926–presentTrail 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

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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, and two Ice Hockey World Championships playing for Canada in 1939 and 1961. The senior Smokies 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 junior Smoke Eaters have competed in British Columbia since 1926. Originally, the ice hockey usage of "junior" referred to a general, age-limited, non-professional hockey concept that was distinct from senior and intermediate divisions. Later, the junior divisions in Canada were divided into two levels, Junior A and Junior B. In 1970, Junior A was split again into Major Junior and Junior A. The junior Smoke Eaters have competed in various levels of junior hockey, including Junior A and Junior B divisions. They have also competed for the national Junior Championship Memorial Cup prior to its usage as the Major Junior championship.

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 awarded as the highest level junior hockey championship for the province. During their 22 Mowat Cup winning years, the Smoke Eaters represented British Columbia in the Western Canadian Junior/Junior A Championship, the Abbott Cup. The Smoke Eaters won the Abbott Cup in 1944 and represented 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 (KIJHL). They joined the Junior A Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League (RMJHL) from the 1991–92 through 1994–95 seasons. In 1995, the Smoke Eaters bought the Bellingham Ice Hawks franchise in the Junior A British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), joining that league as the Trail Smoke Eaters for the 1995–96 season.

Season-by-season record

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Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Season GP W L T OTL GF GA Points Finish Playoffs
1969–70 32 29 3 0 335 86 58 1st, KJHL KJHL Champions
1970–71 28 26 2 0 52 1st, WKHL WKHL Champions
1971–72 32 21 11 0 256 96 42 2nd, WKHL
1972–73 30 17 13 0 194 165 34 3rd, KIJHL
1973–74 30 11 19 0 184 195 22 6th, KIJHL
1974–75 34 24 10 0 270 161 48 2nd, KIJHL
1975–76 34 24 8 2 239 178 50 1st, KIJHL
1976–77 44 31 13 0 329 188 62 2nd, KIJHL
1977–78 42 33 8 1 225 137 67 1st, KIJHL
1978–79 40 37 3 0 245 113 74 1st, KIJHL KIJHL Champions
1979–80 40 18 22 0 219 240 36 9th, KIJHL
1980–81 40 31 9 0 323 186 62 2nd, KIJHL KIJHL Champions
1981–82 42 28 12 2 299 187 58 2nd, KIJHL
1982–83 42 33 9 0 291 191 66 2nd, KIJHL
1983–84 40 7 33 0 172 278 14 12th, KIJHL
1984–85 40 24 14 2 250 201 50 4th, KIJHL
1985–86 42 34 8 0 288 160 68 1st, KIJHL
1986–87 42 13 29 0 239 279 26 6th, KIJHL
1987–88 42 26 16 0 287 232 52 4th, KIJHL
1988–89 45 33 11 1 288 191 67 3rd, KIJHL
1989–90 40 30 10 0 292 181 60 3rd, KIJHL
1990–91 41 27 14 0 227 176 54 2nd, KIJHL KIJHL Champions
1991–92 52 31 18 3 284 219 65 1st, Kootenay Won Quarterfinals, 4–0 (Dynamiters)
Won Semifinals, 4–3 (Colts)
Lost Finals, 2–3 (Spruce Kings)
1992–93 52 40 11 1 366 227 81 1st, Kootenay Won Quarterfinals, 4–0 (Thunder)
Lost Semifinals, 2–4 (Colts)
1993–94 52 10 40 2 207 376 22 5th, Kootenay did not qualify
1994–95 52 21 31 0 243 289 42 5th, Kootenay did not qualify
1995–96 60 16 39 5 214 323 37 4th, Interior did not qualify
1996–97 60 39 20 1 302 241 79 2nd, Interior Lost Semifinals, 1–4 (Vipers)
1997–98 60 35 23 2 222 209 72 3rd, Interior Lost Semifinals, 1–4 (Panthers)
1998–99 60 14 43 3 166 259 31 6th, Interior did not qualify
1999–00 60 8 47 5 155 353 21 6th, Interior did not qualify
2000–01 60 18 34 8 199 293 44 6th, Interior did not qualify
2001–02 60 29 24 7 218 210 65 4th, Interior Lost Quarterfinals, 0–3 (Panthers)
2002–03 60 31 24 3 2 275 255 67 3rd, Interior Lost Semifinals, 0–4 (Vipers)
2003–04 60 26 26 0 8 242 237 60 5th, Interior Lost Quarterfinals, 2–3 (TimberWolves)
2004–05 60 30 21 2 7 220 217 69 4th, Interior Lost Preliminary, 0–4 (Vees)
2005–06 60 25 27 1 7 212 229 58 5th, Interior Lost Preliminary, 1–4 (Centennials)
2006–07 60 35 19 0 6 230 200 76 3rd, Interior Lost Quarterfinals, 1–4 (Vipers)
2007–08 60 23 30 1 6 169 213 53 5th, Interior Lost Preliminary, 0–3 (Vipers)
2008–09 60 25 31 2 2 188 215 54 6th, Interior Lost Div. Quarterfinals, 0–3 (Warriors)
2009–10 60 20 32 1 7 216 271 48 6th, Interior Lost Div. Quarterfinals, 1–4 (Warriors)
2010–11 60 31 23 2 4 198 172 68 5th, Interior Lost Div. Quarterfinals
2011–12 60 11 42 1 6 151 295 29 6th, Interior did not qualify
2012–13 56 26 28 0 2 171 229 54 5th, Interior did not qualify
2013–14 58 10 42 2 4 154 274 26 6th, Interior did not qualify
2014–15 58 19 33 0 6 208 249 44 6th, Interior did not qualify
2015–16 58 23 33 2 0 171 251 46 6th, Interior did not qualify
2016–17 58 26 26 5 1 213 204 68 3rd of 6, Interior
8th of 17, BCHL
Won Div. Quarterfinals, 4–1 (Silverbacks)
Lost Div. Semifinals, 1–4 (Vipers)
2017–18 58 32 21 4 1 218 203 69 4th of 7, Interior
7th of 17, BCHL
Won Div. Quarterfinals, 4–0 (Warriors)
Won Div. Semifinals, 4–3 (Vees)
Lost Div. Finals, 1–4 (Wild)
2018–19 58 23 24 11 184 207 57 7th of 7, Interior
13th of 17, BCHL
Won First Round, 4–1 (Centennials)
Lost Second Round, 3–4 (Vipers)
2019–20 58 36 17 1 4 222 170 77 2nd of 7, Interior
4th of 17, BCHL
Won First Round, 4–0 (Spruce Kings)
Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Chilliwack/Ladner/Bellingham franchise

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To secure entry into the BCHL, the Trail Smoke Eaters bought the franchise rights of the Bellingham Ice Hawks of Bellingham, Washington. The Ice Hawks franchise had previously existed in the British Columbia communities of Chilliwack (twice), Langley and Ladner.

Chilliwack Colts 1978–1981
Langley Eagles 1981–1987
Chilliwack Eagles 1987–1989
Ladner Penguins 1989–90
Bellingham Ice Hawks 1990–1995

The Eagles played for six seasons in Langley. Their best season was 1983–84 with a record of 40–8–2, placing third in the league. In the playoffs they defeated the Abbotsford Flyers four games to one, the Nanaimo Clippers four games to two, and then swept the first place Penticton Knights in the league championships. They then won the 1984 Mowat Cup over the Peace Caribou Junior Hockey League champions, Prince George Spruce Kings, and then won the 1984 BC/Alta Championship over Fort Saskatchewan Traders. They lost Abbott Cup to the Weyburn Red Wings in a four-game sweep before the Red Wings went on to win the Centennial Cup.

Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Season GP W L T GF GA Points Finish Playoffs
1978–79 62 28 31 3 284 287 59 4th, Coastal Lost Div. Semifinals, 1–4 (Blazers)
1979–80 66 35 30 1 326 328 71 3rd, Coastal Lost Div. Semifinals, 3–4 (Clippers)
1980–81 35 1 34 0 89 302 2 8th, Coastal Folded mid-season
1981–82 48 7 41 0 204 405 14 7th, Coastal did not qualify
1982–83 56 18 37 1 262 317 37 6th, Coastal did not qualify
1983–84 50 40 8 2 337 192 82 1st Coastal Won League, Mowat Cup, Doyle Cup
1984–85 52 31 21 0 313 301 62 4th Coastal Lost Quarterfinals
1985–86 52 12 40 0 232 373 24 6th Coastal did not qualify
1986–87 52 31 20 1 272 259 63 2nd Coastal Lost Quarterfinals
1987–88 52 21 31 0 262 360 42 9th, BCJHL did not qualify
1988–89 60 18 42 0 297 445 36 9th, BCJHL did not qualify
1989–90 59 22 34 3 300 395 47 7th, BCJHL Lost Preliminary
1990–91 60 21 34 5 238 315 47 9th, BCJHL did not qualify
1991–92 60 30 26 4 310 290 64 5th, BCJHL Lost Finals, 0–4 (Lakers)
1992–93 60 22 35 3 258 314 47 8th, BCJHL Lost Quarterfinals, 3–4 (Paper Kings)
1993–94 60 18 39 3 250 324 39 9th, BCJHL did not qualify
1994–95 60 29 28 3 276 284 61 4th, Mainland Lost in Preliminary, 0–2 (Lakers)

See also

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