The Kelowna Packers were a

senior ice hockey Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition. There are no age restrictions for Senior players, who typically consist of those whose Junior eligibility has expired. Senior hockey leagues operate under the jurisd ...

team from Kelowna, British Columbia. The team existed from 1949 to 1960, and played as members of the Okanagan Senior Hockey League from 1951 onward. They were runners-up in the 1958 Allan Cup finals, and were the first ice hockey team from Canada to play an exhibition tour in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

History

The Kelowna Packers were established in 1949 in Kelowna, British Columbia. The Packers finished first place in the Okanagan Senior Hockey League (OSHL) during the 1957–58 season. In that year's playoffs, the Packers defeated the

Kamloops Chiefs The Kamloops Chiefs were a junior ice hockey team based in Kamloops, British Columbia that played in the Western Canada Hockey League from 1973–77. They were founded in 1971 as the Vancouver Nats, and relocated to Seattle, Washington to become t ...

in a best-of-seven series to win the OSHL championship. In the

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� ...

playoffs, the Packers defeated the

Winnipeg Maroons The Winnipeg Maroons were a minor League baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, which played in the Northern League from 1902–1942. Their home field from 1906 to 1922 was Happyland Park, which had a seating capacity Seating ...

to win the T. B. Patton Cup. The Packers qualified for the 1958 Allan Cup finals against the

Eastern Canada Eastern Canada (also the Eastern provinces or the East) is generally considered to be the region of Canada south of the Hudson Bay/ Strait and east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces (from east to west): Newfoundland and Labrado ...

champion

Belleville McFarlands The Belleville McFarlands were a Canadian senior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1956 to 1961. The McFarlands were based out of Belleville, Ontario, playing home games at the Belleville Memorial Arena. History Th ...

, but lost in seven games. In May 1958, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association approved sending its first Canadian team on an exhibition tour of the

. The Kelowna Packers were chosen as the Allan Cup finalists. CAHA secretary-manager

George Dudley George Samuel Dudley (April 19, 1894 – May 8, 1960) was a Canadian ice hockey administrator. He joined the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) executive in 1928, served as its president from 1934 to 1936, and as its treasurer from 1936 to 1960 ...

arranged a five-game tour in the Soviet Union, and for three subsequent games in Sweden. Dudley hoped that the Kelowna tour would promote future cultural exchanges with

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whic ...

. Outside Kelowna, there were critics of this decision and some predicted that the Packers would return without so much as a single win. The Packers lost their first game against the Russian Army team 4–3. They tied the next two games 1–1 against

Krylya Sovetov Moscow HC Krylya Sovetov (russian: link=no, ХК Крылья Советов; ''Soviet Wings'') is a professional ice hockey team based in Moscow, Russia. The team played in the top divisions of Soviet and Russian hockey. In 2008, the team was expell ...

and 2–2 against

Dynamo Moscow MGO VFSO "Dynamo" (russian: МГО ВФСО «Динамо»), commonly known as Dynamo Moscow (russian: Динамо Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. Founded by Felix Dzerzhinsky on 18 April 1923, Dynamo Moscow was the first ...

. In the fourth game, against the Soviet Juniors, the Packers won 4–3. In the final match, they faced the Moscow Selects, and won 5–1. During the Packers' exhibition tour of Sweden, they won two of three games played versus the

Sweden men's national ice hockey team The Sweden men's national ice hockey team ( sv, Sveriges herrlandslag i ishockey) is governed by the Swedish Ice Hockey Association. It is one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world and a member of the so-called " Big S ...

. Each game finished in a 5–2 score. In the 1959–60 season, the Packers again captured the OSHL title. The team folded after the season.

Legacy

A junior ice hockey team of the same name that played in the British Columbia Hockey League from 1986 to 1989. This junior team was renamed the

Kelowna Spartans The Kelowna Spartans were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. They were a part of the British Columbia Hockey League. :Kelowna Packers 1985 - 1989 :Kelowna Spartans 1989 - 1995 History The Kelowna Packers join ...

in 1989.

References

{{CCBYSASource, source=Wikia Sports, sourcepath= http://icehockey.wikia.com/wiki/Kelowna_Packers= Kelowna Packers, revision= 355646932 Defunct ice hockey teams in Canada Ice hockey teams in British Columbia Senior ice hockey teams Ice hockey clubs established in 1949 Sport in Kelowna 1949 establishments in British Columbia 1989 disestablishments in British Columbia Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1989