The Calgary Centennials were a

junior ice hockey Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from ...

team that played in the

Western Canada Hockey League The Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), founded in 1921–22 WCHL season, 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. ...

(WCHL) from 1966–1977. They played in

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

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 Calgary Stampede#Stampede Park, Stampede Park, the arena was completed in 1950 at a cost ...

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 the

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. Commemorative coins were m ...

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 The Regina Pats are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1917, the Pats are the world's oldest continuously operating major junior hockey franchise in its original location and using its original name. The ...

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

Billings, Montana Billings is the most populous Lists of populated places in the United States, city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, i ...

and became the Billings Bighorns. Calgarians would not have to wait long for another team, as the

Winnipeg Monarchs Winnipeg Monarchs is a name used by several Canadian ice hockey teams in Winnipeg, Manitoba and may refer to: * Winnipeg Monarchs (senior), a defunct ice hockey team, 1935 World Ice Hockey Champions * Winnipeg Monarchs (MJHL), a defunct junior ice ...

were sold and relocated to Calgary to become the

Calgary Wranglers The Calgary Wranglers are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. They are members of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team plays at the Scotiabank Saddledome, the home of their Na ...

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

Tri-City Americans The Tri-City Americans are an American major junior ice hockey team playing in the Western Hockey League and based in Kennewick, Washington. Founded in 1966 as the Calgary Buffaloes, the team settled in Kennewick in 1988 after a number of re ...

, settling in

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

, after stops as the Billings Bighorns, Nanaimo Islanders, and

New Westminster Bruins The New Westminster Bruins were a Junior ice hockey#Major junior, 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) * ...

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 * Jeff Bandura * Wayne Bianchin * 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 bet ...

Danny Gare Daniel Mirl Gare (born May 14, 1954) is a Canadians, 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 ...

* Rick Hodgson * Jerry Holland * Ron Homenuke * Doug Horbul * Kevin Krook *

Doug Lecuyer Douglas J. Lecuyer (born March 10, 1958) is a Canadian former 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 Wainwrigh ...

* Craig Levie * Bob Liddington * Darryl Maggs *

Lanny McDonald Lanny King McDonald (born February 16, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies and Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played over 1,100 games during a 16-year ...

* Grant Mulvey *

Bob Nystrom Robert Thore Nystrom (born October 10, 1952) is a Swedish–Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. He played for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1972 to 1986. He is best remembered as having scored t ...

* Harvie Pocza * Gary Rissling * Mike Rogers * Randy Rota * Rick Shinske *

Roy Sommer Roy A. Sommer (born April 5, 1957) is an American ice hockey coach and a former professional ice hockey player, who currently serves as the head coach for the Wenatchee Wild of the Western Hockey League. Sommer played three games for the Edmonto ...

* Brian Spencer * Mike Toal * Perry Turnbull * 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