Nanaimo Clippers (senior)
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The Nanaimo Clippers are 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 based in
Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating fr ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, Canada. They are members of the Island Division of the
British Columbia Hockey League The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is an independent Canadian Junior ice hockey league with 21 teams in British Columbia and Alberta. It was classified as a Junior "A" league within the Hockey Canada framework, until it became independe ...
(BCHL). They play their home games at
Frank Crane Arena The Nanaimo Clippers are a junior ice hockey team based in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Island Division of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at Frank Crane Arena. Franchise his ...
.


Franchise history

The original owner, Cliff McNabb, drew inspiration for the name from the local teams of the Nanaimo Minor Hockey Association who prior to 1972 as well as after, were known as the Clippers. The Nanaimo Clippers won the league championship in the 1976 playoffs but lost by default for the
Mowat Cup The Mowat Cup was donated to the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association by John Mowat in 1927. Since 2024, it is awarded to the championship team from the British Columbia Hockey Conference (BCHC). The BCHC is made up of the Kootenay Interna ...
(Provincial Championship). The Clippers were once again league champions in 1978 when the
Penticton Vees The Penticton Vees are a junior "A" ice hockey team from Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. They are a part of the British Columbia Hockey League. The junior Vees were founded in 1961, sharing the name of the senior hockey team, the Penticto ...
refused to play the balance of the series (citing rough play – the series stood at 2 games to 1). The Merritt Centennials were earlier chosen to represent the league for the 1978 CAHA Championships. The Nanaimo Clippers folded after the 1982 season, but were started up again before the 1983 season as the Esquimalt Buccaneers. The franchise was moved to
Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating fr ...
early in the 1983 season, playing at the Nanaimo Civic Arena, and renamed the team the Nanaimo Clippers. In 1998, the Clippers hosted the
Royal Bank Cup Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, ...
getting three wins and a loss in round-robin play. The Clippers entered the semi-finals as the second seed behind the
South Surrey Eagles The Surrey Eagles are a junior ice hockey team based in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Coastal Division of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at South Surrey Arena. History New ...
also of the BCHL. The Weyburn Red Wings were the Clippers' opponent in the semi-final and defeated them by a score of 4–1, South Surrey went on to win the National Championship. On March 13, 2004, with 80 seconds left in the third period and the score tied 3–3 in game seven during the first round of the playoffs against
Powell River Kings The Powell River Kings are a junior ice hockey team based in Powell River, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Coastal Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at Hap Parker Arena. History ...
, the Powell River goalie left his crease and froze the puck for a whistle. Under league rules, the goalie was guilty of
delay of game Delay of game is an action in a sports game in which a player or team deliberately stalls the game, usually with the intention of using the delay to its advantage. In some sports, the delay of game is considered an infraction if it is longer than ...
. But instead of calling a two-minute penalty, the referee incorrectly awarded a penalty shot. Nanaimo scored and won the game, 4–3. Powell River protested and league officials agreed to cover all costs for fixing the mistake. The Kings went back to Nanaimo on March 16 to replay the final 1:20 of the third period, with the score tied at 3–3. Powell River started a man short for the delay-of-game penalty but neither team scored in regulation. Just 54 seconds into overtime, Nanaimo captain Michael Olson scored the game-winning goal. The Clippers went on to beat Chilliwack 3–1 in a best-of-five series, Surrey 4–0 in a best-of-seven semifinal and the Salmon Arm Silverbacks 4–1 in the best-of-seven championship final. After taking the BCHL Championship, the Clippers went on to oust the
Grande Prairie Storm The Grande Prairie Storm is a junior A ice hockey team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) based in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada, with home games at Bonnetts Energy Centre. History The organization was founded in 1966 as the Junior ...
for the
Doyle Cup The Doyle Cup was an ice hockey trophy won through a best-of-7 series conducted annually by the Canadian Junior Hockey League to determine the Pacific region berth in the Centennial Cup, the national Junior A championship. From 1971 to 2021, th ...
, earning themselves a berth in the
Royal Bank Cup Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, ...
. On April 16, 2007, the Clippers won the
Fred Page Cup The Fred Page Cup was a championship ice hockey trophy, won by a tournament conducted by the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The award was given to the winner of a round-robin and playoff between the Bogart Cup champions of the Central Canada ...
by defeating the
Vernon Vipers The Vernon Vipers are a junior "A" ice hockey team based in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Interior Conference of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at Kal Tire Place. History The ...
three to two in game six of the BCHL finals. The winning goal was scored by Tyler Mazzei with 36 seconds remaining in the third period at the Vernon Multiplex. In March 2017, the Nanaimo city council approved a referendum for the construction of a $88 million arena to help solidify a potential
Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...
team, either by relocation or expansion, possibly forcing the Clippers to either relocate to another market or fold. The referendum was on March 11 and was rejected by 80% of those voting. The team was purchased by Vancouver-based lawyer Wesley Mussio in 2017.


Season-by-season record

''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes''


NHL alumni


See also

*
List of ice hockey teams in British Columbia The following is a list of ice hockey teams in British Columbia, past and present. It includes the league(s) they play for, and championships won. Major Professional National Hockey League Professional Women's Hockey League Pacific Coast Ho ...


References


External links

* {{British Columbia Sports British Columbia Hockey League teams Sport in Nanaimo 1972 establishments in British Columbia Ice hockey clubs established in 1972