Links - Edmonton Oilers Heritage Website Edmonton Oil Kin - North River Minor Hockey Association

Edmonton Oilers Heritage Website Edmonton Oil Kings Home History Formation Teams Edmonton OilkingsThe Edmonton Oil KingsThe Best Junior Team in CanadaAfter the conclusion of the Second World War the National Hockey League (NHL) stood alone as the dominant major pro league on the continent With six teams in the league and distance between cities already being an issue the leagues governors indicated that expansion was unlikely With this decision and no rival leagueslike the old Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) Albertans gave up hope of seeing bigleague pro hockey anytime soon Instead many Edmontonians flocked to the Gardens to see the Flyers and the Oil Kings General manager Leo LeClerc recognized that the Oil Kings could become the top junior club in the country and could attract top teenage talent from across Western Canada LeClerc had founded the Oil Kings with the philosophy that it would act as a city junior allstar club plucking the elite players off the rosters of the Edmontons other junior teams By the early 1950s the Oil Kings had established themselves as a powerhouse in the league thanks in part to the rise of two locallybred teenage stars Johnny Bucyk and Norm Ullmantwo players who would later play for the Flyers and go on to NHL careers worthy of nominations into the Hockey Hall of Famepaced the Oil Kings to a WCJHL title and a chance to play for the Memorial Cup This was Edmontons first opportunity at the Cup and was a chance to equal their archrival Calgary who won the Memorial Cup in 1926 Despite the highpowered attack led by Ullman and Bucyk the Oil Kings fell short in the 1954 final losing to Ontario champ St Catharines TeePees Following the loss LeClerc pushed the Oil Kings forward In 1956 the Oil Kings shocked the ranks of junior hockey by pulling out of the WCJHL and joining the senior Central Alberta Hockey League instead LeClerc felt the team would be better prepared for future Memorial Cups if the players competed against grown men not fellow teenagers In future years the Oil Kings would need to try and beat the WCJHL champs for the chance to represent the region on the road to the Memorial Cup After several seasons of playing against senior competition the Oil Kings quickly became the dominant club on the Western Canadian hockey The Oil Kings made seven consecutive appearances in the Memorial Cup final from 6067 winning the title in 63 under GM LeClerc and in 66 under new GM and president Bill Huntera Saskatoon native and former Second World War pilot who had been involved in hockey ever since he returned from his tour of duty After the 1966 season Hunter and longtime friend Scotty Munrothe head of the Estevan Bruins and former goaltending legend with the great Edmonton Dominions teams of the 1930sargued that Western Canada needed a new major junior hockey league that would house the top teams f...