Kelowna Packers
Encyclopedia
The Kelowna Packers were a senior ice hockey
team from Kelowna
, British Columbia
.
There was also 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
in 1989.
After a brief stint as statistician for the Okanagan Senior League
Bob Giordano was named as one of the six directors of the Kelowna Packers Hockey Club on May 13, 1957. Ten days later he was elected vice-president of the team that playing in the Okanagan Senior Hockey League along with the Penticton Vees
, Vernon Canadians
and Kamloops Elks.
The 1957-58 season was the most successful one for the Kelowna Packers, finish first place in the OSHL for the first time in their history.
In a seven-game series against the Kamloops Chiefs
they won the OSHL championship. The Western Canada Championships came next as the Packers met the Winnipeg Maroons
. The Kelowna Packers won the Patten Cup and the Western Canada championships.
The Kelowna Packers then entered the 1958 Allan Cup
finals against the Eastern champion the Belleveille McFarlands. In a hard fought seven game series Kelowna bowed to the McFarland in seven games.
In May of 1958 the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
selected the Kelowna Packers to represent Canada
on an international hockey tour. The Kelowna Packers of the Okanagan-Mainline Senior Amateur Hockey League became the first western sports team to be allowed behind the Iron Curtain
to play a series of exhibition games. Outside Kelowna, there were critics of this decision and some predicted that the Packers would return without so much as a single win.
But the team would play five games against Soviet Union
teams and three in Sweden
, and would tour for a period extending from November 9 to 30, 1958.
Previous to the Packers swing through the Soviet Union the team played three games in Sweden The Swedish National Team defeated the Packers 5-2, a loss that was attributed to the long trip just completed by the Kelowna team. The tables soon turned with the following games and the Packers emerged victorious winning 5-2 in both the second game and the final encounter.
The Packers lost their first game against the Russian Army team 4 to 3. They tied the next two games 1 - 1 against the Wings of Soviet and 2 - 2 against the Moscow Dynamos. Kelowna Packers coach, Jack OíReilly, a fiery and outspoken Irishman, guaranteed victories for the Canadians in the last two games of the tour.
In the fourth game, against the Soviet Juniors, the Packers did indeed secure a win 4-3. Their record stood at one win, two ties, and one loss. In the final match, they faced Russia's top team — the Moscow Selects. The Packers played well and won an overwhelming victory of 5-1 over the Selects. Jack O'Reilly had kept his promises. Despite the skepticism of their critics, the Packers returned to Kelowna as champions.
In the 1959-60 season the Packers again captured the OSHL title. It would be the last year they were together. Senior hockey was dying in the Okanagan
.
Senior ice hockey
Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition for players too old to play junior ice hockey. The top senior amateur teams in Canadian leagues compete annually for the Allan Cup....
team from Kelowna
Kelowna
Kelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley, in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. Its name derives from a Okanagan language term for "grizzly bear"...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
There was also a junior ice hockey
Junior ice hockey
Junior hockey is a catch-all term used to describe various levels of ice hockey competition for players generally between 16 and 20 years of age...
team of the same name that played in the British Columbia Hockey League
British Columbia Hockey League
The British Columbia Hockey League is a Junior "A" ice hockey league from British Columbia under Hockey Canada, a subsection of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Founded in Vernon in 1961, the BCHL now includes 16 teams. These teams play in two conferences, known as the Coastal and the Interior...
from 1986 to 1989. This junior team was renamed the Kelowna Spartans
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.-History:...
in 1989.
History
The Kelowna Packers were established in 1949 in Kelowna, British Columbia. The Packers were guided by a bright young man by the name of Bob Giordano. It took him eight years to reach the top in district hockey.After a brief stint as statistician for the Okanagan Senior League
Okanagan Senior League
The Okanagan Senior Hockey League is a defunct Canadian ice hockey league that operated for 10 seasons within the Okanagan region of British Columbia. This league is notable as it played hockey at the highest amateur level in North America...
Bob Giordano was named as one of the six directors of the Kelowna Packers Hockey Club on May 13, 1957. Ten days later he was elected vice-president of the team that playing in the Okanagan Senior Hockey League along with the Penticton Vees
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...
, Vernon Canadians
Vernon Canadians
The Vernon Canadians are a defunct men's ice hockey team from Vernon, British Columbia that played in the Okanagan Mainline League and the Okanagan Senior League throughout their combined 12 year history....
and Kamloops Elks.
The 1957-58 season was the most successful one for the Kelowna Packers, finish first place in the OSHL for the first time in their history.
In a seven-game series against the Kamloops Chiefs
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 won the OSHL championship. The Western Canada Championships came next as the Packers met the Winnipeg Maroons
Winnipeg Maroons
The Winnipeg Maroons were a minor League Baseball team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that played in the Northern League from 1902-1942. They played at Happyland Park from 1906-1922. It had a seating capacity of 4,000. They subsequently played at Sherbourne Park, which had a seating capacity...
. The Kelowna Packers won the Patten Cup and the Western Canada championships.
The Kelowna Packers then entered the 1958 Allan Cup
1958 Allan Cup
The 1958 Allan Cup was the Canadian national senior ice hockey championship for the 1957-58 Senior "A" season. The event was hosted by the Kelowna Packers and Kelowna and Kamloops, British Columbia...
finals against the Eastern champion the Belleveille McFarlands. In a hard fought seven game series Kelowna bowed to the McFarland in seven games.
In May of 1958 the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey play in Canada from 1914 until 1994 when it merged with the Canadian Hockey Association or Hockey Canada....
selected the Kelowna Packers to represent Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on an international hockey tour. The Kelowna Packers of the Okanagan-Mainline Senior Amateur Hockey League became the first western sports team to be allowed behind the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
to play a series of exhibition games. Outside Kelowna, there were critics of this decision and some predicted that the Packers would return without so much as a single win.
But the team would play five games against Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
teams and three in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and would tour for a period extending from November 9 to 30, 1958.
Previous to the Packers swing through the Soviet Union the team played three games in Sweden The Swedish National Team defeated the Packers 5-2, a loss that was attributed to the long trip just completed by the Kelowna team. The tables soon turned with the following games and the Packers emerged victorious winning 5-2 in both the second game and the final encounter.
The Packers lost their first game against the Russian Army team 4 to 3. They tied the next two games 1 - 1 against the Wings of Soviet and 2 - 2 against the Moscow Dynamos. Kelowna Packers coach, Jack OíReilly, a fiery and outspoken Irishman, guaranteed victories for the Canadians in the last two games of the tour.
In the fourth game, against the Soviet Juniors, the Packers did indeed secure a win 4-3. Their record stood at one win, two ties, and one loss. In the final match, they faced Russia's top team — the Moscow Selects. The Packers played well and won an overwhelming victory of 5-1 over the Selects. Jack O'Reilly had kept his promises. Despite the skepticism of their critics, the Packers returned to Kelowna as champions.
In the 1959-60 season the Packers again captured the OSHL title. It would be the last year they were together. Senior hockey was dying in the Okanagan
Okanagan
The Okanagan , also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as Okanagan Country is a region located in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. As of 2009, the region's population is approximately 350,927. The...
.