Penticton V's
Encyclopedia
The Penticton V's are a defunct senior men's ice hockey
team from Penticton, British Columbia
, Canada
. They played in the Okanagan Senior League
from to 1951 to 1961. They represented Canada in the 1955 World Ice Hockey Championships
where they won Canada's 16th world championship title.
They were named after three varieties of peach
es whose names all began with "V".
in their second season in 1952-53, losing the final to the Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen.
The next season they went all the way to win the Allan Cup, beating the Sudbury Wolves
in a series that went all seven games. This qualified them to go to the 1955 World Ice Hockey Championships
and avenge Canada's loss in 1954. They won the tournament, becoming the first Canadian ice hockey team to beat the Soviet Union
.
After that win the team went into the doldrums. A small city like Penticton could not really support a top-notch senior team. In 1960-61 the team folded, only a few months before the entire league collapsed.
1951–52 52 15 35 2 32 - - 4th out of playoffs
1952–53 54 23 24 7 53 233 211 3rd Won Final Won Province Lost Allan Cup
1953–54 64 42 20 2 86 268 225 1st Won Final Won Province Won Allan Cup
1954–55 54 31 19 4 66 228 180 1st Did not play off Won World
1955–56 56 25 30 1 51 - - 2nd Lost Semi Final
1956–57 54 21 30 3 45 214 289 4th Lost Semi Final
1957–58 54 16 36 2 34 220 263 4th Lost Semi Final
1958–59 54 16 36 2 34 189 267 4th Lost Semi Final
1959–60 46 5 40 1 11 190 382 4th Lost Semi Final
1960–61 21 11 10 0 - 117 105 - Folded Dec. 1
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team from Penticton, 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...
, 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...
. They played in 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...
from to 1951 to 1961. They represented Canada in the 1955 World Ice Hockey Championships
1955 World Ice Hockey Championships
The 1955 World Ice Hockey Championships was the 22nd edition of the Ice Hockey World Championships. The tournament was held in Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Krefeld and Cologne, West Germany from February 25 to March 6, 1955....
where they won Canada's 16th world championship title.
They were named after three varieties of peach
Peach
The peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
es whose names all began with "V".
History
They almost won the Allan CupAllan Cup
The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men’s ice hockey champions of Canada. It has been competed for since 1909. The current champion is the Clarenville Caribous hockey club of Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:...
in their second season in 1952-53, losing the final to the Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen.
The next season they went all the way to win the Allan Cup, beating the Sudbury Wolves
Sudbury Wolves
The Sudbury Wolves are the name of the ice hockey team from Sudbury, Ontario. Sudbury has had a hockey team known as the "Wolves" nearly every year since World War I. The Sudbury Wolves, the senior men's AAA team, have twice been chosen to be Canada's representatives at the Ice Hockey World...
in a series that went all seven games. This qualified them to go to the 1955 World Ice Hockey Championships
1955 World Ice Hockey Championships
The 1955 World Ice Hockey Championships was the 22nd edition of the Ice Hockey World Championships. The tournament was held in Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Krefeld and Cologne, West Germany from February 25 to March 6, 1955....
and avenge Canada's loss in 1954. They won the tournament, becoming the first Canadian ice hockey team to beat the 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....
.
After that win the team went into the doldrums. A small city like Penticton could not really support a top-notch senior team. In 1960-61 the team folded, only a few months before the entire league collapsed.
Okanagan Senior League
Season Games Won Lost Tied Points Goals for Goals against Standing Playoffs1951–52 52 15 35 2 32 - - 4th out of playoffs
1952–53 54 23 24 7 53 233 211 3rd Won Final Won Province Lost Allan Cup
1953–54 64 42 20 2 86 268 225 1st Won Final Won Province Won Allan Cup
1954–55 54 31 19 4 66 228 180 1st Did not play off Won World
1955–56 56 25 30 1 51 - - 2nd Lost Semi Final
1956–57 54 21 30 3 45 214 289 4th Lost Semi Final
1957–58 54 16 36 2 34 220 263 4th Lost Semi Final
1958–59 54 16 36 2 34 189 267 4th Lost Semi Final
1959–60 46 5 40 1 11 190 382 4th Lost Semi Final
1960–61 21 11 10 0 - 117 105 - Folded Dec. 1
Notable alumni
- James BedardJim Bedard (ice hockey b. 1927)James Leo Bedard is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played 22 games in the National Hockey League with the Chicago Black Hawks. He spent the majority of his career with the New Westminster Royals of the Western Hockey League.-External links:...
- Edward Diachuk
- Connie MadiganConnie MadiganCornelius Dennis "Mad Dog" Madigan is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman notable for being the oldest rookie in National Hockey League history....
- George McAvoyGeorge McAvoyGeorge McAvoy is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played four games in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens.-External links:...
- Bill WarwickBill WarwickWilliam Harvey "The Dapper Yapper" Warwick was a professional Canadian ice hockey forward. He was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.-Playing career:...
- Grant WarwickGrant WarwickGrant David "Knobby" Warwick was a professional ice hockey right winger who played 9 seasons in the National Hockey League. He won the Calder Trophy in 1942.-NHL career:...