About The Blazers

The Kamloops Blazers Hockey Club has a rich and successful history. The franchise came to Kamloops in 1981 and was known as the Jr. Oilers until 1984. The hockey club became the Kamloops Blazers in 1984.

The franchise is universally recognized and respected for helping young men develop both as hockey players and as young men in order for them to move on and play at the highest levels.

The winning spirit of the club is evidenced by the five WHL Championship banners and three Memorial Cup banners that hang from the rafters at the Sandman Centre, the Blazers’ home rink.

The franchise spent its early years in Humboldt and Estevan, Saskatchewan before moving to New Westminster, British Columbia in the 70s. The New Westminster Bruins then moved to Kamloops in 1981 and became the Kamloops Junior Oilers. The club was known as the Oilers for three seasons before a group of Kamloopsians purchased the team and renamed it the Blazers in 1984.

The team was purchased from the Kamloops Blazers Sports Society in the fall of 2007 by a group of private investors led by Tom Gaglardi and featuring four former Blazers: Jarome Iginla, Darryl Sydor, Mark Recchi, and Shane Doan. READ ABOUT THE TEAM’S OWNERS HERE.

The Kamloops Sports Society Legacy Fund has used the financial success of the team to put over $4.5 million back into the community through various donations since 2007.

Some of the clubs who have benefited from Blazer Sports Foundation grants include: