| It's difficult to build a dynasty in any
sport. It's even harder to build one in junior hockey, where age
restrictions mean that team rosters are in a constant state of change. But
the New Westminster Bruins defied the odds in the mid-1970s and built a
dynasty that still stands as one of the greatest in junior hockey history.
During one four-year stretch in the mid 1970s the New West Bruins won four
consecutive Western Hockey League titles. The team also advanced all the way
to the title game of the Memorial Cup Canadian major junior hockey
championship in each of the four years, winning it twice. In the 78-year
history of the Memorial Cup, only seven teams have won it in back-to-back
years. The Bruins were the first Western Hockey League club to accomplish
that feat when they hoisted the trophy in 1977 and 1978. While the name
Bruins has been synonymous with the Western Hockey League since its very
beginning, the New Westminster Bruins' chapter in the league's history is
somewhat shorter. The Estevan Bruins were one of the original teams that
formed the Western Canada Hockey League in the mid-1960s. The team relocated
to the Vancouver suburb of New Westminster in 1971, and began the climb that
would see them become one of the most successful - and most talked-about -
teams in league history. The Bruins captured their first Western Hockey
League title - and made their first Memorial Cup appearance - in 1975. After
posting wins over Sherbrooke and Toronto in round-robin play, the Bruins and
Toronto Marlboros faced off again in the final, with the Marlies emerging on
top 7-3. The crew from New West was back at the Memorial Cup the following
year, and again advanced to the championship game, this time coming out on
the short end of a 5-2 score against the Hamilton Fincups. With the 1977
Memorial Cup scheduled for Vancouver, the Bruins made their third
consecutive trip the big dance. This time they had the fans on their side
and it paid off. |
A 6-5 win over the Ottawa 67s
on May 14, 1977 gave the New Westminster Bruins their first Memorial Cup.
Not content with just one title, the Bruins again returned to the Memorial
Cup tournament in 1978. This time the road was a little rougher to the
championship. After winning once and losing twice in the round-robin portion
of the tournament, the Bruins needed a 6-3 win over Trois-Rivieres in the
semi-finals. That forced a showdown with the Ontario Hockey League champion
Peterborough Petes. The two clubs had met twice in the round-robin, and the
Petes won both games. But with the title on the line, the New Westminster
Bruins dug down deep and came away with an inspired 7-4 win. To be
successful on the ice, a team has to be strong off the ice, and the New
Westminster Bruins were led by one of the best junior coaches of all time,
Ernie 'Punch' McLean. After a 15-year stint as the head coach of the Estevan
Bruins, McLean made the move to New Westminster with the club. He was behind
the New West Bruins' bench for all four Western Hockey League championships
and the two Memorial Cup titles. Punch came by his nickname honestly. The
Bruins were a rough and rumble crew and visiting teams dreaded the thought
of playing at Queen's Park Arena in New West. Many times when the fur
started flying, McLean was right in the middle of it. At one time there were
80 players in the NHL who had played under McLean at one time during their
junior careers. Several others, including Stan Smyl, Don Hay and Terry
Simpson, had followed McLean into the coaching ranks. The first chapter in
the short-but-colourful history of the New Westminster Bruins ended in the
early 1980s when then Edmonton Oilers' owner Peter Pocklington purchased the
team and moved them to Kamloops, renaming the team the Kamloops Junior
Oilers. Another Bruins franchise would resurface in New Westminster in the
mid-1980s, but they would never return to the glory years of the mid-1970s
and the team disappeared after the 1987/88 campaign. |
