The Kimberley Dynamiter's rise
to the top of the hockey world was as explosive as their team nickname may
imply.
The Dynamiters reached the very pinnacle of the hockey world in 1937, only
five years and two months after the team was first formed. The Dynamiters
claimed the Allan Cup ( emblematic of senior hockey supremacy in Canada ) in
1936, defeating the Sudbury Falcons in two straight games. The scores were
2-0 and 4-3 in favor of Kimberley. The season after their Allan Cup
championship was a busy one for the boys from Kimberley. They embarked on a
62-game tour of Europe, eventually ending up in London, England, the site of
the 1937 World Ice Hockey Championships.
|
The tournament was hosted by
the British Ice Hockey Association. At that time, Great Britain was the
reigning European, Olympic and World Ice Hockey Champions. However, it was
the Dynamiters who dominated the championship tournament, as they swept
aside Great Britain and everyone else who got in their way. The Dynamiters
were unbeaten in nine games at the tournament, outscoring their opponents by
a margin of 60 - 4. Netminder Ken Campbell registered six shutouts in the
nine games played.
The Kimberley Dynamiters enjoyed another taste of success in 1978, again
winning the Allan Cup, but the Kootenay community will always be remembered
for the Dynamiters team that exploded onto the world hockey stage in 1937
and rocketed all the way to the top. |
