The Edmonton Oil Kings won the
Memorial Cup in 1963 and 1966 as members of the senior men's
Central Alberta Hockey League. The team was required to defeat the
Alberta Junior Hockey League champion to earn the right to play for the national junior championship. They were also cup finalists seven different years between 1954 and 1971. In 1966,
Bill Hunter, the team's General Manager, was concerned about the state of junior hockey in western Canada. Each of the west's four provinces all had their own junior league, and Hunter felt that this put them at a disadvantage when competing nationally against the powerful leagues in
Ontario and
Quebec. Hunter hoped to form a unified western league to compete. Hunter's hopes became reality in the summer of 1966, when a revolt within the
Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League caused several of its top clubs, the
Estevan Bruins,
Regina Pats,
Saskatoon Blades,
Moose Jaw Canucks and
Weyburn Red Wings, to leave the league and join Hunter's Oil Kings in forming a new league. A seventh franchise was also added in Calgary, the
Calgary Buffaloes. The Oil Kings captured back to back
President's Cup titles in 1971 and 1972, however it would prove to be the final titles in the celebrated franchise's history, as the Oil Kings found it difficult to compete with the lure of pro hockey provided by the
WHA's Edmonton Oilers. The Oil Kings moved to
Portland, Oregon in 1976, to become the
Portland Winter Hawks. There was a second Edmonton Oil Kings hockey team in the WHL that played only one season. The
Flin Flon Bombers moved to Edmonton for the
1978–79 WHL season, but only survived one year and moved on to Great Falls. The team folded as the
Great Falls Americans, then was revived as the
Spokane Flyers for two seasons before folding for good. A
new WHL team began play in Edmonton in 2007–08, reviving the Oil Kings name.
League membership The Oil Kings played in the following leagues during its existence: • 1951–56:
Western Canada Junior Hockey League • 1956–66:
Central Alberta Hockey League • 1966–76:
Western Canada Hockey League • 1978–79:
Western Hockey League == Season-by-season record ==