1976–77 KIJHL season
| 1976–77 KIJHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | KIJHL |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | September–February |
| Games | 44 |
| Teams | 10 |
| League champions | Castlegar Rebels |
| Runners-up | Cranbrook Colts |
The 1976-77 Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) season was the tenth in league history, and the fifth since rebranding to the KIJHL from the WKJHL. The League celebrated a decade in existence by adding two expansion teams, the original Castlegar Rebels, returning KIJHL action to the city of Castlegar, BC for the first time since the demise of the Apollos in the 1970-71 season. The other expansion franchise would play in Creston, BC, and be known as the Clippers. These expansion franchises saw the league grow in teams to 10, resulting in the number of games played to go from 34 to 44. Castlegar would begin play in the West, with Creston in the East.[1]
Season
- Western Division
- Nelson Leafs1
- Castlegar Rebels2
- Trail Smoke Eaters3
- Rossland Warriors4
- Grand Forks Border Bruins5
- Eastern Division
- Creston Clippers6
- Kimberley Knights7
- Cranbrook Colts8
- Fernie Sabres9
- Spokane Flames10
Regular Season
| Team | W | L | T | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Division | ||||
| Rossland Warriors | 33 | 10 | 1 | 67 |
| Trail Smoke Eaters | 31 | 13 | 0 | 62 |
| Castlegar Rebels | 24 | 19 | 1 | 49 |
| Nelson Maple Leafs | 21 | 22 | 1 | 43 |
| Grand Forks Border Bruins | 13 | 31 | 0 | 26 |
| Eastern Division | ||||
| Cranbrook Colts | 20 | 23 | 1 | 41 |
| Creston Clippers | 19 | 23 | 2 | 40 |
| Kimberley Knights | 19 | 23 | 2 | 40 |
| Fernie Sabres | 18 | 24 | 2 | 38 |
| Spokane Flames | 17 | 25 | 2 | 36 |
Playoffs
The 1977 playoffs saw a slight change as Division-Semi Finals were expanded to best-of-seven, whilst the championship remained a best-of-5 affair
| Division Semi-Finals | Division Finals | Championship | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Rossland | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W4 | Nelson | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Rossland | 3 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Castlegar | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Trail | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Castlegar | 4 | ||||||||||||
| W3 | Castlegar | 3 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Cranbrook | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Cranbrook | 4 | ||||||||||||
| E4 | Fernie | 3 | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Cranbrook | 4 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Creston | 1 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | Creston | 4 | ||||||||||||
| E3 | Kimberley | 3 | ||||||||||||
The Cranbrook Colts' dominance over the league was put on pause as the Rebels surprised everyone by winning their first championship in their first season in the League, despite finishing third in the West.[2][1]
References
- ^ a b "Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (Design, Hosting, Registration & Administration tools by esportsdeskpro.com)". www.kijhl.ca. Archived from the original on 2012-05-26. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ "Teck Cup Champions". Retrieved 2025-11-05.