Vancouver Blazers

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Vancouver Blazers

City: Vancouver, British Columbia
Home arena: Pacific Coliseum
Colors: Yellow and burnt orange

The Vancouver Blazers were a World Hockey Association (WHA) team from 1973 to 1975. They played at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, sharing the arena with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, and were owned by Jim Pattison.

The team started life as the Miami Screaming Eagles, but money problems and no suitable arena led to a move to Philadelphia, where they became the Philadelphia Blazers. After one season there, the franchise moved again to Vancouver for the 1973–74 season and became the Vancouver Blazers.

In Vancouver, the Blazers drew strong crowds but had mixed results on the ice. Their first season record was 27–50–1, yet they drew about 9,356 fans per game—more than 50% above the league average. The next season attendance dropped to about 8,014 per game.

Because the NHL was expanding and the Canucks shared the arena, Vancouver struggled to support both teams. After two seasons in Vancouver, the franchise moved to Calgary and became the Calgary Cowboys for the 1975–76 season. The Cowboys lasted a few years before the franchise folded.

The last active Vancouver Blazers player was Pat Price, who retired from the NHL in the 1987–88 season.