From 1960 to 1966
the Edmonton Oil Kings advanced to the Memorial Cup finals.
During this period they won the Memorial Cup twice, in the 1962/63 and 1965/66
seasons.
CTV first picked up Memorial Cup action of the last period in 1962 vs.
the Hamilton Red Wings.
The adversity they faced in Ontario that year both on and off the ice, only made
them stronger.
CHED radio picked up Memorial Cup coverage in Edmonton in 1963. They defeated
the
Niagara Falls Flyers in 6 games, giving western Canada its first junior hockey
championship
since 1930. It can be argued that the Edmonton Oil Kings were a forerunner to
western NHL
teams, at the time the NHL consisted of all eastern teams. Notable Oil Kings
Pat Quinn and
Glen Sather still mold the modern hockey era. But, the 1963 Edmonton Journal
notes that all
these boys had on their minds was capturing the 'Grail' of hockey. Dwayne Erickson
wrote
in the Edmonton Journal 'it was the climax to a sometimes wonderful, sometimes
tearful and
always thrilling struggle that began in the spring of 1959'.
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