New westminster bruins

But the New Westminster Bruins defied the odds in the mids and built a dynasty that still stands as one of the greatest in junior hockey history. The team also advanced all the way to the title game of the Memorial Cup Canadian major junior hockey championship in each of the four years, winning it twice. In the year history of the Memorial Cup, only seven teams have won it in back-to-back years.

The Bruins were the first Western Hockey League club to accomplish that feat when they hoisted the trophy in and The team relocated to the Vancouver suburb of New Westminster in and began the climb that would see them become one of the most successful — and most talked-about — teams in league history.

1978 new westminster bruins roster

After posting wins over Sherbrooke and Toronto in round-robin play, the Bruins and Toronto Marlboros faced off again in the final, with the Marlies emerging on top The crew from New West was back at the Memorial Cup the following year and again advanced to the championship game, this time coming out on the short end of a score against the Hamilton Fincups.

With the Memorial Cup scheduled for Vancouver, the Bruins made their third consecutive trip the big dance. This time they had the fans on their side and it paid off. Not content with just one title, the Bruins again returned to the Memorial Cup tournament in This time the road was a little rougher to the championship. After winning once and losing twice in the round-robin portion of the tournament, the Bruins needed a win over Trois-Rivieres in the semi-finals.

The two clubs had met twice in the round-robin, and the Petes won both games. But with the title on the line, the New Westminster Bruins dug down deep and came away with an inspired win. Punch came by his nickname honestly. Many times when the fur started flying, McLean was right in the middle of it. At one time there were 80 players in the NHL who had played under McLean at one time during their junior careers.