Flin Flon Bombers


The Flin Flon Bombers are a junior ice hockey team based in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada. They are affiliated with the Canadian Junior Hockey League as a member of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. Their home rink is the Whitney Forum. Radio station CFAR live broadcasts a select number of home and away games throughout the year as well as all playoff games.

History

The Bombers date back to 1927 and have featured many future hockey greats, including Bobby Clarke, Reggie Leach, Ted Hampson, Blaine Stoughton, Gene Carr, Chuck Arnason, Gerry Hart, Reid Simpson, Ken Baumgartner and Mel Pearson. Their trademark colours are maroon and white,

1939–1944

The Bombers played in the Senior Saskatchewan Hockey League for the 1939 to 1944 seasons, and the North Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League for the 1950 season. No information is available for the 1945, 1946, and 1947 seasons.

1949–1950: North Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League

The NSJHL became the SJHL for the 1951 season.

1951–1966: Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League

;Memorial Cup championship
The 1956–57 Flin Flon Bombers had no trouble winning their own league, the SJHL, averaging nearly 6 goals a game and allowing only 2 against. They won the league title by 19 points. In the playoffs, they beat the Humboldt Indians 4-games-to-none and won the final over the Prince Albert Mintos 4-games-to-2.
In the Western Canadian playdowns, the Bombers next played Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Junior Hockey League. After allowing the series to be split after four games, the Bombers beat the Oil Kings the next two games to take the series in six. The Bombers then beat the Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League's Fort William Canadiens four games straight to win the Abbott Cup.
As per Junior A rules, the Bombers picked up goalie Lynn Davis and defenceman Jean Gauthier from the Fort William and centre Orland Kurtenbach from Prince Albert for the Memorial Cup Finals.
The Eastern Champion was the Ottawa Junior Canadiens. Coached by Sam Pollock and assistant Scotty Bowman. The first three games were in Flin Flon with the series closing out in Regina. The Bombers won the series 4-games-to-2.
The 1956–57 Flin Flon Bombers were inducted into both the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum and the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.
;Championship roster:
Harvey Fleming, Carl Forster, Cliff Lennartz, Barry Beatty, Mike Kardash, Duane Rupp, George Konik, Mel Pearson, Ken Willey, Rod Lee, Wayne Sproxton, Ted Hampson, George Wood, Lynn Davis, Jean Gauthier, Ron Hutchinson, Orland Kurtenbach, Pat Ginnell, Doug Dawson, Bobby Kirk, Hec McCaig, Jim Wardle, Pinkie Davie, Ken Cunningham, Rees Jones, Dan McCaig.

1967: Manitoba Junior Hockey League

The Bombers played for one season in the MJHL before moving on to the WCHL for the 1968 season. See the 1968-1978 WHL section for more details.

1968–1978: Western Hockey League

Note: The Western Hockey League was known as the Western Canadian Hockey League for the 1967-68 season.
's Bombers jersey on display at the 2007 Memorial Cup in Vancouver.
;The Bobby Clarke era
In 1966, Bill Hunter lead the formation of the Western Canada Junior Hockey League. 5 of the 8 teams in the SJHL joined, while the Brandon Wheat Kings and Flin Flon Bombers joined the Manitoba Junior Hockey league. After one season, both would leave and also join the Western Canada Hockey League. During the 1966–67 season, the Bombers, led by Bobby Clarke and Reggie Leach, dominated the MJHL and cruised to a league championship, capturing the Turnbull Memorial Cup. Clarke set league records for most assists, goals, and points. Besides the scoring title, Clarke was also the MJHL rookie of the year, and first team all-star centre. Joining Clarke on the first all-star team were right winger Reggie Leach, goaltender Chris Worthy, and captain Gerry Hart a defenceman. Defenceman Jack Criel made the second all-star team.
The Clarke-led Bombers continued to dominate with 2 first-place finishes, a loss in the 1968 playoff finals, and a league championship in 1969. The Bombers won a national championship in 1969 by defeating the St. Thomas Barons of the Western Ontario Junior A Hockey League in an unsanctioned best-of-7 series aimed at rivaling the Memorial Cup. Clarke led the league in scoring both years, and was named Most Valuable Player in 1969.
The growing demands of the WHL caused the Bombers to outgrow their small home arena, and the franchise departed. The club played three and a half dismal seasons after leaving Flin Flon, with iterations as the Edmonton Oil Kings for the 1979 season, Great Falls Americans in 1980, and the Spokane Flyers for the 1981 and part of the 1982 season before folding on December 2, 1981.
The Bombers resurfaced in 1978 in the NorMan Junior Hockey League.

1978–1984: NorMan Junior Hockey League

In 1977, the Bombers formed a Junior B team as a feeder system. The Jr. B Bombers would eventually win the Baldy Northcott Trophy as Manitoba Provincial Junior B Champions. In the summer of 1978, the ownership sold the Junior A Bombers WCHL rights to Edmonton. The Flin Flon ownership, along with the owners of the Thompson King Miners, banded together with people from The Pas, Manitoba and Snow Lake, Manitoba to create a rival Jr. B league to the Manitoba Jr. B League - the NorMan Junior Hockey League. After one season, the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association granted the league Tier II Junior A status and the right to compete against the Manitoba Junior Hockey League for Turnbull Cup for a chance to win the Anavet Cup, Abbott Cup, and Centennial Cup.
Flin Flon won NJHL titles in 1979, 1982, and 1984. The Bombers had the distinction of being the only NJHL team to ever beat a MJHL team in a playoff game in the 1984 Turnbull Cup.
In 1984, the Bombers were granted expansion into the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

1985–Present: Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League

is located on the Manitoba/Saskatchewan border with a portion of the city in both provinces, while Creighton is located approximately 1 km from Flin Flon and is wholly within Saskatchewan. In 1984, the Bombers were temporarily renamed the Creighton Bombers to allow them to play in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, even though no relocation actually occurred, and, in fact, the team was still referred to as the Flin Flon Bombers in all non-official context. In 1986 the SJHL granted the team permission to remain in the league but play out of Manitoba, which allowed the Bombers to revert their name back to the traditional Flin Flon Bombers.

Retired numbers

Season-by-seasons standings

Playoffs

SSHL, 1939-1944
NSJHL, 1949-50
SJHL, 1951-1966
MJHL, 1967
WCJHL, 1968
WCHL, 1969-1978
NJHL, 1979-1984
SJHL, won Anavet Cup, eliminated in Centennial Cup Round Robin

Scoring champions

Goaltender of the Year

Defenseman of the Year

Rookie of the Year

Most Valuable Player

Player of the Year

Coach of the Year

Roster

The current can be found on the SJHL website.