| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2014 |
| First season | 2014–15 |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country | United States |
| Most recent champion(s) | Sun Valley Suns (2019) |
| Most titles | Sun Valley Suns (3) |
The Black Diamond Hockey League (BDHL) is a semi-professional ice hockey league consisting of teams from the Western United States. Teams compete for the Joe Casey Cup, named in honor of the former Jackson Hole Moose team captain who died suddenly at the age of 37. [1] [2] [3] [4]
History
The league was founded in 2014 with four member clubs: the Bozeman Stingers, Jackson Hole Moose, Park City Pioneers, and Sun Valley Suns. [5] Teams played a 12-game schedule [6] followed by a single-elimination playoff with the winner awarded the Joe Casey Cup.
In the first-ever league game, Jackson Hole shut out Park City 4-0. [7] Jackson Hole upset regular season winner Sun Valley, who were a perfect 12-0, to capture the first league championship. [8]
Season two in the BDHL saw the Park City Pioneers folding. [9] The league replaced the team with the Missoula Desperados to remain at four teams.
The Sun Valley Suns avenged their championship loss by defeating Jackson Hole for the 2016 title. [10]
Teams
| Team | City | Arena | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aspen Leafs | Aspen, CO | Lewis Ice Arena | 2019 |
| Bozeman Stingers | Bozeman, MT | Haynes Pavilion | 2014 |
| Breckenridge Vipers | Breckenridge, CO | Stephen C. West Ice Arena | 2019 |
| Jackson Hole Moose | Jackson Hole, WY | Snow King Sports & Events Center | 2014 |
| Park City Pioneers | Park City, UT | Park City Ice Arena | 2019 [11] |
| Sun Valley Suns | Hailey, ID | Hailey Campion Ice House | 2014 |
| Texas Titans | Irving, TX | Children's Health StarCenter | 2019 |
| Vail Yeti | Vail, CO | Dobson Arena | 2019 |
Former teams
- Missoula Desperados (2015–17)
- Park City Pioneers (2014–15) - returned in 2019
- Vail Yeti (2017–18) - returned in 2019
Champions
| Season | Champions | Runner-up | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | Jackson Hole Moose | Sun Valley Suns | 5-2 |
| 2015-16 | Sun Valley Suns | Jackson Hole Moose | 4-2 |
| 2016-17 | Jackson Hole Moose | Bozeman Stingers | 5-4 |
| 2017-18 | Sun Valley Suns | Jackson Hole Moose | 5-0 |
| 2018-19 | Sun Valley Suns | Jackson Hole Moose | 5-4 [12] |
| 2019-20 | none | --- | --- |
Alumni
- Garnet Exelby (Sun Valley Suns) - Atlanta Thrashers, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Christian Hanson (Sun Valley Suns) - Toronto Maple Leafs, Stavanger Oilers
- Evan MacIntosh (Park City Pioneers) - Oxford City Stars, Boro/Vetlanda HC, Lindefallets SK, Delaware Thunder
- Ryan Widmar (Sun Valley Suns) - IFK Strömsund Hockey, Oxford City Stars, Antwerp Phantoms, HK Celje, Gladsaxe Bears, Poitiers Dragons
- Brian Gibbons (Park City Pioneers) - EHC Neuweid, Hanover Indians, EHC Preussen Berlin
See also
- List of ice hockey leagues
- Federal Prospects Hockey League
- Southern Professional Hockey League
- Great Lakes Hockey League
- Mountain West Hockey League
References
- ^ "Denver Hockey mourns the loss of former player Joe Casey". University of Denver Official Athletics Site. 5 February 2013.
- ^ "Hockey community mourns death of Moose captain". Planet Jackson Hole. 5 February 2013.
- ^ "DU Pioneers mourning Joe Casey while awaiting archrival CC Tigers". Denver Post. 7 February 2013.
- ^ "Casey's heart, humor and hockey remembered". Jackson Hole News & Guide. 13 February 2013.
- ^ "Suns anchor the new Black Diamond hockey league". Idaho Mountain Express. 6 June 2014.
- ^ "Suns serve notice with Snow King sweep". Idaho Mountain Express. 24 December 2014.
- ^ "Moose win 2 during league debut". Jackson Hole News & Guide. 5 November 2014.
- ^ "Underdog Moose win Black Diamond league title". Jackson Hole News & Guide. 16 March 2015.
- ^ "Pioneers call it quits". Park Record. 23 October 2015.
- ^ "Suns celebrate their first BDHL hockey championship". Idaho Mountain Express. 18 March 2016.
- ^ "Park City Pioneers host first home games in a week". Park Record. November 9, 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-11-10.
- ^ "Sun Valley Suns keep BDHL hockey title 5-4 over Moose". Idaho Mountain Express. March 13, 2019.