Wrangler Way became a reality on Sept. 16 when a District of 100 Mile House staff member replaced the Airport Road street sign to rename the road to honour and recognize the success of the local hockey team.
100 Mile House Wranglers Junior B Hockey Club president Tom Bachynski said he is “super stoked” with happiness about the new name that now forms a piece of 100 Mile House history.
“The Wranglers have done a wonderful job of introducing 100 Mile House to the hockey world, and the world in general. So I think it is well deserved – the boys did a great job.”
The 100 Mile House Wranglers Junior B Hockey Club has achieved a number of its goals since putting a team on the ice three years ago. The most outstanding achievement was capturing the Western Canadian championship by winning the Keystone Cup in Regina, Saskatchewan on April 17.
“It is a road we may never go down again, or we go down again this year, who knows,” adds Bachynski.
“But the legacy is there, and it will always be there. You can’t take a championship away from anybody.”
District Councillor Spence Henderson spoke on behalf of council at the new street sign’s installation ceremony, and said councillors are all “very happy” to see its newly named road recognize the Wranglers.
“We are just very excited about the Western Canadian champions – that’s pretty neat. A small community came together in supporting them very well, and we are looking forward to a great year [again] this year.”
The team has done a lot for the community, and “absolutely” deserves this recognition, he added.
The Wranglers’ fourth season started on Sept. 9, and Henderson noted council has high hopes for another successful year.
The Wranglers captured first place in the Doug Birks Division of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) on Feb. 20, which earned them a berth to compete for, and win, the KIJHL title on March 31.
The team rocketed to fame and brought 100 Mile House into the junior hockey spotlight when the Wranglers thrilled fans in their own community, and far beyond, by taking the 2015/16 Western Championship.
After winning the championship last season, Hockey BC president Randy Henderson told the team he and his whole organization “salute” their efforts.
“You’ve made the KIJHL very proud and you’ve made Hockey BC very proud.”
