BSHL

The Big Six Hockey League was formed at a small meeting in a garage in Oxbow in December of 1959,when the old Soo Line Hockey League seemed to be dying. Ken John of Estevan was one of the original founders and he wrote up the league\\\\\\\'s first constitution. Other founders were Cec Papke, Estevan; Hugh Mitchell, Glen Ewen; Bill Whatmore, Frobisher; Ken Caverley, Oxbow; Clarence Ching, Oxbow; Percy Hodgson, Glen Ewen; Percy Quick, Frobisher; Hank Dntnstauder, Bienfait and R.C. Goodwin, Frobisher.

The first season the league consisted of four teams including the Bienfait Coalers, Frobisher Flyers, Glen Ewen Eagles and Oxbow Aces. The Estevan Miners took part in the league that first year, but their games were just exhibition matches and they did not take part in the playoffs.

The name for the league, according to Cec Papke of Calgary, came from the Big Six Brewery in Lethbridge, Alberta. He said that there was a Big Six League in Alberta and Manitoba and he suggested that they use the same name in Saskatchewan.

The original championship trophy, The Lincoln Trophy, which is still used today, was donated by, then resident of Bienfait, Ken Lincoln, who was the head carpenter during the construction of the Bienfait-Coalfields Memorial Arena. Ken now resides in Wawota. The Morton Burke Trophy for the League\\\\\\\'s Top Point-Getter, which is also still used today, was donated by Cec Papke at the start of the 1960/61 season and he went on to win that trophy by the end of that season, which was the league\\\\\\\'s second year of existence.

The Howard Enmark Trophy for finishing in First Place in the regular season was donated by the Bienfait Coalers at the start of the 1962-63 season. This award is another that is still in use today!

Over the years just about every small town in southeast Saskatchewan has been in the Big Six at one time or another. The number of teams in the league has risen and fallen at times and reached as many as twelve at one point.

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