Victoria Salmon Kings

The Victoria Salmon Kings started play at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre for the 2004-05 season, well, sort of. The city of Victoria determined in the early 2000s to build a new arena to attract a new junior hockey team. However, they would get the Salmon Kings when the ownership group the city picked was able to secure a minor league team and not a junior team. The owners bought the Baton Rouge Kingfish from Baton Rouge, LA, and moved them to Victoria, BC.

The new arena being built for the Salmon Kings wasn't ready for the start of the 2004 season, so the team spent 14 games on the road before playing temporarily at Bear Mountain Arena. The Salmon Kings had a tough first few seasons, missing the playoffs and going through a number of coaches. However, the team hit their stride in 2007-08 when they won 42 games and the division. They would make the playoffs in the final five of their seven seasons in BC, advancing to the Finals in 2007 and 2011. Unfortunately the WHL's Chilliwack Bruins would relocated to Victoria as the Victoria Royals for the 2011-12 season, and the Salmon Kings would fold.