
Merritt Centennials persevere to half-century of BCHL hockey
MERRITT B.C. — The longest continuously run franchise in the BCHL is not one of the big dogs. It’s not Vernon, Victoria or even Penticton. That honour belongs to the Merritt Centennials.
The latest edition of the Merritt Centennials are hard at work on the ice as they prepare to open a banner year for the team, their 50th in the league. While recent years have been tough on the ice for Merritt, the team has been persevering for much longer than that.
“The league back in the ’90s gave us an ultimatum that if we didn’t sell 400 or 500 season tickets and have an ownership group in place that they were going to revoke our franchise. Certainly the community stepped up, we sold those season tickets, and got a group together and kept it running. That is for sure; the community has stepped up every time,” said Brian Barrett, a former Owner, General Manager and Head Coach of the Cents.