Esquimalt Buccaneers / Nanaimo Clippers Statistics and History

The Esquimalt Buccaneers were a Junior A hockey team that played in the BCHL.

In 1982, the Western Hockey League's Billings Bighorns announced that they would move to Nanaimo BC, becoming the Nanaimo Islanders. The Nanaimo Clippers of the BCHL had existed for ten years, but realizing that competition with the higher-level WHL team would not succeed, the BCHL Clippers relocated to Esquimalt to play in the Esquimalt Sports Complex, a 1700-seat arena. They were renamed the Esquimalt Buccaneers.

The Buccaneers opened the season strong, winning nine of ten home games, however they had difficulty attracting fans. By January, the team was toying with a return to Nanaimo, and they played a game there, as the Esquimalt Buccaneers, on January 18, 1983. The players were enthused about playing in what they considered more of a "hockey town" than Esquimalt. A second game in Nanaimo showed the team's owners that Nanaimo made more sense - the two games there were the top two attended home games for the team.

On February 1, 1983, the Buccaneers moved back to Nanaimo, and renamed themselves the Nanaimo Clippers.