Big 6 Hockey League

The Big 6 Hockey League, is a senior men's hockey league founded in December of 1959.  The is based out of the southeastern portion of Saskatchewan
A previous league with the same name played from 1944 to 1957 in the Battleford-North Battleford area, Saskatchewan. The teams that played were Battleford 1944-1945, Legion (1945), Marymount, (1945) North Battleford-Beaver Kinsmen (1944-1945), North Battleforde-Collegiate Institute (1944), North Battleford-SFTS (1944-1945), North Battleford-St Thomas More (1944-1945) and North Battleford-Services (1944). The teams that played in 1955 were Battleford, Gaslyn, Lashburn, Maidestone, Meadow Lake, Neilburg, North Battleford-St Thomas More, Turtleford and Vawn-Edam.
==Teams (as of the start of the 2023-24 season)==
Team 	Centre 	Arena
Bienfait Coalers 	Bienfait	Bienfait Memorial Arena
Carlyle Cougars 	Carlyle 	Carlyle Sports Arena
Carnduff Red Devils 	Carnduff	Carnduff Fast Centennial Arena
Kipling/Windthorst Oil Kings	Kipling 	Kipling Arena
Midale Mustangs 	Midale 	Midale Harry O' Memorial Arena
Moosomin Rangers 	Moosomin	Mike Schwean Arena
Oxbow Huskies 	Oxbow 	Oxbow Rink
Redvers Rockets 	Redvers 	Redvers Recreation Centre
Wawota Flyers 	Wawota 	Wawota Community Forum
==Founding of league and Early History==
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. The competition has been fast and furious over the years and many rivalries have been formed as a result.
==Playoff Champions==
Season 	Champion 	Season 	Champion 	Season 	Champion
1959-60	Bienfait Coalers 	1960-61	Midale Miners 	1961-62	Bienfait Coalers
1962-63	Bienfait Coalers 	1963-64	Arcola/Kisbey Combines	1964-65	Arcola/Kisbey Combines
1965-66	Carlyle Cougars 	1966-67	Arcola/Kisbey Combines	1967-68	Arcola/Kisbey Combines
1968-69	Carlyle Cougars 	1969-70	Carnduff Red Devils 	1970-71	Bienfait Coalers
1971-72	Wawota Flyers 	1972-73	Wawota Flyers 	1973-74	Wawota Flyers
1974-75	Wawota Flyers 	1975-76	Bienfait Coalers 	1976-77	Bienfait Coalers
1977-78	Bienfait Coalers 	1978-79	Carnduff Red Devils 	1979-80	Carnduff Red Devils
1980-81	Lampman Imperials 	1981-82	Wawota Flyers 	1982-83	Bienfait Coalers
1983-84	Carnduff Red Devils	1984-85	Estevan Bears 	1985-86	Estevan Bears
1986-87	Estevan Bears 	1987-88	Carnduff Red Devils 	1988-89	Carlyle Cougars
1989-90	Carnduff Red Devils	1990-91	Carnduff Red Devils 	1991-92	Carlyle Cougars
1992-93	Carnduff Red Devils	1993-94	Carnduff Red Devils 	1994-95	Carlyle Cougars
1995-96	Bienfait Coalers 	1996-97	Carlyle Cougars 	1997-98	Arcola/Kisbey Combines
1998-99	Carlyle Cougars 	1999-00	Carlyle Cougars 	2000-01	Carlyle Cougars
2001-02	Bienfait Coalers 	2002-03	Weyburn Devils 	2003-04	Moosomin Rangers
2004-05	Wawota Flyers 	2005-06	Weyburn Devils 	2006-07	Carnduff Red Devils
2007-08	Midale Mustangs 	2008-09	Midale Mustangs 	2009-10	Midale Mustangs
2010-11	Bienfait Coalers 	2011-12	Bienfait Coalers 	2012-13	Bienfait Coalers
2013-14	Bienfait Coalers 	2014-15	Bienfait Coalers 	2015-16	Wawota Flyers
2016-17	Wawota Flyers 	2017-18	Redvers Rockets 	2018-19	Yellow Grass Wheat Kings
2019-20	Playoffs Cancelled 	2020-21	Season Cancelled 	2021-22	Carnduff Red Devils
2022-23	Redvers Rockets 	2023-24	Moosomin Rangers 	2024-25	
==External links==
*www.bigsixhockey.com
Category:Ice hockey leagues in Canada
Category:Saskatchewan Senior Hockey leagues
Category:Big Six Hockey League
Category:Current Canadian Senior Hockey Leagues
Category:Established in 1959