A message from Darrell Latimer filled with interesting information about the origins of the word "Vees", reposted with permission.

June 29, 2006

Rob,

The name of the hockey club that played Senior Amateur Hockey in Penticton winning the Allan Cup in 1954 and World Cup in 1955 comes from a type of peach called a Vees. It is one of several varietys grown in the Okanagan Valley near Penticton. I believe it is a free stone as opposed to a cling stone and tends to grow to a larger size than other varieties.

Hope this little bit of trivia helps.

No problem from this end by adding the info to your web site. I am glad that you found it of interest.

I lived in Penticton from 1954 to 1957 during the years the Penticton Vees were at their peak. Although I was only 6 to 9 years old I went to many of the games and well remember those days.

It was a small town (15,000) and the only professional hockey other than the the pre-expansion NHL was the Pacific Coast, American, Central and a few others leagues in cities hundreds of miles away. There was no radio coverage and TV was in its infancy covering only the NHL on CBC.

With Senior Amateur Hockey there were 8 teams in southern BC, plus teams on the Prairies, throughout Ontario and probably Quebec and the Maritimes. (not sure about Quebec and east). My dad was a travelling salesmen selling building materials throughout the southern interior of BC. He would often stay overnight in towns were there was a teams such as Kamloops, Nelson, Trail, Cranbrook and Kimberley. With hockey being the main source of entertainment other that going to a movie during the hockey season if a game was being played he would go to the game.

The players were also employed with local businesses in order to keep the team together. In Penticton, the Warwick Brothers, Grant, Bill & Dick owned the Warwick's Commodore cafe, Bernie Bathgate (his brother Andy played for the New York Rangers in the NHL) sold cars for the local Chevy dealer. Jack MacDonald and Jim Fairborn opperated at Royalite Gas Station and Kevin Conway owned the Dairy Queen.

The people in Canada took the game so seriously that the afternoon before a game or the morning after the only business that took place was rehasing the game over a coffee at the local coffee shop. My Dad told me that he would do his business that way and when he was about to leave he would get an order for whatever items they needed.

Several Allen Cups and World Cups were won by teams such as the Penticton Vees, the Trail Smokeaters, and the Nelson Mapleleafs. That era has passed an it is doubtful that it will ever come again. When the Vees won the World Cup by beating the Russians 5-0 in Germany it was a Sunday morning in BC. Each church had a person sitting in the office listening to the game and keeping the congregation updated as to the score.

When the team returned home it was a civic holiday. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been able to live in Penticton during those years. The Okanogan may still have great orchards and vineyards and are now making excellent wine but without the excitement of the Senior Amateur hockey during the winter months it is not the same.

Anyway, thank for your reply.

Darrell Latimer,

Edmonton, Alberta

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