The Bellingham Blazers hockey history goes back to the early 1970’s and helped set the stage for hockey in the Washington state.

Dr. John Utendale was inducted into the Class of 2023 into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame and who in 1955, became the first Black hockey player to sign an NHL contract.

He helped found the Bellingham Area Minor Hockey Association and the city's then junior A team, the Bellingham Blazers.

https://wwuvikings.com/news/2023/5/31/general-utendale-named-to-alberta-hockey-hall-of-fame-class-of-2023.aspx

A blaze of glory: the 1970s Bellingham Blazers – BCHLNetwork