Spokane sits on the Spokane River in eastern Washington, about 18 miles west of the Washington-Idaho border and 92 miles south of the US-Canadian border. Professional hockey came to Spokane in 1916 when the Spokane Canaries played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. Going without a team for twenty years, hockey returned to Spokane via Oakland in 1937 when the Oakland Clippers relocated to Spokane; they played minor league hockey in the Pacific Coast Hockey League. They lost in the finals in 1937. The Clippers were renamed the Bombers in 1940 and lasted one season. In 1946, the Spokane Spartans formed a senior amateur hockey team, participating in the Western International Hockey League. The Spartans were renamed the Flyers in 1949 and played in the WIHL until 1958. The Spokane Comets formed in 1958 as a minor league team in the Western Hockey League. They made it to the finals in 1962 but lost. The Comets folded, but hockey remained in Spokane with the Spokane Jets, who played senior amateur hockey in the Western International Hockey League from 1963 to 1974. The Flyers replaced the Jets in 1974 in the WIHL. From 1974 to 1982, they played in various leagues, including the WIHL and the WHL. The Spokane Chiefs formed in 1982 as a team in the WIHL and have since moved up to the Canadian Hockey League. The Chiefs have two Memorial Cup Championships in 1991 and 2008, two WHL Championships in 1991 and 2008, and four Western Conference Championships in 1991, 1996, 2000, and 2008. Over 60 former Chiefs have played in the NHL.