Organized hockey in British Columbia dates back to the turn of the twentieth century, though the first amateur hockey league was actually organized under the jurisdiction of the BC Amateur Athletic Union in 1912.  Seven years later, the British Columbia Amateur Hockey Association (BCAHA) was formed at a meeting held at the Daily Province Newspaper offices in Vancouver on February 9, 1919.  The Secretary-Treasurer of the Saskatchewan Amateur Hockey Association was in attendance and assisted in the organizing of the Association, and John Oliver, Premier of British Columbia, was named Honorary President.

A constitution modeled after the Saskatchewan Amateur Hockey Association was adopted, and the first annual meeting of the Association was held on November 15, 1919 with 16 delegates in attendance.  Notable from that first AGM was the defeat of a resolution to adopt the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA – now Hockey Canada) playing rules, due to the fact that the rules called for teams to play with six players.  As there were only three artificial ice arenas at the time in British Columbia, it was felt that seven players a side would give the players more ice time. 

1920s

From these humble beginnings, the Organization enjoyed steady growth and soon began to serve a leadership role for hockey at the provincial and national levels, a role that continues to the present day.  Initially, senior hockey was the only division under the jurisdiction of the BCAHA, and for over forty years the assessment of senior hockey gates would serve as the prime source of revenue for the Association. 

During the 1922-1923 season, the first Intermediate Playdowns were held, and it was not until the 1926-1927 season that the Organization crowned their first Junior Champions.  Since travel in the province in the early years was slow, expensive and primarily by train, playdowns in minor hockey were discouraged.