Pacific Coast Hockey Association
The
Pacific Coast Hockey Association was a professional
ice hockey league in western
Canada, operating from
1911 to
1924 when it merged with the
Western Canada Hockey League. During this time, the PCHA was considered to be one of the major leagues of hockey.
The PCHA was founded by
Frank Patrick and
Lester Patrick with three teams: the
New Westminster Royals, the
Victoria Aristocrats, and the
Vancouver Millionaires. Although they did not challenge for the
Stanley Cup the first year, the defeat of the
1913 Stanley Cup champion
Quebec Bulldogs in an exhibition series (it would have been an official series had the Bulldogs decided to put the Cup on the line) by the Aristocrats gave the league a good deal of status. An agreement between the
National Hockey Association and the PCHA was made in
1915 where the two league champions would face each other for the Stanley Cup. That year also saw the first Stanley Cup champions from the PCHA, when the Millionaires defeated the
Ottawa Senators in a best-of-five series.
1916 saw the first American team, the
Portland Rosebuds (formerly the Royals) playing for the Stanley Cup, while the
Seattle Metropolitans was the first American team to win the Stanley Cup the following year.
In
1921, the
Western Canada Hockey League, another western major league of hockey, was formed, and the Stanley Cup playoffs was modified to include teams from the WCHL. The following two years, which would turn out to be the last two years of the PCHA, the league played interleague games with the WCHL. Interestingly, the last year of the PCHA had the three remaining teams all finish with under-.500 records.
In
1924, the
Vancouver Maroons folded, and the two remaining teams joined the
Western Hockey League (formerly the WCHL), ending the life of the PCHA. The Victoria Cougars would win the Stanley Cup in
1925, but this win would be the last by a non-NHL team, and the last by a team from the west for a long time.
This new league would also not last long, as the WHL were unable to match the NHL's American expansion and their player salaries, which led the Patrick brothers to sell players or, in the case of the
Portland Rosebuds (not to be confused with the Rosebuds of the PCHA) and the
Victoria Cougars, the team itself. The expansion
Chicago Black Hawks bought the Rosebud players for a reported $15,000, while the expansion Detroit team bought the Victoria players for $25,000 and named itself the
Cougars in tribute; this team became the present-day
Detroit Red Wings.
*
New Westminster Royals (1911-1914)
*
Portland Rosebuds (1914-1918)
*
Seattle Metropolitans (1915-1924)
*
Spokane Canaries (1916-1917)
*
Vancouver Millionaires (1911-1922)
*
Vancouver Maroons (1922-1924)
*
Victoria Aristocrats (1911-1916, 1918-1923)
*
Victoria Cougars (1923-1924)
*1911-12 -
New Westminster Royals*1912-13 -
Victoria Aristocrats*1913-14 -
Victoria Aristocrats*1914-15 -
Vancouver Millionaires*1915-16 -
Portland Rosebuds*1916-17 -
Seattle Metropolitans*1917-18 -
Vancouver Millionaires*1918-19 -
Seattle Metropolitans*1919-20 -
Seattle Metropolitans*1920-21 -
Vancouver Millionaires*1921-22 -
Vancouver Millionaires*1922-23 -
Vancouver Maroons*1923-24 -
Vancouver Maroons*1913-14 -
Hugh Lehman,
New Westminster, goal;
Ernie Johnson, New Westminster, and
Frank Patrick,
Vancouver on defence;
Cyclone Taylor, Vancouver, rover; and
Tom Dunderdale,
Victoria,
Eddie Oatman, New Westminster, and
Dubbie Kerr, Victoria, forward.
*1914-15 -
Hugh Lehman,
Vancouver, goal;
Ernie Johnson,
Portland, and
Lester Patrick,
Victoria on defence;
Cyclone Taylor, Vancouver, rover; and
Mickey Mackay, Vancouver,
Eddie Oatman, Portland, and
Frank Nighbor, Vancouver, forward.
*1916-17 -
Frank Foyston,
Seattle - most valuable player
*
List of Stanley Cup champions*
List of pre-NHL seasons*
List of NHL seasons*
List of WHA seasons*
List of ice hockey leagues*
Internet Hockey Database - standings and statistics
