The Portland Buckaroos was the name of several professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

teams based in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

PCHL/NWHL era (1928–1941)

The first incarnation of Portland Buckaroos played their home games at the Portland Ice Arena. The Buckaroos initially played in the four-team

Pacific Coast Hockey League The Pacific Coast Hockey League was an ice hockey minor league with teams in the western United States and western Canada that existed in several incarnations: from 1928 to 1931, from 1936 to 1941, and from 1944 to 1952. PCHL 1928–1931 The firs ...

(PCHL) from 1928 to 1931. The PCHL folded in 1931, and in 1933, the Buckaroos joined the new North West Hockey League. In 1936, the Buckaroos rejoined the reconstituted four-team PCHL, and won league championships in 1937 and 1939. With the onset of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the PCHL folded again in 1941. In 1944, it was again resurrected, but this time, Portland's team was the

Portland Eagles The Portland Eagles were a minor league professional hockey team located in Portland, Oregon. They were known as the Portland Penguins for one season. History The Eagles competed in the Pacific Coast Hockey League from 1944 until the team's final s ...

(known as the ''Portland Penguins'' for one season).

WHL/WIHL era (1960–1975)

In 1960, Portland was granted a franchise in the

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

(WHL) for its newly built 10,500 seat Memorial Coliseum, and the Buckaroos name was reincarnated. The new Buckaroos were composed mostly of players and coaches from the New Westminster Royals, including its head coach

Hal Laycoe Harold Richardson Laycoe (June 23, 1922 — April 29, 1998) was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman and coach. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, and Boston Bruins between 1945 and 1956. Afte ...

. The Buckaroos went on to beat the

Seattle Totems The Seattle Totems were a professional ice hockey franchise in Seattle, Washington. Under several names prior to 1958, the franchise was a member of the Pacific Coast Hockey League (renamed the Western Hockey League in 1952) between 1944 and 19 ...

in the league championship and win the

Lester Patrick Cup The Lester Patrick Cup was the championship trophy of the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the Western Hockey League (WHL) from 1949 to 1974. Originally known as the Phil Henderson Cup and then in 1952 it was renamed to the President's Cup. The t ...

in its first season of existence. That 1960–61 Buckaroos team was inducted into the

Oregon Sports Hall of Fame The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall. Operated by the Oregon Sports ...

in 1990. The Buckaroos won another league championship under Laycoe in 1964–65, and a third in 1970–71 under coach and former team captain

Gord Fashoway Gordon Walter Fashoway (June 16, 1926 – May 1, 2012) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger. During the 1950–51 season, he played in his only 13 National Hockey League (NHL) games for the Chicago Black Hawks. He was born in Porta ...

. In the early '70s, the Buckaroos served as a minor league affiliate for a variety of National Hockey League teams, most notably the Los Angeles Kings. In 1974, the WHL folded and the Buckaroos moved to the

semi-pro ''Semi-Pro'' is a 2008 American sports comedy film. The film was directed by Kent Alterman in his directorial debut, written by Scot Armstrong, and produced by Jimmy Miller. It stars Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin and Maura Tier ...

Western International Hockey League The Western International Hockey League (WIHL) was a senior level ice hockey league that featured teams from the Western United States and Western Canada. It operated from 1946–62 and 1963–88. It grew out of the West Kootenay League, which ...

for the 1974–75 season, and to the startup Northwest Hockey League the next year, but that league did not last a full season.

Notable Buckaroos

An incomplete list of noted Buckaroos players:

PCHL/NWHL era

Andy Aitkenhead Andrew Aitkenhead (March 6, 1904 — October 21, 1968) was a Scottish-born Canadian ice hockey goaltender for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League between 1932 and 1934. Born in Glasgow, Aitkenhead came to Canada as a young child wit ...

(goalie; 1987

inductee)

WHL era

* Marv Edwards (WHL Outstanding Goaltender Award) *

(1960–61 team captain; 1960–61 Fred Hume Cup for sportsmanship; coach from 1969–1973) * Don Head (1960–61 WHL Rookie of the Year; three-time Outstanding Goaltender Award; 1993

inductee) *

Andy Hebenton Andrew Alexander "Spuds" Hebenton (October 3, 1929 – January 29, 2019) was a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger, and holds the record for the longest streak without missing a game in professional hockey history. Playing career Af ...

(five-time Fred Hume Cup for sportsmanship) * Art Jones (two-time George Leader Cup for most valuable player; six-time Leading Scorer Award; 1984

inductee) * Dave Kelly (1963–64 WHL Rookie of the Year; two-time WHL Outstanding Goaltender Award) *

Connie Madigan Cornelius Dennis "Mad Dog" Madigan (born October 4, 1934) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey defenceman notable for being the oldest rookie in National Hockey League (NHL) history. Dennis was born in Port Arthur, Ontario. After playi ...

(Hal Laycoe Cup for outstanding WHL defenseman) * Jimmy McLeod (four-time WHL Outstanding Goaltender Award) *

Doug Messier Douglas Herbert Messier (born September 5, 1936) is a Canadian former ice hockey player and coach. He played 487 games in the Western Hockey League, playing with the Seattle Totems, Edmonton Flyers, and Portland Buckaroos. He also played briefly ...

(father of NHL Hall of Famer

Mark Messier Mark John Douglas Messier (; born January 18, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League (NHL). His playing career in the NHL lasted 25 years ( 1979– 2004) with the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rang ...

) *

Cliff Schmautz Clifford Harvey Schmautz (March 17, 1939 – February 11, 2002) was a Canadian professional ice hockey right wing. The majority of his career, which lasted from 1959 to 1975, was spent in the Western Hockey League with the Portland Buckaroos, wh ...

(1965–66 Leading Scorer Award) * Pat Stapleton (Hal Laycoe Cup for outstanding WHL defenseman)

References

External links

Portland Buckaroo Players from 1962-1974Portland Buckaroos & Western Hockey League History and MemorabiliaThe Internet Hockey Database
{{Ice hockey teams based in Portland, Oregon Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States Defunct sports teams in Oregon Buckaroos Western International Hockey League teams Ice hockey teams in Oregon 1960 establishments in Oregon 1974 disestablishments in Oregon Western Hockey League (1952–1974) teams Ice hockey clubs established in 1960 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1974