The Victoria Cougars were a
major league 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 ...
team that played in the
Pacific Coast Hockey Association
The Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) was a professional ice hockey league in western Canada and the western United States, which operated from 1911 to 1924 when it then merged with the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL). The PCHA was co ...
(PCHA) from 1911 to 1924 under various names, and (after the PCHA's merger with the
Western Canada Hockey League
The Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), founded in 1921, was a major professional ice hockey league originally based in the prairies of Canada. It was renamed the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 1925 and disbanded in 1926.
The WCHL's Victoria C ...
) in the
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 ...
(WHL) from 1924 to 1926. The team was based in
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...
and won the
Stanley Cup in 1925, becoming the final non-NHL team to win the Cup.
History
The original Victoria franchise of the PCHA, the Victoria Senators, were formed in 1911, and became the Victoria Aristocrats in 1913. That incarnation is best known for defeating the
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
champion
Quebec Bulldogs
The Quebec Bulldogs (french: Bulldogs de Québec) were a men's senior-level ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The team was officially known as the Quebec Hockey Club (french: Club de hockey de Québec), and later as the Quebec Athletic Club ...
in a 1913 exhibition series. The Aristocrats officially challenged the
Toronto Blueshirts
The Toronto Hockey Club, known as the Torontos and the Toronto Blueshirts, was a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They were a member of the National Hockey Association (NHA). The club was founded in 1911 and began operations in 19 ...
for the Cup the following year, but lost. In 1916 the team was forced to move to
Spokane, Washington
Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the ...
, after having their arena (
Patrick Arena
Patrick Arena was the main sports arena located in the Greater Victoria, British Columbia, area. The wood constructed arena was located in the suburb municipality of Oak Bay, on the north east corner of Cadboro Bay Road and Epworth Street (then c ...
) commandeered by the
Canadian military. The club folded the following year as the
Spokane Canaries
The Spokane Canaries (officially ''Spokane Hockey Club'') were a professional ice hockey team in Spokane, Washington. They played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association for only one season in 1916–17. In the fall of 1916, the Canadian governm ...
.
A new team was formed in 1918 and again were dubbed the Victoria Aristocrats, with players from the folded
Portland Rosebuds. In 1922 they changed their name to the Victoria Cougars. Led by coach
Lester Patrick, the Cougars would finally win a Stanley Cup in
1925 against the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...
(NHL). The Cougars were the last non-NHL team to hoist the Stanley Cup as well as the last west coast team to win it until the
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center ...
did so in 2007. They would attempt to repeat as champions in
1926 but they were unsuccessful as they lost the final series to the NHL's
Montreal Maroons.
The WHL dissolved after the season. That spring, a group of businessmen from
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
won an NHL expansion franchise and bought the rights to many of the players from the Stanley Cup finalist Cougars. The new NHL franchise would retain the nickname "Cougars" in tribute. The Detroit Cougars would later be renamed the Detroit Falcons, and would ultimately be renamed the
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and are ...
.
Among the notable players who wore the uniform of the Cougars were Hall of Famers
Hec Fowler (goaltender),
Frank Foyston
Frank Corbett "Flash" Foyston (February 2, 1891 – January 19, 1966) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Foyston was a member of Stanley Cup championship teams three times: with the Toronto Blueshirts in 1914, the Seattle Metr ...
,
Frank Fredrickson
Sigurdur Franklin Fredrickson (Sigurður Franklín Friðriksson; June 3, 1895 – May 28, 1979) was an Icelandic-Canadian ice hockey player and aviator. As a player and coach, he was significant to both the amateur and professional ice hockey as ...
,
Hap Holmes (goaltender),
Clem Loughlin
Clement Joseph Loughlin (November 15, 1892 – January 28, 1977) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played hockey for the Victoria Cougars of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the Western Canada Hockey League, and the Det ...
,
Harry Meeking
Henry Arthur "Hurricane Howie" Meeking (November 4, 1894 – December 13, 1971) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played three seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Arenas, Detroit Cougars and Boston Bruins. He ...
and
Jack Walker.
Seasons
''Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against''
Victoria Cougars: 1925 Stanley Cup champions
Bibliography
*
*
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See also
*
List of ice hockey teams in British Columbia
*
List of Stanley Cup champions
The Stanley Cup is a trophy awarded annually to the playoff champion club of the National Hockey League (NHL) ice hockey league. It was donated by the Governor General of Canada Lord Stanley of Preston in 1892, and is the oldest professional sp ...
External links
Victoria Aristocrats of the PCHA (1911–16, 1918–22)at
HockeyDBVictoria Cougars of the PCHA (1922–24)at
HockeyDBVictoria Cougars of the WCHL/WHL (1924–26)at
HockeyDB
{{Victoria Sports
Defunct ice hockey teams in Canada
History of the Detroit Red Wings
Ice hockey teams in British Columbia
Pacific Coast Hockey Association teams
Cougars
The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. ...
Ice hockey clubs established in 1911
1911 establishments in British Columbia
Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1926
1926 disestablishments in British Columbia