The 1969–70 WHL season was the 18th season of the
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a 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 hocke ...
. Seven teams played a 74-game schedule, and the
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...
were 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 ...
champions, defeating the
Portland Buckaroos
The Portland Buckaroos was the name of several professional ice hockey teams based in Portland, Oregon.
PCHL/NWHL era (1928–1941)
The first incarnation of Portland Buckaroos played their home games at the Portland Ice Arena (Oregon), Portland ...
four games to one in the final series. The
Salt Lake Golden Eagles
The Salt Lake Golden Eagles were a minor professional hockey team based in Salt Lake City from 1969 to 1994.
History
They played in the Western Hockey League from 1969 to 1974, the Central Hockey League from 1974 to 1984 and the International H ...
joined the WHL as seventh team.
Prior to the start of the season the
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...
were purchased by a group that was awarded a
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
expansion team for the
1970–71 season, with plans to move the team to the NHL.
Teams
Map of teams
Final standings
bold - qualified for playoffs
Playoffs
The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Portland Buckaroos 4 games to 1 to win the Lester Patrick Cup.
References
Western Hockey League (1952–1974) seasons
1969–70 in American ice hockey by league
1969–70 in Canadian ice hockey by league
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