The Pittsburgh Victorias were one of the earliest professional

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

teams. The club was based in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsyl ...

, and were members of the Western Pennsylvania Hockey League, the first league to openly hire hockey players, from 1902–1904. The team folded in 1904, when the WPHL disbanded its teams to form the Pittsburgh Professionals and compete in the

International Professional Hockey League The International Professional Hockey League (IPHL) was the first fully professional ice hockey league, operating from 1904 to 1907. It was formed by Jack "Doc" Gibson, a dentist who played hockey throughout Ontario before settling in Hough ...

History

For the 1902–03 season, the Victorias were added to the WPHL making it a four team league. The team was made up of players from

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, enticed to come to Pittsburgh. The Victorias were able to add Stanley Cup winner

Bruce Stuart Charles Bruce Stuart (November 30, 1881 – October 28, 1961) was a Canadian amateur and professional ice hockey forward who played for the Quebec Bulldogs, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Wanderers, Portage Lakes Hockey Club, Pittsburgh Victo ...

to their team, giving the future Hall of Famer his start in professional hockey. That season, Stuart led the WPHL with 16 goals in his first pro season and was named to the First All-Star team. William Duval, the 1902 captain of the

Ottawa Silver Seven The Ottawa Senators were an ice hockey team based in Ottawa, which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League (NHL) and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934. The ...

, also made the trip to Pittsburgh and began his professional career with the Victorias. Ottawa's Harold "Chic" Henry,

Charles Spittal Charles Douglas "Baldy" Spittal (November 17, 1874–January 29, 1931) was a Canadian athlete and soldier. He was notable as an amateur and professional ice hockey player, and as a competitive marksman with a rifle. He was a member of the 1903 O ...

and the Sixsmith brothers,

Garnet Garnets () are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. All species of garnets possess similar physical properties and crystal forms, but differ in chemical composition. The different ...

and

Arthur Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more w ...

, also played for the Victorias. Arthur, the previous season, played on the Keystones' championship team. While Garnet would one day score 11 goals in a game in Pittsburgh, considered to be a record for the

Duquesne Garden The Duquesne Gardens (officially Duquesne Garden until 1940 and The Gardens afterward) was the main sports arena located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during the first half of the 20th century. Built in 1890, the building originally served as a tr ...

. In 1904 the Victorias won the WPHL title and played

Houghton, Michigan Houghton (; ) is the largest city and seat of government of Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located on the Keweenaw Peninsula, Houghton is the largest city in the Copper Country region. It is the fifth-largest city in the U ...

Portage Lakes Hockey Club The Portage Lakes Hockey Club was one of the first professional ice hockey clubs. Based in Houghton, Michigan, the club played at the Amphidrome from 1904 until 1906. While members of the International Professional Hockey League, the team won t ...

for the "American Championship" that year. The Victorias lost the three game series two games to one. The team disbanded later that year when the WPHL consolidated its players into the Pittsburgh Professionals and competed in the

. Several of the Victorias' players went on to play with the Professionals, such as William Duval, Ed Roberts, Arthur and Garnet Sixsmith and Charles Spittal.

Prominent players

Victorias members of Hockey Hall of Fame: *

(1961)

Notes

References

* * * {{Defunct Pennsylvania sports teams

Victorias Victorias, officially the City of Victorias ( hil, Dakbanwa sang Victorias; fil, Lungsod ng Victorias), is a 4th class component city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 90,10 ...

Defunct ice hockey teams in Pennsylvania