The Western Hockey League (WHL) was a minor professional ice hockey league based in Western Canada that operated from 1952 to 1974. The league was managed for most of its history by Al Leader, and had roots in the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the Western Canada Senior Hockey League. The championship trophy of the WHL was the Lester Patrick Cup.

History

The league was founded in 1948 as the Pacific Coast Hockey League (PCHL). In 1951, it absorbed three teams from the Western Canada Senior Hockey League. In 1952, it adopted the WHL name. In the late 1950s, Ron Butlin and Arthur Ryan Smith hosted a hot stove league on radio broadcasts of the league.

The Western Hockey League was managed for most of its history by Al Leader.

During the 1960s, the WHL moved into a number of large west coast markets including Los Angeles and San Francisco. There was speculation that the WHL could grow into a major league capable of rivalling even the long-entrenched National Hockey League (NHL).Los Angeles Times, 27 March 1959, p.C1: Official Says Hockey Would Go Big Here

In the 1965–66 and 1967–68 seasons, the WHL played an interlocking schedule with the American Hockey League. Fears that the WHL (or a WHL/AHL merger) could become a rival major league was among the factors that finally convinced the NHL to expand for the 1967–68 season.

Several factors led to the WHL's decision to cease operations after the 1973–74 season. The Vancouver Canucks, who had earlier applied for the 1967 NHL expansion, were finally accepted into the league as an expansion team for the 1970–71 season. The NHL and World Hockey Association had moved into many of its traditional markets, and the talent pool had become strained by the fast growth in the number of professional teams. When the NHL announced in June 1974 that the owners of both the Denver Spurs and Seattle Totems had been granted "conditional" NHL franchises (neither of which came to fruition), the WHL announced the same day that it was folding. A few of its surviving teams were absorbed into the Central Hockey League (CHL). The Phoenix Roadrunners franchise jumped to the WHA for the 1974–75 season, while the Spurs jumped from the CHL to the WHA for the 1975–76 season (but folded mid-season).

The championship trophy of the WHL was the Lester Patrick Cup, which is currently on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Teams

Brandon Regals (1955–1957) Calgary Stampeders (1952–1963) California Seals (1966–1967) Denver Invaders (1963–1964) Denver Spurs (1968–1974) Edmonton Flyers (1952–1963) Los Angeles Blades (1961–1967) New Westminster Royals (1952–1959) Phoenix Roadrunners (1967–1974) Portland Buckaroos (1960–1974) Salt Lake Golden Eagles (1969–1974) San Diego Gulls (1966–1974) San Francisco Seals (1961–1966) Saskatoon Quakers (1952–1959) Seattle Americans (1955–1958) Seattle Bombers (1952–1954) Seattle Totems (1958–1974) Spokane Comets (1959–1963) Spokane Spokes (1958–1959) Tacoma Rockets (1952–1953) Vancouver Canucks (1952–1970) Victoria Cougars (1952–1961) Victoria Maple Leafs (1964–1967) Winnipeg Warriors (1955–1961)

Timeline

List of champions Season Winner Runner-up 1952–53 Edmonton Flyers Saskatoon Quakers 1953–54 Calgary Stampeders Edmonton Flyers 1954–55 Edmonton Flyers Calgary Stampeders 1955–56 Winnipeg Warriors Vancouver Canucks 1956–57 Brandon Regals New Westminster Royals 1957–58 Vancouver Canucks Calgary Stampeders 1958–59 Seattle Totems Calgary Stampeders 1959–60 Vancouver Canucks Victoria Cougars 1960–61 Portland Buckaroos Seattle Totems 1961–62 Edmonton Flyers Spokane Comets 1962–63 San Francisco Seals Seattle Totems 1963–64 San Francisco Seals Los Angeles Blades 1964–65 Portland Buckaroos Victoria Maple Leafs 1965–66 Victoria Maple Leafs Portland Buckaroos 1966–67 Seattle Totems Vancouver Canucks 1967–68 Seattle Totems Portland Buckaroos 1968–69 Vancouver Canucks Portland Buckaroos 1969–70 Vancouver Canucks Portland Buckaroos 1970–71 Portland Buckaroos Phoenix Roadrunners 1971–72 Denver Spurs Portland Buckaroos 1972–73 Phoenix Roadrunners Salt Lake Golden Eagles 1973–74 Phoenix Roadrunners Portland Buckaroos

Championships by team Team Championships Runner-up Vancouver Canucks 4 2 Seattle Totems 3 2 Portland Buckaroos 3 6 Edmonton Flyers 3 1 Phoenix Roadrunners 2 1 San Francisco Seals 2 0 Brandon Regals 1 0 Calgary Stampeders 1 3 Denver Spurs 1 0 Victoria Maple Leafs 1 1 Winnipeg Warriors 1 0 Saskatoon Quakers 0 1 New Westminster Royals 0 1 Victoria Cougars 0 1 Spokane Comets 0 1 Los Angeles Blades 0 1 Salt Lake Golden Eagles 0 1

References

External links hockeydb.com Stats