Victoria Cougars
In-game article clicks load inline without leaving the challenge.
The Victoria Cougars were a major league professional ice hockey team that played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) from 1911 to 1924 under various names, and (after the PCHA's merger with the Western Canada Hockey League) in the Western Hockey League (WHL) from 1924 to 1926. The team was based in Victoria, British Columbia, 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 1915. The Aristocrats challenged the Toronto Blueshirts for the Stanley Cup the following year, but lost. In 1916 the team was forced to move to Spokane, Washington, after having their arena (Patrick Arena) commandeered by the Canadian military. The club folded the following year as the Spokane Canaries.
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 won the Stanley Cup in 1925 against the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (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 did so in 2007. They attempted to repeat as champions in 1926 but 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 won an NHL expansion franchise and bought the rights to many of the players from the Stanley Cup finalist Cougars. The new NHL franchise adopted the nickname "Cougars" in tribute. The Detroit Cougars were later renamed the Detroit Falcons, and were ultimately renamed the Detroit Red Wings.
Among the notable players who played for the Cougars were Hall of Famers Hec Fowler (goaltender), Frank Foyston, Frank Fredrickson, Hap Holmes (goaltender), Clem Loughlin, Harry Meeking and Jack Walker.
Seasons
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against
| Season | Name | League | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | Senators | PCHA | 16 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 81 | 90 | 3rd | - |
| 1912–13 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 68 | 56 | 1st | - | ||
| 1913–14 | Aristocrats | 15 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 80 | 67 | 1st | Lost Stanley Cup playoff to Toronto Blueshirts | |
| 1914–15 | 17 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 64 | 116 | 3rd | - | ||
| 1915–16 | 18 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 74 | 102 | 4th | - | ||
| 1916–17 | Canaries | 24 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 89 | 143 | 4th | - | |
| 1917–18 | - | Team folded after previous season in Spokane. Victoria arena still in use for war-time military training. | ||||||||
| 1918–19 | Aristocrats | 20 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 44 | 81 | 3rd | - | |
| 1919–20 | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 57 | 71 | 3rd | - | ||
| 1920–21 | 24 | 10 | 13 | 1 | 21 | 72 | 3rd | - | ||
| 1921–22 | 24 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 61 | 71 | 3rd | - | ||
| 1922–23 | Cougars | 30 | 16 | 14 | 0 | 94 | 85 | 2nd | Lost in PCHA playoff | |
| 1923–24 | 30 | 11 | 18 | 1 | 78 | 103 | 3rd | - | ||
| 1924–25 | WCHL | 28 | 16 | 12 | 0 | 84 | 63 | 3rd | Won WCHL, Won Stanley Cup | |
| 1925–26 | WHL | 30 | 15 | 11 | 4 | 68 | 53 | 3rd | Won WHL, Lost Stanley Cup Finals |
Victoria Cougars: 1925 Stanley Cup champions
Players
- Clem Loughlin (Captain)
- Gord Fraser
- Haldor Halderson
- Harry Hap Holmes
Coaching and administrative staff
- Lester Patrick (Owner-President/Manager-Coach)
- Larry Brunnell (Trainer) - name is missing from the Stanley Cup.
Stanley Cup engraving
- After the series win, a new angled ring with the words "Won/By/'Cougars' Victoria, B.C. 1925" was added between the original bowl of the Cup and the original first ring of the base. All players and the manager were included on the new ring, but trainer Larry Brunnell was left off.
Bibliography
- Bowlsby, Craig H. (2012), Empire of Ice: The Rise and Fall of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, 1911–1926, Vancouver: Knights of Winter, ISBN 978-0-9691705-6-3
- MacLeod, Alan Livingstone (2021), Capitals, Aristocrats, and Cougars: Victoria's Hockey Professionals, 1911–1926, Victoria: Heritage House, ISBN 978-1-77203-373-1
- Whitehead, Eric (1980), The Patricks: Hockey's Royal Family, New York City: Doubleday, ISBN 0-385-15662-6
Further reading
- Azpiri, Jon (30 March 2025). . CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada.
- Dheensaw, Cleve (28 March 2025). . Times Colonist. Glacier Media Group.
See also
External links
- "Victoria Cougars 1925 Stanley Cup championship has family meaning" as
| Preceded byMontreal Canadiens 1924 | Stanley Cup Champions 1925 | Succeeded byMontreal Maroons 1926 |
| Preceded byCalgary Tigers 1923–24 | WCHL Champions 1924–25 | Succeeded byVictoria Cougars 1925–26 |
| Preceded byVictoria Cougars 1924–25 | WHL Champions 1925–26 | Succeeded by– |