Victoria Cougars

Victoria Cougars
Victoria Cougars
City	Victoria, British Columbia
League	PCHA (1911–1924); WCHL (1924–1926)
Operated	1911–1926
Home arena	Patrick Arena
Colours	Blue and Yellow;
Head coach	Lester Patrick
Franchise history
1911–1913	Victoria Senators
1913–1916	Victoria Aristocrats
1916–1917	Spokane Canaries
1918–1922	Victoria Aristocrats
1922–1926	Victoria Cougars
Championships
League champions	4 (1913, 1914, 1925, 1926)
Stanley Cups	1 (1925)

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.^[1] 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.^[2]

1914–15 Victoria Aristocrats.

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 win 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 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 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.

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	Senators		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