Pacific Coast Hockey Association (1911-1924)
Western Canada Hockey League (1924-1926)
Tombstone
Born: December 11, 1911 (PCHA founding franchise)1Pacific Coast Hockey League Opens, The Calgary Daily Herald, Dec. 12, 1911
Folded: May 12, 19262Rickard Took in Almost a Million in Hockey Season, The Leader, Regina, May 13, 1926[/mfb]
First Game: January 5, 1912 (W-8-3 @ Westminster Royals)2Trail of the Stanley Cup, Volume 1: 1893–1926 by Charles Coleman (1966). Montreal: NHL. ISBN 0-84032941-5
Last Game: March 10, 1926 (L 5-1 @ Edmonton Eskimos)3Eskimos Cinch First Position by 5-1 Victory, The Leader, Regina, SK, Mar. 11, 1926
Arenas
Denman Arena
Opened: December 26, 1911
Destroyed: August 20, 1936 (fire)4This Day in History, The Vancouver Sun, Aug. 19, 2012
Marketing
Team Colors: Maroon and cream5Pacific Coast Hockey League Opens, The Calgary Daily Herald, Dec. 12, 1911
Ownership
Owner:
Frank Patrick
Background
The Vancouver Millionaires, Vancity’s first professional hockey team, were established in 1911 as part of the three-team Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA). The league was established at a meeting on December 11, 1911. The Millionaires were joined in the PCHA by the New Westminster Royals and the Victoria Cougars. The team was owned by Frank Patrick, while his brother, future hockey legend Lester Patrick, owned the Victoria franchise. P.W. Luce owned the New Westminster team.
The Millionaires, anxious to build credibility with their fanbase, lured top players away from the National Hockey Association (NHA), the major pro circuit that operated in Ontario and Quebec. Hall of Famer Fred “Cyclone” Taylor was by far the Millionaires’ biggest signing. In seven seasons with the club (1913-1919), he scored 245 points, including 148 goals in 126 games. He was the PCHA’s scoring champ for five of those years.6Hockey Great ‘Cyclone’ Taylor Dead, CP, via the Star-Phoenix, Saskatoon, SK, Jun. 11, 1979
On January 5, 1912, the Millionaires hit the ice for their first game. Their opponents were the New Westminster Royals. Oddly, Vancouver was the visiting team, even though the game was played on their home ice, the brand-new Denham Arena. Since the New Westminster team did not have their own arena, they had to share home ice with the Millionaires.
Vancouver finished second in 1912 and achieved the same mark in 1913. In 1914, they fell to third. However, things turned around for the 1914-15 season. At the end of that campaign, the NHA agreed to pit its champion, the Ottawa Senators, against the PCHA champion Millionaires for the right to claim the Stanley Cup.
Vancouver won the best-of-five series 3-0, with all games played at Denham Arena in Vancouver. In 1918, they faced the Toronto Arenas of the NHL for the Cup but lost the series 3 games to 2.
In 1922, the team changed its name to the Vancouver Maroons. They were league champions for the next two seasons. However, they did not qualify for the Stanley Cup finals as they first had to defeat the champion of the new Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), which they failed to do. They lost to the Edmonton Eskimos in 1923 and the Calgary Tigers in 1924.
Following the 1923–1924 season, the PCHA folded, and the Maroons, along with the Victoria Cougars (the former Senators and later Aristocrats) were absorbed by the WCHL. In 1926, unable to compete for top talent with the NHL, the WCHL (by then known simply as the Western Hockey League or WHL) sold all its players, team-by-team, to individual NHL clubs. As such, the Millionaires folded.
While brother Lester went on to play for and coach the New York Rangers, Millionaires/Maroons owner Frank Patrick got out of the hockey business for a time. He eventually returned to help organize the Pacific Coast Hockey League, a minor league in which he owned the Vancouver Lions. He also managed Denham Arena for a time. In 1933, he joined the NHL as managing director of the league. He later coached the Boston Bruins.
The Millionaires were re-embraced in the aughts when the minor league Vancouver Giants, a team in the major-junior level Western Hockey League (WHL), donned replica Millionaires jerseys during a November 21, 2008 game against the Kamloops Blazers.
A month later, the NHL Canucks debuted a shoulder patch featuring the Millionaires’ V logo on their alternate/third jersey. The team has since worn Millionaires jerseys for several games in honor of Vancouver’s only Stanley Cup champions to date.
Our Favorite Gear
Vancouver Millionaires Hockey Apparel
When it comes to replica jerseys, we turn to our friends at Royal Retros, who put extraordinary detail into their fully customizable hockey sweaters, including the Vancouver Millionaires.
Free Customization Included
Each jersey individually handmade
Any name and number
Sewn tackle twill crest, numbers & letters
100% polyester
Heavyweight fabric made to game standards
Fight strap included
Honor the memory of the Vancouver Millionaires, Vancity’s first pro hockey team, in one of these great jerseys, T-Shirts, or hoodies from Royal Retros.
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