Tombstone
Formed: 1952
Disbanded: June 12, 19741ASSOCIATED PRESS. “Western Hockey League Folds; S.L.C. May Join Central League”. The Standard-Examiner (Ogden, UT). June 13, 1974
First Game: October 8, 1952
Last Game: April 28, 1974
Seasons: 22
States & Provinces: 10
(Alberta, Arizona, California, British Columbia, Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon, Saskatchewan, Utah, Washington)
Leadership
President:
- 1952 – July 1969: George Leader
- August 1969 – May 1971: Eugene Kinasewich
- May 1971 – April 1974: William H. MacFarland
Trophy Case
The Leader Cup (Most Valuable Player)
[etable]
Year, Player, Position, Team
1952-53, Emile Francis, Goaltender, Vancouver Canucks
1953-54, Gump Worsley, Goaltender, Vancouver Canucks
1954-55, Max McNab, Center, New Westminster Royals
1955-56, Phil Maloney, Center, Vancouver Canucks
1956-57 (Prairie Division), Lucien Dechene, Goaltender, Brandon Regals
1956-57 (Coast Division), Guyle Fielder, Center, Seattle Americans
1957-58 (Prairie Division), Sid Finney, Center, Calgary Stampeders
1957-58 (Coast Division), Guyle Fielder, Center, Seattle Americans
1958-59 (Prairie Division), Eddie Dorohoy, Center, Calgary Stampeders
1958-59 (Coast Division), Guyle Fielder, Center, Seattle Totems
1959-60 (tie), Hank Bassen, Goaltender, Vancouver Canucks
1959-60 (tie), Guyle Fielder, Center, Seattle Totems
1960-61, Lou Jankowski, Right Wing, Calgary Stampeders
1961-62, Bill MacFarland, Center, Seattle Totems
1962-63, Phil Maloney, Center, Vancouver Canucks
1963-64, Guyle Fielder, Center, Seattle Totems
1964-65, Billy McNeill, Center, Vancouver Canucks,
1965-66, Billy McNeill, Center, Vancouver Canucks
1966-67, Guyle Fielder, Center, Seattle Totems
1967-68, Art Jones, Center, Portland Buckaroos
1968-69, John Hanna, Defenseman, Seattle Totems
1969-70, Andy Bathgate, Center, Vancouver Canucks
1970-71, Art Jones, Center, Portland Buckaroos
1971-72, Fran Huck, Center, Denver Spurs
1972-73, Ken Broderick, Goaltender, San Diego Gulls
1973-74, Lyle Bradley, Center, Salt Lake Golden Eagles
[/etable]
The Hal Laycoe Cup (Outstanding Defenseman Award)
[etable]
Year, Player, Team
1964-65, Pat Stapleton, Portland Buckaroos
1965-66, Connie Madigan, Portland Buckaroos
1966-67, Larry Cahan, Vancouver Canucks
1967-68, Sandy Hucul, Phoenix Roadrunners
1968-69, John Hanna, Seattle Totems
1969-70, Marc Reaume, Vancouver Canucks
1970-71, John Hanna, Seattle Totems,
1971-72, Sandy Hucul, Phoenix Roadrunners
1972-73, Dave Dunn, Seattle Totems
1973-74, John Barber, Phoenix Roadrunners
[/etable]
Editor's Pick
ICE WARRIORS
The Pacific Coast/Western Hockey League 1948-1974
By Jon C. Stott
Between 1948 and 1974, more than 2,500 minor-league professional hockey players skated across the Pacific Northwest states and western Canada as part of the 23 teams that made up the Western Hockey League (known as the Pacific Coast Hockey League before 1952). Some of the young players went on to enjoy careers in the National Hockey League; others were former NHLers willing to extend their careers by returning to the minors. Many of the most colorful, however, were minor-league “lifers” who simply had hockey in their blood and built their reputations in the WHL and other minor pro leagues.Ice Warriors traces the WHL’s origins, rise and fall, and includes interviews with players, coaches and fans as well as statistical records and pictures from the era.
When you make a purchase through an affiliate link like this one, Fun While It Lasted earns a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!
Background
The Western Hockey League was a minor league that operated from 1952 to 1974. The WHL traces its origins back to the Southern California Hockey League (1942-1944) and the Northwest International Hockey League (1943-44), which merged to form the amateur Pacific Coast Hockey League in 1944. The PCHL was initially an amateur league but became fully professional in 1948.
The PCHL gained a foothold in British Columbia as well and in 1952 changed its name to the Western Hockey League to better reflect it’s geographic reach. The Western League operated for 22 seasons, sometimes with as few as five active clubs and never with more than nine. Starting in the late 1960’s, the WHL began losing cities such as Los Angeles, Vancouver and the Bay Area to NHL expansion. In 1972, the big-budget World Hockey Association formed to challenge the NHL and began to drain away player talent and additional markets. The league called it a day when the NHL awarded provisional expansion franchises to two of its six remaining member cities (Denver and Seattle) in the spring of 1974. Ironically, neither of these planned NHL expansion clubs came to pass.
During the 1965-66 and 1967-68 seasons, the Western League played inter-league games against clubs from the East Coast-based American Hockey League.
After the Western League folded in 1974, the Seattle Totems and Salt Lake Golden Eagles joined the minor Central Hockey League. The Denver Spurs and Phoenix Roadrunners upgraded to the World Hockey Association.
Western Hockey League Franchise List
| FRANCHISE | YEARS ACTIVE | President's Cup/Lester Patrick Cup Champions |
|---|---|---|
| Brandon/Regina Regals | 1955-1957 | 1957 |
| Calgary Stampeders | 1952-1963 | 1954 |
| California Seals | 1966-1967 | 1963 & 1964 (as San Francisco Seals) |
| Denver Invaders | 1963-1964 | Never |
| Denver Spurs | 1968-1974 | 1972 |
| Edmonton Flyers | 1952-1963 | 1953, 1955 & 1962 |
| Los Angeles Blades | 1961-1967 | Never |
| New Westminster Royals | 1952-1959 | Never |
| Phoenix Roadrunners | 1967-1974 | 1973 & 1974 |
| Portland Buckaroos | 1960-1974 | 1961, 1965 & 1971 |
| Salt Lake Golden Eagles | 1969-1974 | Never |
| San Diego Gulls | 1966-1974 | Never |
| San Francisco Seals | 1961-1966 | 1963 & 1964 |
| Saskatoon Quakers | 1952-1957 & 1958-1959 | Never |
| Saskatoon Regals* | 1957-1958 | Never |
| Seattle Americans | 1955-1958 | Never |
| Seattle Bombers | 1952-1954 | Never |
| Seattle Totems | 1958-1974 | 1959, 1967 & 1968 |
| Spokane Comets | 1960-1963 | Never |
| Spokane Spokes | 1958-1960 | Never |
| St. Paul Saints* | 1957-1958 | Never |
| Tacoma Rockets | 1952-1953 | Never |
| Vancouver Canucks | 1952-1970 | 1958, 1960, 1969 & 1970 |
| Victoria Cougars | 1952-1961 | Never |
| Victoria Maple Leafs | 1964-1967 | 1966 |
| Winnipeg Warriors | 1955-1961 | 1956 |
*The 1957-58 Saskatoon Regals/St. Paul Saints are the same team. They split time between the two cities, with a different name in each market. The experiment ended after a single season and the club settled in Saskatoon for the 1958-1959 season as the Saskatoon Quakers.
Western Hockey League Shop
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