Victoria Cougars

{{about|the professional Victoria Cougars ice hockey team that existed from 1911 to 1926|other uses|Victoria Cougars (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox Pro hockey team

|team=Victoria Cougars

|bg_color=background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#003087 5px solid; border-bottom:#003087 5px solid;

|text_color=#000000

|league=PCHA (1911–1924)
WCHL (1924–1926)

|operated=1911–1926

|coach=Lester Patrick

|dates1=1911–1913

|name1=Victoria Senators

|dates2=1913–1916

|name2=Victoria Aristocrats

|dates3=1916–1917

|name3=Spokane Canaries

|dates4=1918–1922

|name4=Victoria Aristocrats

|dates5=1922–1926

|name5=Victoria Cougars

|arena =Patrick Arena

|city=Victoria, British Columbia

|colours=Blue and Yellow
{{Color box|#0000A3}} {{Color box|#FFFF00}}

|league_champions=4 (1913, 1914, 1925, 1926)

|stanley_cups=1 (1925)

|logo=Victoria Cougars logo.svg

}}

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.{{harvnb|MacLeod|2021|p=65}} 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.{{harvnb|MacLeod|2021|p=97}}

File:Victoria Aristocrats.jpg

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

style="background:#ddf; width:10%;"\| Season ! style="background:#ddf; width:15%;"\| Name ! style="background:#ddf; width:10%;"\| League ! style="background:#ddf; width:5%;"\| GP ! style="background:#ddf; width:5%;"\| W ! style="background:#ddf; width:5%;"\| L ! style="background:#ddf; width:5%;"\| T ! style="background:#ddf; width:7.5%;"\| GF ! style="background:#ddf; width:7.5%;"\| GA ! style="background:#ddf; width:7.5%;"\| Finish ! style="background:#ddf; width:22.5%;"\| Playoffs
class="wikitable"
style="text-align:center;" \| 1912	style="vertical-align:top;" rowspan="2"\|Senators	style="vertical-align:top;" rowspan="13"\|PCHA	16	7	9	0	81	90	3rd	-
style="text-align:center;" \|1912–13	15	10	5	0	68	56	1st	-
style="text-align:center;" \| 1913–14	style="vertical-align:top;" rowspan="3"\|Aristocrats	15	10	5	0	80	67	1st	Lost Stanley Cup playoff to Toronto Blueshirts
style="text-align:center;" \| 1914–15	17	4	13	0	64	116	3rd	-
style="text-align:center;" \| 1915–16	18	5	13	0	74	102	4th	-
style="text-align:center;" \| 1916–17	Canaries	24	8	15	0	89	143	4th	-
style="text-align:center;" \| {{strikethrough\|1917–18}}	-	colspan="9"\|Team folded after previous season in Spokane. Victoria arena still in use for war-time military training.
style="text-align:center;" \| 1918–19	style="vertical-align:top;" rowspan="4"\|Aristocrats	20	7	13	0	44	81	3rd	-
style="text-align:center;" \| 1919–20	22	10	12	0	57	71	3rd	-
style="text-align:center;" \| 1920–21	24	10	13	1	21	72	3rd	-
style="text-align:center;" \| 1921–22	24	11	12	1	61	71	3rd	-
style="text-align:center;" \| 1922–23	rowspan="4" style="vertical-align:top;"\|Cougars	30	16	14	0	94	85	2nd	Lost in PCHA playoff
style="text-align:center;" \| 1923–24	30	11	18	1	78	103	3rd	-
style="text-align:center; font-weight:bold;" \| 1924–25	WCHL	28	16	12	0	84	63	3rd	Won WCHL, Won Stanley Cup
style="text-align:center;" \| 1925–26	WHL	30	15	11	4	68	53	3rd	Won WHL, Lost Stanley Cup Finals

Victoria Cougars: 1925 Stanley Cup champions

{{Stanley Cup champion|

goaltenders=*Harry Hap Holmes

|defence=*Clem Loughlin (Captain)

|wingers=*Frank Fredrickson

|centers=*John Jocko Anderson

|non-players=

Lester Patrick (Owner-President/Manager-Coach)
Larry Brunnell (Trainer) - name is missing from the Stanley Cup.

|engraving-notes=

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.

}}

References

Bibliography

{{Citation|last=Bowlsby|first=Craig H.|title=Empire of Ice: The Rise and Fall of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, 1911–1926|publisher=Knights of Winter|location=Vancouver|year=2012|isbn=978-0-9691705-6-3}}
{{Citation|last=MacLeod|first=Alan Livingstone|title=Capitals, Aristocrats, and Cougars: Victoria's Hockey Professionals, 1911–1926|publisher=Heritage House|location=Victoria|year=2021|isbn=978-1-77203-373-1}}
{{Citation|last=Whitehead|first=Eric|title=The Patricks: Hockey's Royal Family|publisher=Doubleday|location=New York City|year=1980|isbn=0-385-15662-6}}

External links

"Victoria Cougars 1925 Stanley Cup championship has family meaning" as [https://www.timescolonist.com/sports/victoria-cougars-1925-stanley-cup-championship-has-family-meaning-10449598 Times Colonist]

[http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/teamseasons.php?tid=9190 Victoria Aristocrats of the PCHA (1911–16, 1918–22)] at HockeyDB
[http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/teamseasons.php?tid=8811 Victoria Cougars of the PCHA (1922–24)] at HockeyDB
[http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/teamseasons.php?tid=8812 Victoria Cougars of the WCHL/WHL (1924–26)] at HockeyDB

{{succession box |

|before = Montreal Canadiens
1924

|after = Montreal Maroons
1926

|title = Stanley Cup Champions

|years = 1925

}}

{{succession box |

|before = Calgary Tigers
1923–24

|after = Victoria Cougars
1925–26

|title = WCHL Champions

|years = 1924–25

}}