Pacific Coast Hockey League

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The Pacific Coast Hockey League ( PCHL ) was a professional ice hockey - minor league in which teams from Western Canada and the western part of the United States of America played. The league existed in several phases: from 1928 to 1931, from 1936 to 1941 and finally from 1944 to 1952. In 1952 the league was integrated into the Western Canada Senior Hockey League .

PCHL 1928-1931

The league existed in its first phase for three seasons. There were four teams playing in the league. The Cubs franchise was replaced by the Tacoma Tigers team last season .

Teams

master

  • 1929: Vancouver Lions
  • 1930: Vancouver Lions
  • 1931: Seattle Eskimos

PCHL 1936-1941

During this time, too, four teams were active in the league. The teams from Portland, Seattle and Vancouver breathed new life into the Pacific Coast Hockey League with a team from Oakland. In the first year the team was relocated from Oakland to Spokane. The same team was disbanded in the 1939–40 season, but returned to the league a year later as Spokane Bombers .

The league was dissolved in 1941, one of the main reasons being the Second World War .

Teams

master

  • 1937: Portland Buckaroos
  • 1938: Seattle Seahawks
  • 1939: Portland Buckaroos
  • 1940: Vancouver Lions
  • 1941: Vancouver Lions

PCHL 1944-1952

The Pacific Coast Hockey League was re-established as an amateur league. The main reason for this decision was that the National Hockey League (NHL) held the rights for professional ice hockey in the areas around Vancouver, Portland and Seattle. The NHL demanded high fees for a league approval that the PCHL founders were unwilling to pay.

The league was divided into two divisions and initially included nine teams. In the 1945/46 season there was finally a North Division ( New Westminster Royals , Portland Eagles , Seattle Ironmen and the Vancouver Canucks ) and a South Division ( Hollywood Wolves , Los Angeles Monarchs , Oakland Oaks , San Diego Skyhawks and San Francisco Shamrocks ) . The Fresno Falcons and Tacoma Rockets joined in the 1946/47 season. The Hollywood Wolves no longer took part in the 1947/48 PCHL season.

In 1948 the league became a professional league again. The PCHL was under the supervision of the NHL during this time due to a legal contract. The Portland Eagles were renamed Portland Penguins in 1948/49 , and the Victoria Cougars became a new team in the league in the 1949/50 season. The Oakland Oaks quit the game in the PCHL in the same season after 29 games. After that, the system of two divisions was abandoned and there was still a division with six teams in the 1950/51 season. The Fresno Falcons left the league and became a member of the United States Hockey League . In addition, the Los Angeles Monarchs, the San Diego Skyhawks and the San Francisco Shamrocks ended their membership in this league.

In the last season (1951/52) of the PCHL, the Portland Eagles also left the league. The Calgary Stampeders , Edmonton Flyers and the Saskatoon Quakers were newly added to the Pacific Coast Hockey League from the Western Canada Senior Hockey League. In the 1952/53 season, the PCHL changed its name to Western Hockey League (WHL).

Teams

master

  • 1945: Seattle Ironmen
  • 1946: Vancouver Canucks
  • 1947: Los Angeles Monarchs
  • 1948: Vancouver Canucks
  • 1949: San Diego Skyhawks
  • 1950: New Westminster Royals
  • 1951: Victoria Cougars
  • 1952: Saskatoon Quakers

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Pacific Coast Hockey League. hockeydb.com, accessed May 28, 2011 .
  2. ^ A b c d Pacific Coast Hockey League History. hockeylegend.com, accessed May 28, 2011 .
  3. ^ Pacific Coast Hockey League (1936-41). hockeyleaguehistory.com, accessed May 28, 2011 .
  4. ^ Pacific Coast Hockey League (1944-52). hockeyleaguehistory.com, accessed May 28, 2011 .