Western Hockey League (professional league)

The Western Hockey League was a professional Hockey - Minor League , which existed from 1952 to 1974.

In 1952, the league was founded by the merger of the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the Western Canada Senior Hockey League , as president of the league functioned until 1969 Al Leader , who was then inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame .

In the 1960s, the WHL expanded more towards the American West Coast, especially in the Los Angeles / San Francisco area , which caused many officials of the National Hockey League to fear that the Western Hockey League could quickly become an equal competitor.

During the seasons 1965/66 and 1967/68, the league was also played in an interlocking game operation with the American Hockey League . Due to a too small number of talents, however, the league was ultimately unable to withstand the expansion of the two major leagues NHL and WHA in their playing area, which in turn wanted to eliminate the WHL as a potential competitor, and so the game was stopped after the 1973/74 season .

The WHL championship trophy was the Lester Patrick Cup , a trophy currently on display in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto .

Teams

Brandon Regals (1956–1957, were Saskatoon Regals / St. Paul Saints ) Calgary Stampeders (1952-1963) California Seals (1966–1967, successor team moved to the NHL ) Denver Invaders (1963–1964, were Victoria Maple Leafs ) Denver Spurs (1968–1974, moved to the CHL ) Edmonton Flyers (1952-1963) Los Angeles Blades (1961-1967) New Westminster Royals (1952–1959, were Portland Buckaroos ) Phoenix Roadrunners (1967–1974, successor team switched to the WHA ) Portland Buckaroos (1960–1974) Regina / Brandon Regals (1955–1956, became Brandon Regals ) Salt Lake Golden Eagles (1969–1974, moved to the CHL ) San Diego Gulls (1966–1974) San Francisco Seals (1961–1966, became California Seals )

Saskatoon Quakers (1952-1956) Saskatoon Quakers (1958-1959) Saskatoon Regals / St. Paul Saints (1957–1958), were Saskatoon Quakers Seattle Americans (1955-1958) Seattle Bombers (1952–1954) Seattle Totems (1958–1974, moved to the CHL ) Spokane Comets (1959–1963, were Denver Invaders ) Spokane Spokes (1958-1959) Tacoma Rockets (1952-1953) Vancouver Canucks (1952-1970, moved to the NHL ) Victoria Cougars (1952–1961, were Los Angeles Blades ) Victoria Maple Leafs (1964–1967, became Phoenix Roadrunners ) Winnipeg Warriors (1955-1961)