The 1965–66 WHL season was the 14th season of the Western Hockey League. Six teams played a 72-game schedule, and the Victoria Maple Leafs were the Lester Patrick Cup champions, defeating the as Portland Buckaroos four games to three in the final series.[1]

1965–66 WHL season
LeagueWestern Hockey League
SportIce hockey
Number of games72
Number of teams6
Regular season
Season championsPortland Buckaroos
Season MVPBilly McNeill (Vancouver)
Top scorerCliff Schmautz (Portland)
Lester Patrick Cup
ChampionsVictoria Maple Leafs
  Runners-upPortland Buckaroos
Seasons

Billy McNeill of Vancouver was named the most valuable player, while Cliff Schmautz of Portland led the league in scoring.[2]

Teams

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1965–66 Western Hockey League
Team City Arena Capacity
Los Angeles Blades Los Angeles, California Los Angeles Sports Arena 14,546
Portland Buckaroos Portland, Oregon Memorial Coliseum 12,000
San Francisco Seals San Francisco, California Cow Palace 11,089
Seattle Totems Seattle, Washington Seattle Center Coliseum 12,250
Vancouver Canucks Vancouver, British Columbia PNE Forum 5,050
Victoria Maple Leafs Victoria, British Columbia Victoria Memorial Arena 5,000

Map of teams

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  WHL Teams

Final Standings

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WHL Standings[1]
R Team GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 Portland Buckaroos 72 43 24 5 271 218 91
2 Victoria Maple Leafs 72 40 28 4 260 243 84
3 Vancouver Canucks 72 33 35 4 252 233 70
4 San Francisco Seals 72 32 36 4 243 248 68
5 Seattle Totems 72 32 37 3 231 256 67
6 Los Angeles Blades 72 22 48 2 236 329 46

bold - qualified for playoffs

Playoffs

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Semifinals Finals
      
1 Portland Buckaroos 4
3 Vancouver Canucks 3
1 Portland Buckaroos 3
2 Victoria Maple Leafs 4
2 Victoria Maple Leafs 4
4 San Francisco Seals 3

The Victoria Maple Leafs defeated the Portland Buckaroos 4 games to 3 to win the Lester Patrick Cup.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Stott 2008, p. 241
  2. ^ Stott 2008, p. 145

Bibliography

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  • Stott, Jon C. (2008), Ice Warriors: The Pacific Coast/Western Hockey League 1948–1974, Surrey, British Columbia: Heritage House Publishing, ISBN 978-1-894974-54-7