Victoria Cougars

The Victoria Cougars were a major league professional ice hockey team that played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) from 1911 to 1924, 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.

History

The original Victoria franchise of the PCHA, the Senators, were formed in 1911, and became the Aristocrats in 1913. That incarnation is best known for defeating the Stanley Cup champion Quebec Bulldogs in a 1913 exhibition series. The Aristocrats officially challenged the Toronto Blueshirts for the 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.

A new team was formed in 1918 and again were dubbed the Aristocrats. In 1922 they changed their name to the Victoria Cougars. Led by coach Lester Patrick, the Cougars would finally win a 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 the Cup until the Anaheim Ducks won the Cup in 2007. They would attempt to repeat as champions in 1926 but they were unsuccessful as they lost the final series to the NHL's Montreal Maroons. The WHL dissolved the following year and the rights to many players from the Stanley Cup finalist team were purchased and relocated to Detroit, Michigan. The new NHL franchise would retain the nickname "Cougars" in tribute. The Detroit Cougars would later be renamed the Detroit Falcons, and would ultimately be renamed the Detroit Red Wings.

Victoria Cougars (VIJHL)

The Victoria Cougars are a junior "B" ice hockey team based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the South Division of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL). The Cougars play their home games at Archie Browning Arena. Gary Boyer is the team's president and general manager, Mark Van Helvoirt is the coach and they are captained by Jake Stolz.

The Cougars joined the league in 1998 as an expansion team. In its VIJHL history, the team has won the Cyclone Taylor Cup once, in 2007. The Cougars have won the Brent Patterson Memorial Trophy Six times in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013 and 2014. They won the Andy Hebenton Trophy six times, as the team with the league's best regular season record in 2007–08, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15.

History

From their inaugural year when the team won only one game all season, the Cougars have improved every season. In March 2005, the Victoria Cougars won their first Brent Patterson Memorial Trophy, and won the bronze medal at the Cyclone Taylor Cup provincial championships.

Victoria Cougars (WHL)

The Victoria Cougars were a major junior ice hockey team based in Victoria, British Columbia that played in the WCHL (Western Canadian Hockey League) a precursor to the Western Hockey League between 1971 and 1994. Prior to 1971, the Cougars were members of the Pacific Coast Junior Hockey League (1962–1967) and the British Columbia Junior Hockey League (1967–1971). The Cougars played their home games at the Victoria Memorial Arena, which was demolished in 2003.

They won the WHL championship in 1981. The team moved to Prince George, British Columbia in 1994 and are now the Prince George Cougars. The Cougars earned several WHL records during their time in Victoria, both for most wins (60 in 1980–81) and for fewest points (12 in 1989–90). Their five wins that season is also a WHL record for futility in a 72-game season.

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

NHL alumni

There were 58 alumni of the Victoria Cougars who graduated from junior hockey to play in the National Hockey League. Source. Goaltender Grant Fuhr was inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame.