| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1952 |
| Founder | Al Leader |
| Ceased | 1974 |
| Countries |  United States Canada |
| Last champion | Phoenix Roadrunners |
| Most titles | Vancouver Canucks (4) |
TheWestern Hockey League (WHL) was aminor professionalice hockey league based inWestern Canada that operated from 1952 to 1974. The league was managed for most of its history byAl Leader, and had roots in thePacific Coast Hockey League and theWestern Canada Senior Hockey League. The championship trophy of the WHL was theLester Patrick Cup.
The league was founded in 1948 as thePacific Coast Hockey League (PCHL). In 1951, it absorbed three teams from theWestern Canada Senior Hockey League. In 1952, it adopted the WHL name.[1] In the late 1950s,Ron Butlin andArthur Ryan Smith hosted ahot stove league on radio broadcasts of the league.[2]
The Western Hockey League was managed for most of its history byAl Leader.
During the 1960s, the WHL moved into a number of large west coast markets including Los Angeles and San Francisco. There was speculation that the WHL could grow into amajor league capable of rivalling even the long-entrenchedNational Hockey League (NHL).[3]
In the 1965–66 and 1967–68 seasons, the WHL played an interlocking schedule with theAmerican Hockey League. Fears that the WHL (or a WHL/AHL merger) could become a rival major league was among the factors that finally convinced the NHLto expand for the 1967–68 season.[4]
Several factors led to the WHL's decision to cease operations after the 1973–74 season. TheVancouver Canucks, who had earlier applied for the 1967 NHL expansion, were finally accepted into the league as an expansion team for the 1970–71 season. The NHL andWorld Hockey Association had moved into many of its traditional markets, and the talent pool had become strained by the fast growth in the number of professional teams. When the NHL announced in June 1974 that the owners of both theDenver Spurs andSeattle Totems had been granted "conditional" NHL franchises (neither of which came to fruition), the WHL announced the same day that it was folding. A few of its surviving teams were absorbed into theCentral Hockey League (CHL). ThePhoenix Roadrunners franchisejumped to the WHA for the 1974–75 season, while the Spurs jumped from the CHL to the WHA for the 1975–76 season (but folded mid-season).
The championship trophy of the WHL was theLester Patrick Cup, which is currently on display at theHockey Hall of Fame.
| Season | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1952–53 | Edmonton Flyers | Saskatoon Quakers |
| 1953–54 | Calgary Stampeders | Edmonton Flyers |
| 1954–55 | Edmonton Flyers | Calgary Stampeders |
| 1955–56 | Winnipeg Warriors | Vancouver Canucks |
| 1956–57 | Brandon Regals | New Westminster Royals |
| 1957–58 | Vancouver Canucks | Calgary Stampeders |
| 1958–59 | Seattle Totems | Calgary Stampeders |
| 1959–60 | Vancouver Canucks | Victoria Cougars |
| 1960–61 | Portland Buckaroos | Seattle Totems |
| 1961–62 | Edmonton Flyers | Spokane Comets |
| 1962–63 | San Francisco Seals | Seattle Totems |
| 1963–64 | San Francisco Seals | Los Angeles Blades |
| 1964–65 | Portland Buckaroos | Victoria Maple Leafs |
| 1965–66 | Victoria Maple Leafs | Portland Buckaroos |
| 1966–67 | Seattle Totems | Vancouver Canucks |
| 1967–68 | Seattle Totems | Portland Buckaroos |
| 1968–69 | Vancouver Canucks | Portland Buckaroos |
| 1969–70 | Vancouver Canucks | Portland Buckaroos |
| 1970–71 | Portland Buckaroos | Phoenix Roadrunners |
| 1971–72 | Denver Spurs | Portland Buckaroos |
| 1972–73 | Phoenix Roadrunners | Salt Lake Golden Eagles |
| 1973–74 | Phoenix Roadrunners | Portland Buckaroos |
Championships by team
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
