| 1902–03 WPHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Western Pennsylvania Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Teams | 4 |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Pittsburgh Bankers(1st title) |
| Seasons | |
← 1901–02 1903–04 → | |
The1902–03 WPHL season was the sixth season of operation for theWestern Pennsylvania Hockey League. This was the first season whereby the league and its teams were recognized as professional, making it the first professional ice hockey league. To fill their team thePittsburgh Athletic Club lured players from Canada with promises of high-paid employment and small cash incentives, which was around $30 a week.
FourPittsburgh-area teams competed in the season, in which all games were played at theDuquesne Gardens. ThePittsburgh Victorias were added to the WPHL making it a four team league. The team was made up of players fromOttawa, that were enticed to come to Pittsburgh. The Victorias were able to addStanley Cup winnerBruce Stuart to their team, giving the future Hall of Famer his start in professional hockey. That season, Stuart led the WPHL with 16 goals in his first pro season and was named to the First All-Star team. The season concluded with thePittsburgh Bankers having the best record in the league and being named league champions. It would be the team's first league title.
Note GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, PTS = Points
| Team | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Bankers | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 59 | 18 | 21 |
| Pittsburgh Athletic Club | 13 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 36 | 32 | 15 |
| Pittsburgh Victorias | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 47 | 40 | 14 |
| Pittsburgh Keystones | 13 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 19 | 71 | 4 |
| Month | Day | Team | Score | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1902 | |||||
| November | 28 | Bankers | 4 | Victorias | 1 |
| December | 2 | Pittsburgh AC | 2 | Keystones | 0 |
| 5 | Pittsburgh AC | 1 | Bankers | 1 | |
| 9 | Victorias | 7 | Keystones | 1 | |
| 12 | Victorias | 3 | Pittsburgh AC | 2 | |
| 16 | Bankers | 2 | Keystones | 1 | |
| 19 | Victorias | 2 | Bankers | 1 | |
| 23 | Pittsburgh AC | 4 | Keystones | 1 | |
| 1903 | |||||
| January | 6 | Pittsburgh AC | 4 | Victorias | 2 |
| 9 | Pittsburgh AC | 3 | Bankers | 2 | |
| 13 | Bankers | 4 | Keystones | 0 | |
| 16 | Victorias | 7 | Keystones | 1 | |
| 20 | Victorias | 4 | Bankers | 1 | |
| 23 | Pittsburgh AC | 5 | Keystones | 3 | |
| 27 | Pittsburgh AC | 2 | Keystones | 1 | |
| February | 3 | Bankers | 4 | Pittsburgh AC | 2 |
| 6 | Bankers | 4 | Pittsburgh AC | 3 | |
| 10 | Bankers | 13 | Keystones | 0 | |
| 13 | Victorias | 3 | Pittsburgh AC | 2 | |
| 17 | Keystones | 4 | Victorias | 2 | |
| 20 | Bankers | 1 | Victorias | 0 | |
| 24 | Bankers | 10 | Keystones | 1 | |
| March | 3 | Victorias | 11 | Keystones | 3 |
| 6 | Pittsburgh AC | 6 | Victorias | 3 | |
| 10 | Bankers | 7 | Victorias | 0 | |
| 13 | Bankers | 5 | Pittsburgh AC | 0 | |
| 17 | Keystones | 3 | Victorias | 2 | |
| Preceded by | WPHL seasons 1902–03 | Succeeded by |