Portland Buckaroos
Encyclopedia
The Portland Buckaroos was the name of several professional ice hockey
teams based in Portland, Oregon
.
(PCHL) from 1928 to 1931. The PCHL folded in 1931, and in 1933, the Buckaroos joined the new North West Hockey League
. In 1936, the Buckaroos rejoined the reconstituted four-team PCHL, and won league championships in 1937 and 1939.
With the onset of World War II
, the PCHL folded again in 1941. In 1944, it was again resurrected, but this time, Portland's team was the Portland Eagles
(known as the Portland Penguins for one season).
Western Hockey League
(WHL) for its newly-built 10,500 seat Memorial Coliseum, and the Buckaroos name was reincarnated. The new Buckaroos were composed mostly of players and coaches from the New Westminster Royals
, including its head coach Hal Laycoe
. The Buckaroos went on to beat the Seattle Totems
in the league championship and win the Lester Patrick Cup
in its first season of existence.
That 1960–61 Buckaroos team was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
in 1990.
The Buckaroos won another league championship under Laycoe in 1964–65, and a third in 1970–71 under coach and former team captain Gord Fashoway
.
In 1974, the WHL folded and the Buckaroos moved to the semi-pro
Western International Hockey League
for the 1974–75 season, and to the startup Pacific Northwest Hockey League
the next year, but that league did not last a full season.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
teams based in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
PCHL/NWHL era (1928–1941)
The first incarnation of Portland Buckaroos played their home games at the Portland Ice Arena. The Buckaroos initially played in the four-team Pacific Coast Hockey LeaguePacific Coast Hockey League
The Pacific Coast Hockey League was an ice hockey minor league with teams in the western United States and western Canada that existed in several incarnations: from 1928 to 1931, from 1936 to 1941, and from 1944 to 1952.-PCHL 1928-1931:...
(PCHL) from 1928 to 1931. The PCHL folded in 1931, and in 1933, the Buckaroos joined the new North West Hockey League
North West Hockey League
The North West Hockey League was an ice hockey minor league with teams in the western United States and western Canada that existed from 1933 to 1936...
. In 1936, the Buckaroos rejoined the reconstituted four-team PCHL, and won league championships in 1937 and 1939.
With the onset of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the PCHL folded again in 1941. In 1944, it was again resurrected, but this time, Portland's team was the Portland Eagles
Portland Eagles
The Portland Eagles were a minor league professional hockey team located in Portland, Oregon. They were known as the Portland Penguins for one season.-History:...
(known as the Portland Penguins for one season).
WHL/WIHL era (1960–1975)
In 1960, Portland was granted a franchise in the minor leagueMinor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
Western Hockey League
Western Hockey League (minor pro)
The Western Hockey League was a minor pro ice hockey league that operated from 1952 to 1974. Managed for most of its history by Hockey Hall of Fame member Al Leader, it was created out of the merger of the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the Western Canada Senior Hockey League...
(WHL) for its newly-built 10,500 seat Memorial Coliseum, and the Buckaroos name was reincarnated. The new Buckaroos were composed mostly of players and coaches from the New Westminster Royals
New Westminster Royals
The New Westminster Royals was the name of several professional and junior ice hockey teams based in New Westminster, British Columbia.The first team played from 1912-1914 in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association which was established in 1911....
, including its head coach Hal Laycoe
Hal Laycoe
Harold Richardson Laycoe was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman.Laycoe started his National Hockey League career with the New York Rangers. He would also play with the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins. His playing career lasted from 1945 to 1956...
. The Buckaroos went on to beat the Seattle Totems
Seattle Totems
The Seattle Totems were a professional ice hockey franchise in Seattle, Washington. They were a member of various minor professional and semi-professional leagues between 1945 and 1975. They played their home games in the Mercer Arena and later at the Seattle Center Coliseum...
in the league championship and win the Lester Patrick Cup
Lester Patrick Cup
The Lester Patrick Cup was the championship trophy of the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the Western Hockey League from 1949 to 1974. Originally known as the President's Cup, the trophy was renamed in 1960 to honor pacific coast hockey pioneer and legend Lester Patrick following his death on June...
in its first season of existence.
That 1960–61 Buckaroos team was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall...
in 1990.
The Buckaroos won another league championship under Laycoe in 1964–65, and a third in 1970–71 under coach and former team captain Gord Fashoway
Gord Fashoway
Gordon "Gordie" Fashoway is a former ice hockey left winger. During the 1950–51 season, he played in his only 13 NHL games for the Chicago Black Hawks....
.
In 1974, the WHL folded and the Buckaroos moved to the semi-pro
Semi-professional
A semi-professional athlete is one who is paid to play and thus is not an amateur, but for whom sport is not a full-time occupation, generally because the level of pay is too low to make a reasonable living based solely upon that source, thus making the athlete not a full professional...
Western International Hockey League
Western International Hockey League
The Western International Hockey League was a senior level ice hockey league that featured teams from the Western United States and Western Canada. It operated from 1946–62 and 1963–88...
for the 1974–75 season, and to the startup Pacific Northwest Hockey League
Pacific Northwest Hockey League
The Pacific Northwest Hockey League was an amateur mixed-level ice hockey league in British Columbia in the 1970s and 1980s. The teams that played in the league were of both the Junior and Intermediate level due to the distances between towns in the area. It operated within the British Columbia...
the next year, but that league did not last a full season.
WHL era
- Marv EdwardsMarv EdwardsMarvin Wayne Edwards is a retired Canadian ice hockey goaltender.Edwards started his National Hockey League career with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1968. He would also play with the Toronto Maple Leafs and California Golden Seals. He retired after the 1974 season.- External links :...
(Outstanding WHL Goalkeeper Award winner) - Art JonesArt Jones (ice hockey)Art Jones is a retired Canadian ice hockey centre who played most of his career in the Western Hockey League for the Portland Buckaroos....
(two-time George Leader Cup for most valuable player; six-time Leading Scorer Award winner; 1984 Oregon Sports Hall of FameOregon Sports Hall of FameThe Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall...
inductee) - Gord FashowayGord FashowayGordon "Gordie" Fashoway is a former ice hockey left winger. During the 1950–51 season, he played in his only 13 NHL games for the Chicago Black Hawks....
(1960–61 team captain; 1960–61 Fred Hume Cup for sportsmanship winner; coach from 1969–1973) - Don HeadDon HeadDonald Charles Head is a former professional ice hockey player.-Amateur career:Head, a goaltender, played junior hockey for the Toronto Marlboros where he won the Dave Pinkney Trophy for outstanding goaltender in the 1952-53 season...
(1960–61 WHL Rookie of the Year; three-time Outstanding Goalkeeper Award winner; 1993 Oregon Sports Hall of FameOregon Sports Hall of FameThe Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall...
inductee) - Andy HebentonAndy HebentonAndrew Alexander "Spuds" Hebenton is a former professional ice hockey right winger, and holds the record for the longest streak without missing a game in professional hockey history.-Playing career:...
(five-time Fred Hume Cup for sportsmanship winner) - Jimmy McLeodJimmy McLeodJames Bradley McLeod is a retired Canadian ice hockey goaltender.McLeod started his National Hockey League career with the St. Louis Blues in 1972. He would also play in the World Hockey Association with the Chicago Cougars, Los Angeles Sharks, Michigan Stags, and New York Golden Blades. He...
(four-time WHL Outstanding Goalkeeper Award winner) - Connie MadiganConnie MadiganCornelius Dennis "Mad Dog" Madigan is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman notable for being the oldest rookie in National Hockey League history....
(Hal Laycoe Cup for outstanding WHL defenseman winner) - Cliff SchmautzCliff SchmautzClifford Harvey Schmautz was a professional ice hockey right wing. The majority of his career was spent in the Western Hockey League with the Portland Buckaroos, topping forty goals three times and leading the league in scoring in the 1965–66 season...
(1965–66 Leading Scorer Award winner) - Pat Stapleton (Hal Laycoe Cup for outstanding WHL defenseman winner)
- Dave KellyDave Kelly (ice hockey)Dave Kelly is a retired Canadian ice hockey goaltender.Kelly never played in the National Hockey League, but did have several productive seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Portland Buckaroos. Kelly was a two time winner of the WHL Outstanding Goaltender Award.-External links:...
(1963–64 WHL Rookie of the Year; two-time Outstanding WHL Goalkeeper Award winner)