TheRegina Capitalswere a professionalice hockeyteam originally based in the city ofRegina,Saskatchewanin theWestern Canada Hockey League(WCHL), founded in1921.
| Regina Capitals | |
|---|---|
| City | Regina,Saskatchewan,Canada |
| League | WCHL(1921–1925) WHL(1925–26) (asPortland Rosebuds) PrHL(1926–1928) |
| Founded | 1921 |
| Operated | 1921–1928 |
| Colors | Red, White, Blue[1] |
Western Canada Hockey League Capitals (1921–1926)
edit1921 was the Regina Capitals' first season in the new Western Canada Hockey League, they finished second overall and then upset the Edmonton Eskimos in the playoffs to win the league championship. Winning the league championship meant that the team had to face the winner of thePacific Coast Hockey Association(PCHA) before being able to challenge for theStanley Cup.Unfortunately, the up-start Capitals lost to theVancouver Millionairesof the PCHA. Vancouver went on to face theToronto St. Patricksof theNational Hockey League(NHL), but would lose the best-of-five series for the Stanley Cup 3 games to 2.
They finished second overall in each of their first three seasons, with their third season only one point behind first place, but that first season would be the only one in which they would win the playoffs and advance to the next series. After three seasons well above.500, they fell to last place overall in their fourth season (1924–25) with only 8 wins in 28 games.
The Capitals tried spending their way out of their difficulties, but that only caused more problems. With the team in debt and losing money, they followed the NHL's example of heading south across the border and moved toPortland, Oregonfor the start of the1925–26 WHL season.The Regina Capitals renamed themselves thePortland Rosebuds,which was a rekindling of an older, then defunct, team from the PCHA. With that move, they became the onlyUnited States–based team in their league. Since they moved to the States, the league had to change its name to reflect that not all of its teams were based in Canada anymore. So, the "Canada" part of the league's name was dropped and it was renamed theWestern Hockey League.
The move didn't help the on-ice performance of the team very much. They didn't finish last overall, but with an extra eight games played from the previous season, they only managed to better their total wins by 4 giving them 12 wins in 36 games.
After that season, the Western Hockey League folded. The National Hockey League bought every contract of ever player from the WHL for $258,000. The former Capitals/Rosebuds players would go on to form the nucleus of the expansionChicago Black Hawksfranchise, which began play the following season.
Prairie Hockey League Capitals (1926–1927)
editWith the collapse of the WHL, many of the players and teams that didn't become part of the NHL re-grouped and formed a new semi-pro league called thePrairie Hockey League(PrHL). A "new"Regina Capitalswere born. They finished third overall in the inaugural season of the PrHL, but faltered badly for the second season with only two wins in 26 games. That second season would be the final season for both the Regina Capitals and the Prairie Hockey League as the league disbanded following the season's end.
Season-by-season record
editNote:W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
| Season | Team name & League | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | Finish | Playoffs |
| 1921–22 | Regina Capitals(WCHL) | 24 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 28 | 94 | 78 | 2nd in WCHL | Won league Championship |
| 1922–23 | Regina Capitals(WCHL) | 30 | 16 | 14 | 0 | 32 | 93 | 97 | 2nd in WCHL | Lost in WCHL finals |
| 1923–24 | Regina Capitals(WCHL) | 30 | 17 | 11 | 2 | 36 | 83 | 67 | 2nd in WCHL | Lost in WCHL finals |
| 1924–25 | Regina Capitals(WCHL) | 28 | 8 | 20 | 0 | 16 | 72 | 121 | 6th (last) in WCHL | Out of playoffs |
| 1925–26 | Portland Rosebuds(WHL) | 36 | 12 | 16 | 8 | 26 | 84 | 106 | 4th in WHL | Out of playoffs |
| 1926–27 | Regina Capitals(PrHL) | 32 | 14 | 16 | 2 | 30 | 110 | 117 | 3rd in PrHL | |
| 1927–28 | Regina Capitals(PrHL) | 26 | 2 | 19 | 5 | 9 | 46 | 89 | 3rd (last) in PrHL |
Head coach
edit- Wes Champ(1921–1925)
- Pete Muldoon(1925–26)
Notable players
edit- George Hay,1921–1926 (later toChicago Black Hawks)
- Dick Irvin,1922–1925 (later to Chicago Black Hawks)
- Bill Laird,1921–1923
- Paul Rivard,1896-1991
- Barney Stanley,1922–1924
- Eddie Shore,1924–1925 (later to Edmonton, then toBoston Bruins)
See also
editReferences
editNotes
edit- ^Calgary Herald,Dec. 5, 1921 (pg. 21)