New Westminster Royals

The New Westminster Royals was the name of several professional ice hockey teams based in New Westminster, British Columbia, first established in 1911 for the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA). Though nominally based in New Westminster, the team played its home games at the Denman Arena in nearby Vancouver, as an arena was not available; the team would never play a PCHA home game in New Westminster as a result. They won the inaugural PCHA championship in 1912, though financial difficulties saw the team relocated to Portland, Oregon in 1914 and become the Portland Rosebuds.

New Westminster Royals
CityNew Westminster, British Columbia
LeaguePCHA
Founded1911
Folded1918
Home arenaDenman Arena
Franchise history
First franchise
1912–1914New Westminster Royals
1914–1918Portland Rosebuds
Second franchise
1945–1991New Westminster Royals
1991–presentSurrey Eagles
Championships
Stanley Cups0
PCHA championships1 (1912)
PCHL championships1 (1950)
PCHL division titles2 (1948–49, 1949–50)
New Westminster Royals in 1912.

History edit

The first team played from 1911–1914 in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) which was established in 1911.[1] The team was notable as it was the inaugural 1911–12 champion of the PCHA. It would be the only league championship the Royals would earn. Their home arena was the Denman Arena in Vancouver.

The name was revived for a club that played in the Pacific Coast Hockey League from 1945 to 1952 and the Western Hockey League from 1952 to 1959.[2] The Royals won the President's Cup in 1949–1950 as PCHL champions.

Junior team edit

The New Westminster Royals name was revived for a junior-level franchise in the Pacific Coast Junior Hockey League (PCJHL) in 1962, winning five-straight PCJHL championships before moving – with league mates Victoria Cougars – into the British Columbia Junior Hockey League (BCJHL) for the 1967–68 season. The Royals played on-and-off from 1962 to 1991 in the years when the major junior New Westminster Bruins were not playing. In 1991, the Royals relocated across the Pattullo Bridge to neighbouring Surrey, changing their name to Surrey Eagles.

Season-by-season record edit

Key of colors and symbols
Color/symbolExplanation
League champions
Division champions
#Top record in regular season

W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points

Senior team edit

SeasonLeagueDivisionGPWLTGFGAPtsFinishPlayoffs
1912PCHA159#607877[A]1st†[A]
1912–13PCHA156906774[A]3rd[A]
1913–14PCHA167908067[A]2nd[A]
Team relocated to Portland in 1914. Team re-established in 1945
1945–46PCHLNorth5826320228268524thdid not qualify
1946–47PCHLNorth6029292257270604thLost First Round v. Seattle Ironmen (1–3)
1947–48PCHLNorth6627381293322554thLost First Round v. Seattle Ironmen (2–3)
1948–49PCHLNorth↑703926528522983#1st↑
1949–50PCHL†North↑7136191629123388#1st↑
1950–51PCHL7038248267205842nd
1951–52PCHL7040191128620091#1stLost First Round v. Victoria Cougars (3–4)
1952–53WHL7029338217254666thLost First Round v. Saskatoon Quakers (3–4)
1953–54WHL7028348218261646thLost First Round v. Vancouver Canucks (2–5)
1954–55WHL7029329249299675thdid not qualify
1955–56WHLCoast7031372238258643rdLost First Round v. Victoria Cougars (0–4)
1956–57WHLCoast7034315215235732nd
1957–58WHLCoast7039283254224812ndLost First Round v. Seattle Americans (1–3)
1958–59WHLCoast7023452237301735thdid not qualify
  1. ^ a b c d e f The PCHA did not use a point system, and ranked their teams by number of wins. From 1912–1917, the PCHA did not organize playoffs and awarded the league championship to the team with the best regular season record.

Head coaches edit

Players edit

References edit

  1. ^ "PCHA Seasons". HockeyDB. 2022-11-12. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
  2. ^ "New Westminster Royals Statistics and History [WHL]". HockeyDB. 2022-11-12. Retrieved 2022-11-12.

Bibliography edit

  • Bowlsby, Craig H. (2012), Empire of Ice: The Rise and Fall of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, 1911–1926, Vancouver: Knights of Winter, ISBN 978-0-9691705-6-3
  • Coleman, Charles L. (1966), The Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol. I, 1893–1926 inc., National Hockey League
  • Whitehead, Eric (1980), The Patricks: Hockey's Royal Family, Toronto: Doubleday Canada, ISBN 0-385-15662-6