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
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

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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

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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

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Key of colors and symbols
Color/symbol Explanation
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

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Season League Division GP W L T GF GA Pts Finish Playoffs
1912 PCHA 15 9# 6 0 78 77 [A] 1st† [A]
1912–13 PCHA 15 6 9 0 67 74 [A] 3rd [A]
1913–14 PCHA 16 7 9 0 80 67 [A] 2nd [A]
Team relocated to Portland in 1914. Team re-established in 1945
1945–46 PCHL North 58 26 32 0 228 268 52 4th did not qualify
1946–47 PCHL North 60 29 29 2 257 270 60 4th Lost First Round v. Seattle Ironmen (1–3)
1947–48 PCHL North 66 27 38 1 293 322 55 4th Lost First Round v. Seattle Ironmen (2–3)
1948–49 PCHL North↑ 70 39 26 5 285 229 83# 1st↑
1949–50 PCHL† North↑ 71 36 19 16 291 233 88# 1st↑
1950–51 PCHL 70 38 24 8 267 205 84 2nd
1951–52 PCHL 70 40 19 11 286 200 91# 1st Lost First Round v. Victoria Cougars (3–4)
1952–53 WHL 70 29 33 8 217 254 66 6th Lost First Round v. Saskatoon Quakers (3–4)
1953–54 WHL 70 28 34 8 218 261 64 6th Lost First Round v. Vancouver Canucks (2–5)
1954–55 WHL 70 29 32 9 249 299 67 5th did not qualify
1955–56 WHL Coast 70 31 37 2 238 258 64 3rd Lost First Round v. Victoria Cougars (0–4)
1956–57 WHL Coast 70 34 31 5 215 235 73 2nd
1957–58 WHL Coast 70 39 28 3 254 224 81 2nd Lost First Round v. Seattle Americans (1–3)
1958–59 WHL Coast 70 23 45 2 237 301 73 5th did 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

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Players

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References

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  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

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  • 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