A century ago, the Victoria Cougars were 1925 Stanley Cup champions, and a year later, the team’s story would help spark one of the NHL’s most enduring legacies: the Detroit Red Wings, who are now gearing up for their centennial season in Hockeytown.
“You could make the argument the Victoria Cougars were the greatest hockey team in the world in 1925 and 1926,” said Jason Beck, curator and facility director at the BC Sports Hall of Fame.
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The Cougars defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 in a best-of-five Stanley Cup final, with three of the games played at Oak Bay's Patrick Arena, and returned to the finals the following year, narrowly losing to the Montreal Maroons.
That success, however, coincided with the end of the Western Canada Hockey League.
“The Cougars were scooped up and transferred to Detroit,” Beck said. “That team eventually morphed into the Falcons and then into the Red Wings, who have been around for a century now.”
Frank Fredrickson, Frank Foyston, and Harry Holmes were among the Hall of Famers who relocated south, alongside other elite players like Haldor Halderson.
“It wasn’t just a team moving,” Beck said. “It was an elite team. They beat one of the great Montreal teams of all time in 1925. That was a massive accomplishment.”
The move helped make Detroit a contender right away.
Detroit became part of the 'Original Six' along with the Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, and Chicago Blackhawks (which made up the NHL from 1942-67). Since then, they have won 11 Stanley Cups, the second-most in NHL history.
“When you think of the Red Wings today, you don’t necessarily think of Victoria,” Beck said. “But that’s the origin of the team, and it’s pretty cool.”
The Cougars were part of a league that was financially strained despite attracting top talent from the east. Beck explained,
“The Patrick brothers spent a ton of money getting players like Cyclone Taylor, Newsy Lalonde, and Frank Fredrickson out west," he said. "Travel was tough, arenas were costly, and crowds weren’t enough to sustain the league. Selling off one of the most successful teams was a way to recoup some money.”
Victoria’s influence extends beyond just players.
The Patrick family, who ran the Cougars, introduced innovations that shaped modern hockey.
“They experimented with rules in the PCHA and Western Canada Hockey League: the blue line, the forward pass, allowing goalies to drop to their knees, even playoff systems,” Beck said. “Those rules are still in use today.”
The BC Sports Hall of Fame preserves that history with artifacts ranging from Lester Patrick’s skates to hand-carved mini sticks given to fans during the 1925 Stanley Cup final, and a massive hand-painted frame with individual player portraits from the Cougars’ championship team.
"It’s one of one,” Beck noted about the hand-painted frame. “We brought it up for the 100th anniversary, and people were amazed by it.”
In March, the City of Victoria celebrated the Cougars during their centennial festivities.
They were the last non-NHL team, and the last franchise from British Columbia, to win the Stanley Cup. Through their transformation into the Detroit Red Wings, their legacy lives on in one of hockey’s most iconic franchises, now preparing to mark 100 years of history.
Led by a young core featuring Moritz Seider, Dylan Larkin, and Lucas Raymond, alongside legendary forward Patrick Kane, the Red Wings will open their centennial season on Oct. 9 against the Montreal Canadiens, aiming to end a nine-year playoff drought.
