Portland Buckaroos

Lore & Background

The first Portland Buckaroos began play in 1928 as a member of the four-team Pacific Coast Hockey League (PCHL). After the PCHL folded in 1931, the team joined the new North West Hockey League in 1933. In 1936 the Buckaroos rejoined a 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; when it was resurrected in 1944, Portland's team was called the Portland Eagles (known as the Portland Penguins for one season).

In 1960, Portland was granted a franchise in the minor league Western Hockey League (WHL) for its newly built 10,500-seat Memorial Coliseum, and the Buckaroos name was revived. The new team was composed mostly of players and coaches from the New Westminster Royals, including head coach Hal Laycoe. The Buckaroos beat the Seattle Totems in the league championship and won the Lester Patrick Cup in its first season. That 1960–61 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 the early 1970s, the Buckaroos served as a minor league affiliate for a variety of National Hockey League teams, most notably the Los Angeles Kings.

In 1974, the WHL folded and the Buckaroos moved to the semi-professional Western International Hockey League for the 1974–75 season, and then to the startup Northwest Hockey League the next year, but that league did not last a full season.

Reader's Guide

The Portland Buckaroos represent a significant chapter in minor league and semi-professional hockey on the West Coast. The original incarnation from 1928 to 1941 was part of the early development of the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the North West Hockey League, winning two league championships before World War II ended the PCHL. The revival of the Buckaroos in 1960 coincided with the opening of Memorial Coliseum and the team's immediate success—winning the Lester Patrick Cup in its first season—established the franchise as a competitive force in the Western Hockey League. The 1960–61 team's induction into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1990 underscores its lasting recognition. The Buckaroos produced numerous notable players, including multiple award winners such as Art Jones (two-time George Leader Cup for most valuable player and six-time Leading Scorer Award), Don Head (three-time Outstanding Goaltender Award), and Jimmy McLeod (four-time WHL Outstanding Goaltender Award). The team also served as a minor league affiliate for NHL clubs, most notably the Los Angeles Kings. The Buckaroos' move to the Western International Hockey League and then to the short-lived Northwest Hockey League marked the end of the franchise after nearly five decades of intermittent operation.

Did You Know?

• Goaltender Don Head was a three-time WHL Outstanding Goaltender Award winner and the 1960–61 WHL Rookie of the Year.
• Art Jones won the George Leader Cup for most valuable player twice and the Leading Scorer Award six times.
• Defenseman Connie Madigan won the Hal Laycoe Cup for outstanding WHL defenseman.