Portland Rosebuds (ice hockey)
Two Portland teams, one a Stanley Cup finalist, the other sold to Chicago.
The Portland Rosebuds were two separate professional men’s ice hockey teams from Portland, Oregon, both of which played at the Portland Ice Arena. The first Rosebuds made history as the first team based in the United States to contend for the Stanley Cup. The second Rosebuds are remembered because their players formed the core of the Chicago Blackhawks when that NHL franchise was created.
The original Rosebuds began as the New Westminster Royals, a founding team of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association in 1911. Due to low attendance in New Westminster, British Columbia, and the chance to use a larger arena in Portland, the team relocated in 1914 and became the Rosebuds. They won the PCHA championship in 1916 and briefly held the Stanley Cup, but lost it to the Montreal Canadiens in the 1916 final. Their achievement is recorded on a permanent ring of the Stanley Cup, which reads “Portland Ore./PCHA Champions/1915–16.” Portland was the first U.S. city to have a team in a Stanley Cup Final. The team stopped operations in 1918, and the Victoria Aristocrats took their place.
The second Rosebuds came about when the Regina Capitals moved to Portland for the 1925–26 season, which turned out to be the last season of the Western Hockey League. After the WHL folded, Frank Patrick arranged to sell the league’s players to the NHL. The players from the Rosebuds were sold for $100,000 to stock the new Chicago Black Hawks expansion team.
- First team league
- Pacific Coast Hockey Association (1914–1918)
- First team predecessor
- New Westminster Royals
- First team pcha championship
- 1916
- First team stanley cup appearance
- 1916 Stanley Cup Final
- Second team league
- Western Hockey League (1925–26)
- Second team predecessor
- Regina Capitals
- Second team sale price
- $100,000
Lore & Background
The first Portland Rosebuds originated as the New Westminster Royals, an inaugural member of the PCHA in 1911. The team moved to Portland due to poor attendance in New Westminster, British Columbia, and the availability of a larger arena in Portland. In 1916 the Portland Rosebuds won the PCHA championship and briefly held the Stanley Cup, losing it to the Montreal Canadiens in the 1916 Stanley Cup Final. Their win is memorialized on the Stanley Cup as "Portland Ore./PCHA Champions/1915–16" on the 1909 base ring, one of the permanent rings. Portland was the first United States–based team to participate in the Stanley Cup Final. Portland suspended operations in 1918, and were replaced by the Victoria Aristocrats.
The second Rosebuds team was born when the Regina Capitals moved to Portland for the 1925–26 WHL season. This was the final season for the Western Hockey League. When the league folded, the Saskatoon players were sold to form the Montreal Maroons. Frank Patrick then negotiated the sale of the rest of the WHL players to the National Hockey League. The players were to be sold as three teams, one from the Victoria Cougars (who would be sold to Detroit and eventually become the Red Wings), one from the Rosebuds, and a third from the best players from Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. A deal was reached where the players of the Rosebuds were sold for $100,000 to form the new Chicago Black Hawks expansion franchise.
Reader's Guide
The Portland Rosebuds hold a unique place in hockey history as the first American-based team to compete for the Stanley Cup. Their 1916 PCHA championship and subsequent appearance in the Stanley Cup Final marked a significant expansion of the sport's reach beyond Canada. The team's name is permanently engraved on the Stanley Cup, a rare honor for a defunct franchise. The second Rosebuds team, though short-lived, directly contributed to the growth of the National Hockey League. The sale of its players for $100,000 provided the foundation for the Chicago Black Hawks expansion franchise, one of the NHL's Original Six teams. This transaction, negotiated by Frank Patrick, was part of a larger dispersal of Western Hockey League talent that also helped stock the Detroit Red Wings and other NHL clubs. The Rosebuds thus served as a bridge between the early professional leagues of the West Coast and the eventual dominance of the NHL.
Did You Know?
- The first Portland Rosebuds were originally the New Westminster Royals before moving to Portland.
- The second Rosebuds' roster was sold for $100,000 to form the Chicago Black Hawks.
- The 1916 Rosebuds' championship is engraved on the Stanley Cup's permanent 1909 base ring.
More in Defunct Ice Hockey Teams, Part 4 1-24
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