Portland Rosebuds

The Portland Rosebuds are a historic hockey team not only on the west coast but to American hockey in general. They began play in 1912 in British Columbia as the New Westminster Royals, as part of the PCHA, which was a professional league out west. The PCHA was started by the famous Patrick family, and became recognized as a professional league alongside the NHA and teams from the league were able to compete for the Stanley Cup.

After moving to Portland in 1914, the Rosebuds earned the distinction of being the first American-based team to play for the Cup, losing three game to two against Montreal in 1916 (the first of many titles for Montreal). The series went the full five games and actually alternated rules between the two leagues, depending on who was hosting. The Rosebuds did get their name on the Cup anyway as PCHA champions, earning another distinction as the only team to get on the Cup without winning it outright. The original Rosebuds would fold after the 1917-18 season. The Rosebuds were resurrected for one season, 1925-26, which would be both their last and the last of the league they played in, the Western Hockey League (WHA). That league would fold and sell its players to the NHL. For $100,000, or about $1.4 million in today's dollars, Frank Patrick sold the Rosebuds players to the NHL and those players became the basis for the expansion Chicago franchise for the league.