100 years ago, the Victoria Cougars became the last B.C. hockey team to win the Stanley Cup

Jon Azpiri · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 30, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

Sunday marks precisely 100 years since a hockey squad from British Columbia won the Stanley Cup.

On March 30, 1925, the Victoria Cougars of the Western Canada Hockey League defeated the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens 6-1 to clinch their best-of-five series, becoming the past non-NHL squad to rise Lord Stanley's cup. 

Events volition instrumentality spot successful the Victoria country implicit the play to people the anniversary, including the show of the Stanley Cup at the Oak Bay Recreation Centre connected Sunday afternoon. 

Among those successful attendance volition beryllium Bob Miles, whose grand-uncle was Harry "Hap" Holmes, a goaltender who won 4 Stanley Cups with 4 antithetic teams, including the Cougars.

Miles said Holmes's nickname of "Happy" oregon "Hap" was an wrong gag referring to the information that helium ne'er smiled. 

His vocation began astatine a clip when goaltenders weren't allowed to driblet to the crystal to marque a save. He besides utilized pads that were tiny successful examination to those utilized by modern netminders. 

A 1925 nonfiction successful the Saskatoon Phoenix noted that Holmes made his ain pads out of "some canvas, a fewer maple splints, a mates of straps, and a spot of felt."

"A goalie can't beryllium judged by the pads helium wears, but alternatively by the pucks helium stops," Holmes said. 

Holmes didn't deterioration a disguise oregon a helmet, but helium donned a headdress connected the crystal to screen his bald scalp, according to the Hockey News, "because lore has it that his shiny caput made for an casual people for fans who wanted to spit baccy foodstuff connected him."

Cougars' bequest remembered

After the Cougars' victory over the Canadiens, the squad drank champagne ordered from the Empress Hotel, according to a 1995 retrospective published successful the Times Colonist, and the Stanley Cup was enactment on "unguarded display" astatine a jewelry store successful downtown Victoria.

The Cougars, who played their location games successful an arena successful Oak Bay, returned to the Stanley Cup last successful 1926, falling to the Montreal Maroons.

Following the loss, the league dissolved and respective Cougars players were sold to a caller NHL squad successful Detroit that was named the Cougars successful honour of the defunct Victoria franchise, earlier ultimately changing its sanction to the Red Wings.  

LISTEN | Who was the goaltender down the 1925 Stanley Cup win?

Among the players who moved to Detroit was goaltender Holmes, who was posthumously elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame successful 1972. 

Miles hopes for a "loud and proud" solemnisation of the Cougars successful Victoria, thing that would marque his taciturn grand-uncle proud.

"Although his nickname was Happy and helium ne'er smiled, I'm definite helium would beryllium precise blessed to spot the solemnisation going connected this play successful Victoria," helium said.