Prairie Hockey League
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The Prairie Hockey League (PHL) was a Canadian minor-professional hockey league in Alberta and Saskatchewan that was created following the demise of the Western Hockey League in 1926. It operated for two seasons.
The creation of the league was announced in February 1926, with teams in Regina, Moose Jaw, Brandon, and Winnipeg. By the time the first season began, Brandon and Winnipeg had dropped out. Five WHL teams—the Calgary Tigers, Edmonton Eskimos, Saskatoon Sheiks, Regina Capitals, and the Moose Jaw Warriors—played in the league's first season. Leading the PHL was president E.W. Seaborn of Moose Jaw. In the first season, the Calgary Tigers were declared the league champions when the Saskatoon Sheiks refused to continue their playoff series after complaining about the officiating in the first game. The Tigers won the game 2-1. The Tigers played the Winnipeg Maroons of the American Hockey League for the Merchants Casualty Cup, presented to the top professional team in the west. During the season, there had been rumours that games in the PHL had been fixed, but Seaborn believed the league had the confidence of the public by the end of the year.
At a meeting in May 1927, Seaborn said that he expected all five teams to return for the next season, and that the league might expand into Brandon, Manitoba. But, as it turned out, Calgary and Edmonton dropped out after one year and no new team was admitted to the league. The Moose Jaw team was renamed the Moose Jaw Maroons. The league folded after the 1927-28 season.
[edit] Franchises
- Calgary Tigers (1926-1927)
- Edmonton Eskimos (1926-1927)
- Moose Jaw Warriors (1926-1927), Moose Jaw Maroons (1927-1928)
- Regina Capitals (1926-1928)
- Saskatoon Sheiks (1926-1928)
