Introduction
In 1896 (128 years ago) the Western Pennsylvania Hockey League (WPHL) was created. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the league became the pre-eminent ice hockey league in the United States, the first outside of Canada. It was also the first league to openly hire and trade players when it became the first professional Ice Hockey league.
The WPHL played its first season in 1896–97 at the Casino, with four teams – the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, the Duquesne Country & Athletic Club, Western University of Pennsylvania (the University of Pittsburgh today) and a house team known as Pittsburgh ‘Casino’. Unfortunately on December 16 the Casino rink was destroyed by fire, along with the hockey equipment of most of the teams. The WPHL was forced to take a hiatus without completing their season or having a championship.
The WPHL would not be able to play the following 1897-1998 season either as they did not have a rink to play in. It was two seasons later in 1898-1899 that the league would resume play. The league reconstituted in the newly finished hockey rink at the Duquesne Gardens, after the Schenley Park Casino was destroyed in an 1896 fire that cancelled that first WPHL season. The old venue’s in-house, Pittsburgh Casino team, was not reformed and only three teams played in the league. 1899 was Season 1 of play for the Western Pennsylvania Hockey League (WPHL) and took place 125 years ago.
Classification / Layer
Season Champion
Pittsburgh Athletic Club
# of Teams
3
Season Standings (Overall Champion Challenge Record)
Season Playoffs
There were no championship playoffs as the Champion Challenge system was being used. A team would hold the title of Champion until it was defeated by a Challenger as was done in Boxing. The team holding the title at the end of the season would be declared the overall Champion.
Future Features
