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.
Pittsburgh officials constructed the Schenley Park Casino in 1895 (129 years ago) which featured the first artificial ice-making plant in North America. The ice was put to use when the WPHL was formed to be one of the main draws for the Winter season.
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 came out of hiatus and resumed league play in 1898 (126 years ago). In the 1901–02 season the league was officially recognized as being the first professional ice hockey league. To fill these professional teams, many business and organizations lured players from Canada with promises of high-paid employment and small cash incentives. At this time all Canadian Hockey Associations were Amateur, and any players who played for the WPHL would not be allowed to play high-level hockey in Canada because they were professional.
In 1904 (120 years ago), the WPHL took hiatus so that the first inter-city professional league could be formed, which was called the International Professional Hockey League (IPHL). The WPHL was suspended with the most skilled players joining the Pittsburgh Professionals and playing in the International Professional Hockey League. When the IPHL folded in 1907 (117 years ago), the WPHL came back out of hiatus once again and played until it folded in 1909 (115 years ago).
Classification / Layer
Amateur (1896-97 to 1900-01) / Professional (1901-02 to 1903-04, 1907-08 to 1908-1909)
Seasons Summary
| Year | Champion | # of Teams |
|---|---|---|
| 1896–97 | On hiatus | 4 |
| 1897-98 | On hiatus | 0 |
| 1898–99 | Pittsburgh Athletic Club | 3 |
| 1899–1900 | Pittsburgh Athletic Club | 4 |
| 1900–01 | Pittsburgh Athletic Club | 4 |
| 1901–02 | Pittsburgh Keystones | 3 |
| 1902–03 | Pittsburgh Bankers | 4 |
| 1903–04 | Pittsburgh Victorias | 4 |
| 1904-05 | On hiatus | 0 |
| 1905-06 | On hiatus | 0 |
| 1906-07 | On hiatus | 0 |
| 1907–08 | Pittsburgh Bankers | 4 |
| 1908–09 | Duquesne Athletic Club | 4 |
League Championship Summary
# of completed seasons: 8
List of teams who won championships sorted by number of championships.
| Team | # of League Championships |
| Pittsburgh Athletic Club | 3 (1899-1901) |
| Pittsburgh Bankers | 2 (1903, 1908) |
| Pittsburgh Keystones | 1 (1902) |
| Pittsburgh Victorias | 1 (1904) |
| Duquesne Athletic Club | 1 (1909) |
League Dissolution & Legacy
The WPHL was the first league to openly hire hockey players and may have been involved in the first trade involving professional hockey players. While as a league, none of its teams would go on to leave a legacy but several of league’s alumni continued to make hockey history on both local and national stage.
The WPHL raided Canada for hockey talent so effectively The league lured players from Canada with promises of high-paid employment and small cash incentives, which was around $30 a week.[12] At this time all Canadian associations were still amateur, and since many of the players had been already expelled from hockey in Canada for being professionals.[13] However, according to Garnet Sixsmith, who played in the league between 1902 and 1909, the players were paid between $10–$15 a week and each were given jobs on the side. Each team, consisted of a manager who was paid a lump sum of money to have a team on the ice. The less money the manager had to pay his players, the more money that manager got to keep.[11] As a result, the Pittsburgh teams were able to get many great players such as future Hall of Famers Alf Smith, Hod Stuart and Riley Hern. These players played for pay in Pittsburgh, eventually forcing the Canadian leagues to go pro in 1907, a development that led directly to the formation of the National Hockey League in 1917.[14]
Within two years of play, professional leagues were now popping up all over Canada and most of the great players went back home for a better pay day, so the IHL folded. It was decided to revive the four team WPHL for the 1907–08 season, which started several weeks before the Canadian leagues, since there were no artificial ice rinks in Canada until 1911.
In 1915, Roy Schooley, a referee in the WPHL, formed the Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets, which won two United States Amateur Hockey Association titles in 1924 and 1925, before morphing into the Pittsburgh Pirates of the NHL. In 1920, Schooley also put together the very first U.S. Olympic ice hockey team. On November 16, 1935, Garnet Sixsmith (one of the first Canadians to play in the WPHL) dropped the ceremonial first puck, honoring the WPHL, at Duquesne Garden, for the inaugural home game of the Pittsburgh Shamrocks of the International Hockey League.
Future Features
