Pacific Coast Hockey Association

sports organization

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July 1, 2026

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The Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) was a professional ice hockey league formed in 1911 by Joseph and Frank Patrick. It was a rival to the National Hockey Association (NHA), the precursor to the NHL. The PCHA introduced several innovations that improved the game, including allowing goalies to dive, dividing the ice into three zones with blue lines to change the offside rule, and introducing the concept of assists. They also were the first league to use numbered uniforms. The league faced challenges during World War I, and in 1926, the Patrick family sold their teams to the NHL, contributing to the league's expansion into the United States.12

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Patrick family
…Patrick, a lumberman, formed the Pacific Coast League. They built the first enclosed ice rinks at Vancouver and Victoria; at the time, the Vancouver rink was one of the largest buildings in Canada, seating 10,000. In that league the Patricks introduced many practices that later became standard: allowing the goalie…
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…Patrick, a lumberman, formed the Pacific Coast League. They built the first enclosed ice rinks at Vancouver and Victoria; at the time, the Vancouver rink was one of the largest buildings in Canada, seating 10,000. In that league the Patricks introduced many practices that later became standard: allowing the goalie…
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ice hockey
League rivalries
In 1911 the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) was formed by Joseph Patrick and his sons, who built two enclosed artificial-ice arenas, beginning a boom in the construction of artificial-ice rinks.
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In 1911 the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) was formed by Joseph Patrick and his sons, who built two enclosed artificial-ice arenas, beginning a boom in the construction of artificial-ice rinks.
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