1983/84 was one of the craziest seasons in Victoria Cougars' history. On February 1st, they were the ninth-best team in Canada and held firm control of second place in the West Division. Over the next fifty days later, they plummeted to fifth place. For the first time in ten years, the Cougars failed to make the playoffs. In this post, we look at key games, a coaching change and all the drama surrounding the 1983/84 season. COACHING STAFF Dave Andrews returned for his second

Going into the 1978/79 season, the Victoria Cougars were seen as a team on the rise. The club had a talented pool of young prospects led by second-year coach Jack Shupe. Fans began returning to Memorial Arena as season tickets reached the 700 mark, up 250 from 1977-78. Although there was optimism, the Cougars had to find a way to defeat the New Westminster Bruins. In the previous four playoffs, they were eliminated by New Westminster, who went on each time to win the Western

The Cougars' inaugural year in 1971-72 saw a mid-season coaching change and a revolving door of new players. Thirty-nine different players dressed for Victoria during their first season. Although the club only managed 18 wins, most games were close as they lost 19 one-goal decisions. As the Cougars prepared for the 1972-73 season, the personnel changes continued with nobody from last season’s opening game roster still with the club. 1972-73 was a rough year for the organizati

Photo: The Daily Colonist 1976-77 was a rebuilding year for the Cougars as first-year rookies made up half the roster. Even though owner/general manager/coach Pat Ginnell never had a losing season in his career, the young Cougars squad was not expected to compete in a strong west division with New Westminster, Portland and Kamloops. In the Brandon Sun's Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) season preview, Bruce Penton predicted the Cougars would finish last. However, the bigge

1977 marked a new beginning for the Victoria Cougars franchise. Pat Ginnell, Owner/Coach/GM, left the Cougars and sold his majority interest to Vancouver businessman Ray Harambourne. One of the first moves of the new ownership group was the hiring of Bob Briscoe as General Manager. Briscoe was a former Cougars scout and interim coach during the 1972-73 season. At the introductory press conference, Briscoe said Andy Hebenton, who played 26 seasons of pro hockey, including five

You knew it was going to be a strange year when the mayor of Victoria climbed into the Cougars bench to demand coach Pat Ginnell stop the “mindless animal behaviour” in the first game of the season. 1975-76 was the most controversial year in Cougars franchise history. There were numerous controversial incidents throughout the season. The Cougars had players walking out on the team, two coaching changes, numerous violent brawls, player suspensions and assault charges. Coming o

Disappointment was the best description of the Cougars' first two years in the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL). In 1972/73, they finished the season with only thirteen wins, five less than the eighteen win total from their inaugural season. Fans were getting impatient, as they were used to watching successful Cougars teams when they were in the BC Junior Hockey League (BCJHL). Going into their third year, General Manager Eric Bishop made numerous trades in an attempt to c

After going through four coaches in three years, Pat Ginnell brought stability. In 1974/75, they were the surprise team in the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) as they not only made the playoffs for the first time, they finished first overall. Their record of 47 wins and 99 points placed them eleven points ahead of second-place Medicine Hat. In the previous three years, the Cougars were often intimidated and pushed around, so Ginnell demanded a more physical style. To add