ABOUT THIS SITE
This site is dedicated to the Patricks of hockey fame, primarily brothers Lester and Frank.
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While much has already been written about them, a great deal of their story remains inaccurately told or has not been told at all. There is still much to learn about this fascinating family.
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I live in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, where the Patricks made a fortune in forestry from 1907-11 and used the proceeds from the sale of their company and sawmill to create the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, Western Canada’s first professional hockey league.
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Seven Patrick family members over four generations have won the Stanley Cup:
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• Lester with Montreal in 1906 and 1907 as a player, with Victoria in 1925 as manager-coach, and with New York in 1928, 1933, and 1940 as a player-coach, coach, and general manager;
• Frank with Vancouver in 1915 as a manager-coach;
• Lester’s sons Lynn and Muzz with New York in 1940 as players;
• Lynn’s son Craig with Pittsburgh as general manager in 1991 and 1992 (he also won a gold medal as assistant coach of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team);
• Muzz’s son Dick with Washington as president in 2018;
• Dick’s son Chris with Washington as director of player personnel in 2018.
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Three of the above named have won the Lester Patrick Trophy, presented since 1966 for outstanding contributions to hockey in the United States: Lynn (1989), Craig (2000), and Dick (2012).
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From 1974 to 1993, the NHL also had a Patrick Division, named in honour of Lester.
Four Patricks are in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Lester and Frank were inducted in 1947 and 1958, respectively. Lynn was inducted posthumously in 1980 and Craig was inducted as a builder in 2001.
Additionally, Craig’s brother Glenn played in the NHL and WHA and another brother, Lester, was general manager of a WHA franchise that failed to launch. Glenn’s son Curtiss also played in the AHL and ECHL.
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The Patricks were women’s hockey pioneers as well. Lester and Frank’s sisters Dora and Cynda played for a team in Nelson. Brother Guy manged the Vancouver Amazons in the 1920s (which the Patricks owned) and married one of the star players, Kathleen Carson.
While the Patrick legacy touches the sporting history of Montreal, New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, Washington, Brandon, Edmonton, Renfrew, Seattle, Spokane, and Portland, this blog is primarily devoted to the Patricks’ time in BC, namely Nelson, the Slocan Valley, Vancouver, Victoria, and New Westminster.
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It looks at extended family members who have not received their due, little-known business ventures, sites associated with the Patricks, and myths and folklore that surround them. I also delve into PCHA history.
Email me at gregnesteroff@yahoo.ca and visit my other blog, https://kutnereader.com, for more on the history of the West Kootenay/Boundary.
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