Lester Patrick (1997)

Lester Patrick was the most important influence in the history of hockey in Victoria, Vancouver Island, and both nationally and internationally because of his role in the development of the National Hockey League. Patrick's vision in the early days of the 20th century incorporated a view of the game of hockey that was both entertainment and profit. The Patrick family established the Pacific Coast Hockey League and built the first artificial ice rink in Canada, here in Victoria, in 1911. By 1914, the Stanley Cup became an East West event between the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the older National Hockey Association. Lester would go on to be a driving force in the game of hockey in Canada until his death in 1960. He inaugurated the farm system, originated the playoff system, introduced the concept of changing "on-the-fly" and he engineered the sale of five of the six professional hockey teams in western Canada to the NHL in 1926. Today, one of the NHL's four divisions, the Patrick division, recognizes the outstanding significance of Lester's contributions over nearly half a century.