Lester Patrick with sons Lynn and Muzz. |
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.
Victoria's "first lady of golf," Violet Pooley, was introduced to the sport at the age of eight when she caddied for her father at the United Service Macauley Point Course in 1892. By age 15 she was invited to play in the Mixed Foursomes championship. In 1905 Violet won both the British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Ladies Championships. By 1906 she was playing to a "scratch" handicap, a Canadian rarity in those days. She went on to claim the PNGA award on three occasions, the 1909 Oregon State crown and the B.C. title five times. Violet also represented Canada in the 1911 & 1913 British and the 1913 U.S.A. Ladies Championships. As Mrs. Violet Sweeney, she added four more PNGA plus four B.C. Ladies titles between 1920 and 1929. Throughout her career as a player and later, she played a pivotal role in the formation of the Canadian Ladies Golf Association and was the West's representative for a number of years. Violet (Pooley) Sweeny was inducted into the PNGA, B.C.& Canadian Golf Halls of Fame and the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame.
