Know the Pats!
Who are the Regina Pats?
As most of you will know, the Regina Pats were established over one hundred years ago.
On October 30, 1917, the Pats were born. The official announcement appeared on page 16 of the November 2nd Regina Morning Leader.
The Pats first laced up their skates for a game on December 21st, in which they scored five unanswered goals in a 5-2 victory over the Regina Victorias at the Arena.
1917-18 Regina Pats
What’s in a name?
The Pats were originally known as the Patricia Hockey Club or Patricias.
The name comes from Princess Patricia of Connaught, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria and daughter of the Duke of Connaught. The Pats are also associated with the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry.
In their first season, they joined the other royally named Victorias and Monarchs as the Regina clubs.
Players
1,265 skaters and 168 goalies have played in at least one regular season or playoff game in franchise history. If you add that up, that makes it 1,433 players and counting.
Pats in the NHL
Of those 1,433 skaters for the Pats, 166 have gone on to play in the National Hockey League. The first was L.J. “Duke” Dutkowski, who skated for the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1926-27 season. Ryker Evans is the most recent Pat graduate to suit up for an NHL club, as he joined the Seattle Kraken this past season.
Speaking of the NHL, since the league brought in the draft, there have been 128 Pats drafted. Two players had their names called in two different drafts. If you were to count them, the number would increase to 130.
Ron Snell, 1967-68
Ron Snell was the first Pat selected in an NHL draft when he was selected 14th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1968 Amateur Draft.
Fittingly, current Pats captain Tanner Howe was the most recent NHL draft pick. He was also a Penguins selection (46th overall).
Twenty-five of those selections have been first-round picks. Three of them were first overall selections: Greg Joly (1974, Washington), Doug Wickenheiser (1980, Montreal), and Connor Bedard (2023, Chicago) had their names called first in the draft.
Greg Joly, 1973-74
Doug Wickenheiser, 1979-80
Does anyone remember the World Hockey Association? For those of you who are old enough to remember the WHA, 17 Pats alumni had their names called in the WHA drafts (from 1973 to 1977).
Games
When the Pats play their 19th game in the upcoming season, they will have played their 5,000th regular season game. As it stands, the team has played 4,981 regular season games in their history, winning 2,519 of them. They have also played 852 playoff games.
When you combine those numbers, the Pats have played 5,833 games.
Championships
The Pats and the Memorial Cup have a history together.
In 1919, the Pats defeated the Winnipeg Lutherans in the Abbott Cup Championship to become the first Western team to challenge for the Memorial Cup. The Pats faced off against Toronto University in the final. The two-game total goal series did not go the Pats’ way. They became the first Memorial Cup finalists.
Regina Pats 1924-25
Since then, the Pats have won three Memorial Cups. The team won their first championship in 1925. The first championship was a win over Toronto Aura Lee. Five years later, in 1930, the team won their second championship as they beat the West Toronto Nationals. Their most recent championship was in 1974. The Pats rallied to beat the Quebec Remparts 7-4 in the final game. The 1974 team celebrated its 50th anniversary this past season.
Regina Pats 1929-30
Regina Pats Team Photo1973-74
In 1928, the Pats and the Regina Falcons merged forces and created the Regina Monarchs. Those Monarchs won the Memorial Cup over the Ottawa Gunners.
Outside of the Memorial Cup wins and the 1919 loss, the Pats have been finalists eleven other times.
Before 1970, the Pats won the Abbott Cup 11 times. That gave them the honour of representing Western Canada in the Memorial Cup. They were four-time Abbott Cup finalists.
Between 1917 and 1934, the Pats won the provincial title 11 times and were finalists on two other occasions.
The Pats have won twenty-four league championship titles, as well as five times finishing as finalists.
Coaches
Bill Lea was the first person to coach. Brad Herauf is the 43rd, and current, coach. There have been multiple others who have coached games as they filled in for suspensions, world juniors, etc.
Managers
Bill Lea was also the Pats’ first manager. Current Pats general manager Alan Millar is just the 19th in franchise history.
Staff
The Pats have had hundreds of other people who have worked for them. Assistant general managers, assistant coaches, goalie coaches, hockey operations staff, trainers, equipment managers, scouts, stick boys, business staff, communications staff, marketing, and so on.
It is hard to just mention a few people when so many have played a key role in the history of the Pats franchise. Everyone should have the opportunity and the Alumni Association gives them that chance.
Why an alumni association?
It is time that the oldest team in junior hockey had something to recognize the Pats and their legacy and to keep it going into the future.
“The Regina Pats Alumni Program aims to cultivate meaningful connections among former players, coaches, and staff by providing a unified platform for engagement. Our commitment is to revive and uphold the legacy of the world’s oldest junior team, fostering a supportive environment where all alumni can reconnect, collaborate, and thrive together.”
