Mystery Hockey Photo, Vancouver Lions 1930


Looking through the Vancouver City Archives I found this great photo titled simply, Vancouver Lions 1930. The Lions were members of the Pacific Coast Hockey League from 1928 to 1931, playing out of the Denman Arena in Vancouver. They won the league championship all three seasons before the league disbanded in 1931. Interestingly, this year's squad was coached by Guy Patrick, the lesser-known brother of Hall of Famers Frank and Lester Patrick. Guy never played the game in any discernible manner, but was the arena manager for the family's Denman Street facility. In addition to coaching and managing various versions of the Vancouver Lions he had coached the female Vancouver Amazons in 1922 and would eventually marry one of the players, Kathleen Carson. 
Guy Patrick
Using the database of the Society of International Hockey Research I was able to identify each player in the team photo which includes many future NHLers.

Back Row, Left to Right;

Lorne Carr was 19 years old and the Lions were his first pro team after starring with the junior Calgary Canadians. Carr of course would go on to star in the NHL scoring 426 points in 580 games. He was a first team All-Star with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1943 and 1944 scoring 36 goals in 50 games in 1943-44.

Sam McAdam was 22 this season and actually played five NHL games with the New York Rangers in this 1930-31 campaign. This would be his only stint in the big-time as he played until 1944 mainly in the North West Hockey League and the Pacific Coast Hockey League.

Gord Pettinger was the relative giant on the team standing a full 6 feet tall. The 19 year old was also in his first professional season after a pair of Memorial Cup appearances with his hometown Regina Pats. The lanky Centre would go on to play 292 NHL games with the Rangers, Bruins and Red Wings with his best season coming in 1938-39 when he tallied 25 points in 48 games for Boston.

Frank Jerwa led the Lions in scoring in this his third year with the squad, scoring 16 points in 32 games. The 21 year old would make the jump to the NHL with the Bruins the following campaign. In all he played 81 NHL matches collecting 27 points.

Robert Sanderson would have one of the shorter careers of the Lions pictured here. 25 at the time, he would hang up the blades by 1932, never having reached the NHL.

Ralph Blyth was another who never played in the NHL but he managed to carve out a nice career in the North West until 1946. In 578 mostly PCHL games he played everywhere from Calgary, Edmonton and Portland to Seattle, Spokane and New Westminster. While with Seattle in 1944 he scored a PCHL record three goals in a 46 second span.

Chuck Dunn was another relative giant at 5 foot, 11 inches and 160 pounds. He never played in the NHL, retiring with the Edmonton Eskimos in 1935.

Front Row, Left to Right;

Jimmy Arnott was 23 at the time of the photo and would play in nearly every game of the three year existence of this incarnation of the Vancouver Lions.

Percy Jackson the 24 year old goaltender posted 28 shutouts over the three seasons of these Vancouver Lions. He would get spot duty in the NHL over the next six years playing seven games for the Bruins, Rangers and New York Americans. He won only one game and posted a Goals Against Average of 3.98 in his NHL career.

Doug Brennan was an elder statesman on this Lions squad at 27 years old. The 180 pound defender was a stalwart on the blueline over the Lions three year tenure. The following year he jumped to the NHL and played the next three seasons with the New York Rangers. Two separate suspensions for striking an official may explain his career ending in 1936. 


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