The Great WHL Adventure #2: Regina Pats

The second stop in my quest to see every WHL team play in their home arena heads south to the province's capital and see the oldest junior hockey team in the world.

One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about going to hockey games is getting the opportunity to “talk hockey.” I love talking about prospects and their potential, discussing trades, and wondering which player a team should draft. However, although I know a lot of hockey fans, not many like digging deeper beyond the standings and their favourite teams. That can’t be said about Spencer, though. When we met in college, we both realized that we were both way into hockey, and that led to a friendship that continued after graduation. So, when I started putting together my plan to see every WHL team, I knew that when I went to Regina, he had to be the one I went with.

If this is your first time joining me, welcome! I’m currently trying to see all 22 WHL teams play in their home arenas. Junior hockey has played a big part in making me a hockey fan today, and after seeing how every game I went to was a different experience, I decided to blend my love of hockey and travel together to relieve some old memories and find some new hidden gems. And, of course, I’ll be sharing each step of the journey here. Check out the first episode below:

The Great WHL Adventure: Starting Out in Saskatoon

Getting to a Regina Pats game wasn’t a problem; living in Saskatoon, it’s just a 2.5-hour trip to the south on a pretty good highway. The tricky part was going to be scheduling. Spencer didn’t want to catch just any game (I’d learn why later), he wanted to see the Brandon Wheat Kings and more specifically, Nate Danielson, who was his favourite team’s most recent first-round draft pick. I wanted to catch a Sunday afternoon game so I could make the round trip in one day and not drive in the dark. Miraculously, two dates fit both our requirements, so we decided to pick the earlier date in November instead of waiting until April, and with that, the second stop on my journey was set.

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Pats History

The Regina Pats were founded in 1917 as the Regina Patricias, making them the world's oldest continuously operating major junior hockey team, a record the club holds proudly. However, I don’t think that claim is entirely honest since they haven’t always been the Pats. 

The Patricias took their name from the popular royal, Princess Patricia, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria and the namesake of the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry Regiment that fought during the First World War. It was a common practice to name a sport’s team after popular figures of the time; just ask Winnipeg, Regina, Toronto, and Montreal, who all had a senior team named the Victorias in the 1910s. However, by 1923, Regina’s junior team decided to simply go by the more popular nickname, the Pats.

Despite the catchiness of the name, they didn’t stick with it, changing to the Monarchs in 1927-28 after the team merged with the Regina Falcons. After a single season, though, the team was back to the Pats, as the name had already formed its own identity. Since adopting the nickname, Regina won six Abbott Cups, more than any other team, along with Memorial Cups in 1925 and 1930. Under any other name, they only once.