Portland, Oregon, has an old and rich hockey tradition. The City of Roses was home to six professional hockey teams that took the ice in fi ve different leagues, including two major league clubs. It all started with the Rosebuds (1914–1918), who earned the distinction of being the fi rst UnitedStates–based team to compete for the Stanley Cup. Thetradition continued with a second version of the Rosebuds (1925–1926), the original Buckaroos (1928–1931), a second version of the Buckaroos (1933–1941), the Eagles/Penguins (1944–1951), and the Western Hockey League (WHL) Buckaroos (1960–1974). The WHL Buckaroos won three Patrick Cup titles and iced several minor league hockey legends, including Gordon Fashoway, Guyle Fielder, Don Head, Andy Hebenton, Norm Johnson, Art Jones, Connie Madigan, and Bill Saunders. Several Hockey Hall of Famers—Tommy Dunderdale, George Hay, Dick Irvin, and Moose Johnson—also spent time on Portland teams.
Coauthors Jim Mancuso, an author of several books on minor league hockey, and Scott Petterson, a collector of Portland hockey memorabilia, are both members of the Society for International Hockey Research.