of San Francisco and Hollywood respectively, and Hollywood stars regularly made cameos at games. Attendance in the 2000-4000 range was comparable to most minor league hockey operations of the era, and all games were broadcast on radio (a luxury that even some NHL teams had not yet adopted). However, the unexpected death of Tex Rickard and the economic crash of 1929 brought an end to the notion of major-league expansion to the west coast. Expansion to a 5-team league (two teams in SF and Oakland, one in LA) in 1931 proved to be an ill-fated venture, and by 1933 the league was reduced to only 3 teams. When low attendance forced the Hollywood Millionaires to drop out mid-season in 1933, reducing the schedule from 18 to only 10 weeks, the CPHL was forced to re-organize. While the Millionaires and Sheiks continued professional play the following season in two separate intra-city pro leagues, the concept of professional inter-city hockey in California was not revisited until the early 1940s. Legacy While the league proved only a short-lived venture, it laid the groundwork for the development of ice hockey in California. Rinks built to host professional hockey became a basis for amateur hockey, including the survival of university-based teams which still survive to this day. By the end of the Depression, pro hockey had returned to the region and persisted in various forms until NHL expansion in 1967. The NHL teams located in Southern California bore names (Kings and Seals) which were linked to prominent teams of the 1930s (the amateur LA Monarchs and San Francisco Seals). The CPHL was more often viewed as destination for veteran players close to retirement, than as a developmental league. Still, it produced the occasional up-and-coming talent. Alumni who went on to play in the NHL included Art Giroux, Bud Cook, and Gene Carrigan. Hockey Hall of Famers Jack Walker, Tommy Dunderdale, and Moose Johnson played their final seasons in the California league before retiring. Franchises Hollywood Millionaires Debuted with the league in 1927. They became dormant in 1930. In 1931 they were revived and renamed the Hollywood Stars. In 1932 they returned to their original name of Hollywood Millionaires. They folded on January 28, 1933. Oakland Sheiks Debuted in 1928. Folded with league in 1933. Oakland Checkers A second Oakland team that debuted in 1930 and folded after one season in 1931. Los Angeles Richfields Debuted