Nearly a century has passed since a simple family conversation in Nelson, B.C., transformed hockey from a frozen-pond curiosity to a professional league with widespread influence.

It was in the spring of 1911 when Frank Patrick and his brother Lester outlined rules and visionary innovations for a new league, a time that many credit as the true birth of modern-day hockey.

From that discussion — which included their father and lumber tycoon Joseph — Frank and Lester Patrick announced the formation of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association on Dec. 7.

With the blessing of Joseph, the Patrick brothers used the family fortune, worth approximately $340,000, to bankroll the venture.

Prior to the humble beginnings of the PCHA, both brothers were accomplished hockey players at McGill University in Montreal before moving to Western Canada in the early 1900s.

They continued on as teammates during the 1909-1910 inaugural season with the Renfrew Millionaires of the National Hockey Association — the top professional hockey league at the time.

When Lester and Frank started the PCHA in 1911, three teams — the Vancouver Millionaires, the New Westminster Royals and the Victoria Senators — took to the ice for the opening season.

Although the NHA ruled the professional ranks during the early 1900s, its rules restricted the flow of the game. No forward passes or blue-lines existed, goaltenders couldn't fall on the puck and league regulations prevented teams from changing on the fly. The NHA also had no playoff to determine a hockey champion.

The Patrick brothers implemented those missing and now-familiar rules and constructed a state-of-the-art arena in Vancouver for a then-astounding amount of $175,000. An arena in Victoria was also built for the Senators, while New Westminster played out of Vancouver.

The PCHA was also the first league to have players participate with numbers on the back of their sweaters, award assists, add goal creases and employ penalties and the penalty shot.

Jacks of all trades

The Patrick brothers wore many hats with their new league. Aside from his duties as PCHA president, Frank was a star defenceman, coach, manager and owner of the Millionaires. Lester played every position with the Senators and also owned the team.

Never to be intimated by the swagger of their chief rival, Lester and Frank enticed several tops stars of the NHA to play for the PCHA, including stalwarts like Cyclone Taylor and Newsy Lalonde, whose skills perfectly suited the end-to-end actions the league would be renowned for.

The PCHA, which later became the Western Canadian Hockey Association, only lasted 14 seasons, but the influence of the league continued with the formation of the National Hockey League in 1917.

Every rule and innovation the Patrick brothers put into practice was incorporated by the NHL. Lester and Frank also sold their players and franchises to the emerging league, which made up three of the six original teams. Lester’s Victoria club would become the Detroit Red Wings. He was also appointed as the New York Rangers' first general manager.

Another WCHA franchise, the Portland Rosebuds, evolved into the Chicago Blackhawks.

In total, 22 rule changes that were credited to the Patrick brothers remain in the current NHL rulebook. For their contributions, on and off the ice, the Patrick brothers were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Lester Patrick was not only enshrined in 1947 as a player, but since 1966 an award in his name is handed out every year to the honouree’s contribution to hockey in the United States.

Frank Patrick received his Hall of Fame induction in 1958 for his contributions as a builder.

While the Patrick brothers were the first pioneers from the Kootenay region of British Columbia to impact the game of hockey, they are hardly alone.

Here are some other players that have carved out impressive NHL careers, with some fulfilling their dreams by capturing hockey's ultimate prize:

Nelson

Greg Adams: Played 10 years in the NHL with seven teams, scoring 84 goals and 227 points in 545 career games.

Danny Gare: Posted two 50-goal seasons with the Buffalo Sabres and was part of the team that advanced to the franchise's first-ever Stanley Cup final in 1975.

Mike Laughton: Scored a career-best 20 goals with the Oakland Seals during the 1968-69 season.

Pat Price: A first-round pick of the New York Islanders in 1975, Price racked up 261 points with six NHL teams.

Trail

Adam Deadmarsh: A first-round selection of the Quebec Nordiques in 1993, Deadmarsh had a four-year stretch where he scored at least 20 goals and was a member of the Colorado Avalanche's 1996 Stanley Cup championship team.

Dallas Drake: Amassed 459 points with four NHL teams.

Ray Ferraro: Had a career-best 80 points with the New York Islanders during the 1991-92 season.

Shawn Horcoff: His best season came in 2005-06 with the Edmonton Oilers, scoring 73 points en route to a Stanley Cup final appearance.

Barret Jackman: The St. Louis Blues selected the 24-year-old defenceman 17th overall in 1999. In the 2002-2003 season, Jackman finished with a plus 23 rating and was named the Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year) winner.

Cesare Maniago: The popular Maniago spent the bulk of his goaltending career with the expansion North Stars, winning 96 games in nine seasons with Minnesota.

Steve Tambellini: The defensive-minded Tambellini scored 160 career goals in his NHL career. Tambellini is currently the vice president and assistant general manager of the Vancouver Canucks. He was also part of the management team that guided the Canadian men's hockey squad to an Olympic gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Games.

Castlegar

Travis Green: Scored at least 20 or more goals in three seasons during his 15-year NHL career.

Cranbrook

Scott Niedermayer: Won three Stanley Cups with the New Jersey Devils, a Norris Trophy and is one of the best defenceman of his era. Niedermayer also played a key role as a member of the Canadian Olympic gold medal team at the 2002 Salt Lake Games.

Rob Niedermayer: The fifth overall selection by the Florida Panthers was a member of the Anaheim Ducks team that advanced to the Stanley Cup final in 2003.

Bob Murdoch: Posted 172 points in 260 careers games with the California Seals, Cleveland Barons and St. Louis Blues.

Don Murdoch: Scored a career-high 32 goals with the New York Rangers during the 1976-77 season.

Kelowna

Steve Bozek: His finest moment during his 11-year career was notching four goals that helped the L.A. Kings stun the heavily favoured Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs back in 1982.

Grand Forks

Mickey MacKay: One of the top scorers who helped the Vancouver Millionaires win their only Stanley Cup in 1915. MacKay went on to win another Cup with the Boston Bruins in 1929.

Steve Passmore: Drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in 1992 as a goaltender, Passmore played for the Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings during his six-year NHL career.

Rossland

Seth Martin: Best known for backstopping the Trail Smoke Eaters to the 1961 world hockey championship title.