Hockey Programs

1992-93 Regular Season Smoke vs. Thunder Bay Thunder Hawks       The Brantford Smoke were in their second season of operation in the Colonial Hockey League (also in it's second season). The team operated out of the 3600-seat Brantford Civic Center, former home of, among other teams, the OHL's Brantford Alexanders. Doug Robertson was General Manager while Ken Mann was head coach. The team was a secondary farm club of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames.      In their inaugural season, the Smoke were 34-22-4, just three points back of first place Michigan. Brantford then lost in 6 games to the eventual Colonial Cup Champion Thunder Bay Thunder Hawks in the semifinals.       Brantford cruised to first place in their sophomore season, finishing with a 39-18-3 record. Their 81 points were five better than the second-place Detroit Falcons (formerly Michigan Falcons). Off the ice, the Smoke averaged 1,745 fans per game, fourth in the Col...

1980-81 Regular Season Flags vs. Flint Generals      The Port Huron Flags were in their 19th season of operation in the International Hockey League, the third-oldest franchise in the league (behind Fort Wayne and Muskegon). Despite low attendance and rising financial losses, the Flags were one of the more competitive franchises in the IHL, making the postseason four of the past five years, including a Turner Cup Finals berth in 1978 and a North Division championship in 1979. Home games were played at McMorran Arena. Former Michigan Wolverines assistant Doug Hinton returned for his second season as Flags coach, while Morris Snider was general manager. The Flags were a farm club of the St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals.      Port Huron went through 35 players in 1980-81, as the team constantly battled injuries and limped to a 31-35-16 record. Their 78 points were good enough for second place in the North Division, six points ahead of thi...

  1976-77 Regular Season: Flags vs. Saginaw Gears      The Port Huron Flags were in their fifteenth season of operation in the International Hockey League in 1976-77. The team was coming off a surprise run to the 1976 Turner Cup Finals, where they lost to the Dayton Gems in four straight. Former Flag Bob McCammon returned as head coach, while Morris Snider was back as general manager. The Flags were a secondary affiliate of the New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues.       1976-77 was a big step backward for the team, both on and off the ice. The Flags slumped to a 27-43-8 record, dead last in the league. Their 62 points were nine points back of the next-worst team, the Columbus Owls. Off the ice, the Flags lost $150,000 on the season, putting the franchise's future in jeopardy.       Port Huron scored the fewest goals in the IHL in 1977, with just 268. The team's leading scorer was Larry Gould, with 35 goals and 106 points. The Flags...

     Programs have all sorts of interesting parts, from articles to statistics and player bios. One thing I scanned recently was the United Hockey League's directory from my 2001 Port Huron Border Cats program. I'll post the image, and then write whether each city still has a team. As of 2000-01, the UHL had 17 member teams, two of which were scheduled to arrive in 2001-02. In 2007, the UHL rebranded as the International Hockey League. Here's a breakdown of the league: 1. Adirondack Icehawks -- The Icehawks arrived from Winston-Salem in 1999, and remained in Glens Falls, NY, until 2006. The city is currently home to the ECHL's Adirondack Thunder, who have been in town since 2015. 2. Asheville Smoke-- The Smoke arrived from Brantford in 1998, and lasted in Asheville until 2002. The Asheville Aces lasted one season (2004-05) and folded. That was the last hockey team to call Asheville, NC, home. 3. BC Icemen --The Icemen were a 1997 expansion team, replacing the AHL's ...

1976-77 Regular Season Mohawks vs. Flint Generals       The Muskegon Mohawks were in their 17th year of operation in the International Hockey League. The team was coming off a fourth place finish in 1975-76 (34-31-13) and first round playoff loss to the Saginaw Gears. Former Muskegon Zephyr Morris "Moose" Lallo returned as General Manager, while his former teammate, Brian McLay was hired as head coach. Home games were played at 5,112-seat LC Walker Arena. The Mohawks were a secondary affiliate of the New York Islanders.      The Mohawks stumbled to a 17-20-7 start, leading to Lallo returning behind the bench to finish the season. Muskegon wound up back in fourth place, with a 31-36-11 record. Their 73 points were 11 ahead of last place Port Huron, but 18 behind the first place Saginaw Gears. The Mohawks would wind up with the third-worst record in the IHL that year.       Muskegon scored the second-fewest goals in the IHL in 1976-77, lig...

2000-01 Regular Season: Border Cats vs. Muskegon Fury      The Port Huron Border Cats were in their fifth season of play in the United Hockey League since relocating from Fraser in 1996.  The team was successful on the ice and in the box office. The Cats were one of the better teams in the UHL during their run, and had were drawing over 2500 per game in each of the previous four seasons of play, some of the highest averages in Port Huron hockey history.      However, trouble was brewing behind the scenes. Owner Mostafa Afr had attempted to renegotiate his lease at, then later try to buy McMorran Arena, to no avail. After this failed, Afr announced plans to build a new 5,000-seat stadium, Kimball Entertainment and Sports Arena, near an outlet mall in the Port Huron suburb. Unfortunately, construction was halted in 2000 when finances dried up. The Border Cats were planning on moving into the new arena during the 2000-01 season, but the halt left the team...