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Adirondack Red Wings (AHL, 1982-83)

1982-83 Regular Season--Wings vs. Maine Mariners
     The Adirondack Red Wings were back for their fourth season of play in 1982-83. They were still the primary farm team of the Detroit Red Wings and now owned by Red Wings owner Mike Illitch. Jimmy Devellano, also Detroit's GM, served as AHL Wings' GM that season. Original GM Ned Harkness was gone by then, pushed out of both the AHL Wings and the Glens Falls Civic Center. Jack Kelley was the new GM of the arena and Adirondack's Director of Operations. They had yet another new coach, with Bill Mahoney this time behind the bench.
     Adirondack had another mediocre season in '82-83, finishing 36-39-5, good enough for fourth place. Their 77 points were just two ahead of Moncton and 21 behind first-place Fredericton. Despite another so-so year, Adirondack had another strong season at the gate, averaging 4,872 per game, third-best in the AHL.
     The Wings finished eighth in overall offense, scoring 329 goals. The team was led by returning forward Ted Nolan, who scored 24 goals to go along with 64 points. Six other players scored 20 or more goals, including Bobby Crawford's team-best 28.
     Adirondack struggled on the other side of the puck. Their 343 goals allowed were fourth-highest in the AHL that season. The Wings used five goaltenders that season. Larry Lozinski and Claude Legris each played 32 games that season, leading the team. Lozinski sported a 13-15-2 record with a 4.49 GAA, but did notch three shutouts. Legris had an 11-12-2 record with a 4.21 GAA and two shutouts. The Wings also used NHL veterans Gilles Gilbert and Jim Rutherford, who played briefly with Detroit that season. Rounding out the goaltending corps was Corrado Micalef, who also played 34 games with Detroit.
     Adirondack again made the playoffs that season, and again didn't last too long. They drew the first-place Fredericton Express in the first round best-of-seven series. The Wings put up a fight, but fell to the Express in six games. Two of the games went to overtime, and the teams each scored 23 goals in the series.
Mahoney would be let go after the season in favor of Bill Dineen.
     This is another nice Wings program. It has 84 pages, mostly black-and-white but numerous color photos as well. The "First National Red Wing of the Night" was Brad Smith, a winger that spent time in the NHL with Vancouver, Atlanta/Calgary and Detroit before joining Adirondack. That season's Red Wing roster included a mixture of grizzled veterans and youngsters, a format that would keep Adirondack competitive and provide leadership for the young prospects. Their opponents for the night, the Maine Mariners, included future NHLers Bob Froese, John Paddock, Dave Brown and Len Hachborn.


Sources:
AHL Statistics: 1982-83 (from hockeydb.com)
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