Skip to main content

Toledo Goaldiggers (1977-78, IHL)

1977-78 Regular Season--Opponent Unknown
     The Toledo Goaldiggers joined the IHL as an expansion franchise shortly after the Hornets skipped town. They wisely hired ex-Port Huron Wings coach Ted Garvin as head coach/GM, and made the playoffs in their first season. The Diggers then stormed to the Turner Cup Finals, completing the legendary "Miracle on Main Street" by defeating the Saginaw Gears in seven games to win the Cup in their inaugural season.
     The Toledo Goaldiggers existed from 1974-86, and are considered by many fans to be the glory years of pro hockey in Toledo. By 1977-78, the Diggers were firmly established as a dangerous team in the IHL. They were coming off a seven-game defeat in the Finals to Saginaw, and the Sports Arena was packed on a nightly basis. Ted Garvin's squad were affiliated with the New York Rangers and Cleveland Barons.
     Toledo finished in second place in the South Division, with a solid 34-28-18. Their 86 points were third highest in the IHL that year, 11 points behind division champion Fort Wayne. The Diggers had the third highest offensive output that year, pumping in 331 goals. They were led by IHL veteran Len Fontaine, who played for Garvin in Port Huron. Fontaine scored 34 goals and 88 points that season. Barry Scully led the team in goals that year with 42. Future "Miracle on Ice" member Mike Eruzione chipped in 30 goals and 86 points.
     On defense, the Diggers were in the middle of the pack, allowing 316 goals. The team used five goaltenders, including Tony Piroski, Lindsay Middlebrook and Ted Tucker. Piroski played the majority of the regular season games, but Middlebrook got the nod for the playoffs.
     The Diggers qualified for the postseason again in 1977-78, and faced lowly Milwaukee in round one. Toledo made quick work of the Admirals, shoving them aside in five games (best of seven) to face Fort Wayne in Round Two. The Diggers upset the Komets in five games, outscoring them 26-13 in the series, to advance to the Turner Cup Finals. The Diggers faced the Port Huron Flags, Garvin's old squad, in the finals, and it was a thriller. In a back and forth series, Toledo hung on to win 4-3 in Game Seven to win their second Turner Cup in four years.
     This program came with an insert featuring Goaldiggers forward Greg McPhee. The program is 54 pages thick, with all sorts of ads and article. Local advertisements include Vernors, Schlitz Beer and Crimping Tree Design Hair Cutting. There is no roster sheet, so no idea who the Goaldiggers played in that game. Nice drawing on the front.

Sources:
International Hockey League Statistics: 1977-78 (from hockeydb.com)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Port Huron Hockey: Flags/Wings (1962-81)

Now, on to Port Huron.      Port Huron has had a long, yet checkered, history of pro hockey. The most successful franchise, by far, was the Port Huron Flags (also called Wings for a few years) of the IHL. The Flags were, for the most part, a competitve team on the ice, making the Turner Cup Finals seven times and winning the Cup on three occasions. For three years, (1971-74), the franchise was a farm team of the Detroit Red Wings, and sent numerous players on to the NHL in it's existence. However, the team had problems drawing big enough crowds. While the Flags lasted for nearly 20 years, former GM Morris Snider later admitted that the franchise could have folded three years before it actually did, due to declining attendance. I've found some Flags/Wings programs online over the years, and here's what I have. 1963-64 Regular Season--Flags vs. Windsor       1963-64 was the second year of existence for the Flags. After missing the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Indianapolis Checkers (IHL, 1985-86)

1985-86 Regular Season Checkers vs. Flint Spirits      The Indianapolis Checkers were back for their second season in the IHL after five seasons in the defunct Central Hockey League. The Checkers remained a secondary affiliate of both the New York Islanders and Minnesota North Stars. Larry Woods purchased the Checkers after the 1984-85 season and moved the team to the 15,900-seat Market Square Arena, home of the NBA's Indiana Pacers. The team kept their Islanders-styled uniforms, but changed the logo.      Former Port Huron Flags coach Ron Ullyot was named Coach/GM of the Checkers, and his team greatly improved on their first IHL season. Indy finished with a 41-35-6 mark. They finished last in the very competitive West Division, which had all the teams win at least 40 games. The Checkers' 88 points would have easily taken fourth place in the East.     Indy scored just 296 goals that year, better than only Flint and Toledo. Longtime minor lea...
Post a Comment
Read more

Muskegon Mohawks (IHL, 1965-84)

I know, I said earlier I was going to look at Detroit's minor league teams. That would mean the Vipers would be next, but I decided to cover them later when I had time (I have a TON of programs from that team). Instead, I'm going to look briefly at Muskegon.  Muskegon has had a long, colorful past in professional hockey. It all started in 1960 with the expansion Muskegon Zephyrs of the IHL. Five seasons later, 1965-66, the Zephyrs became the Mohawks, and remain so until 1984-85, when they became the Lumberjacks. The Lumberjacks would remain in town through the 1992-93 season. After that season, the franchise would relocate to Cleveland, Ohio. Here are the Mohawks programs I have, along with a couple bonus scans.        The Mohawks existed from 1965-84, about 20 seasons, and had two vastly different eras of success. From 1965-76, the Mohawks finished above .500 10 times, winning the Huber Trophy (Regular Season Championship) six times and the ...
Post a Comment
Read more