I already covered the Flags/Wings franchise early in this blog, but I wanted to give the '71-72 Wings their own post. I did some research on the Flags/Wings this past Saturday at the St. Clair County Library in Port Huron, browsing through the Times Herald microfilm.
Shortly after winning their second Turner Cup, the Port Huron Flags signed a working agreement with the
1971-72 Regular Season--Wings vs. Dayton Gems |
Garvin's new-look Wings finished the 1971-72 season in second place, with a 37-31-4 record. Their 78 points put them 11 points ahead of third place Flint, but 22 behind Huber Trophy-winning Muskegon. Despite the second-place finish and coming off a championship the previous year, the Wings averaged just 1800 fans per game.
The Wings had the fifth-best offense in the IHL that season, scoring 276 goals. They were led by Len Fontaine, who had 41 goals and 86 points in 70 games. Don Grierson led the team in goals with 44. Four other Wings scored at least 20 goals that year.
Port Huron was also fifth-best in goals against that year, allowing 262 red lights. The team used four different goaltenders that year. George Hulme and Brian Cropper were the main netminders that season, playing in nearly the same amount of games that year. Cropper played the majority of games in the postseason.
Back-to-Back Champs: 1971-72 Port Huron Wings |
In the Turner Cup Finals, the Wings faced the Muskegon Mohawks, the top team in the league, who made quick work of the Dayton Gems in the semifinals. The Mohawks were heavily favored, but Port Huron stunned the critics by jumping out to a 3-1 series lead. Muskegon won Game 5 at home, 5-1, to force a Game 6 in Port Huron.
A city record crowd of 3,582 packed McMorran Arena for Game 6, the Wings' third sellout that
From the Times Herald microfilm at St. Clair Library |
Commissioner Bill Beagan, during the Turner Cup presentation, called Port Huron "The Green Bay of the International Hockey League". Sutherland, Brinkworth, Charlie Shaw and Larry Klewchuck paraded the Turner Cup around McMorran ice. Wings fan Walt Gierman, in turn, paraded goalie Brian Cropper (pads and all!) around the ice.
Decent program at 29 pages. All of them, of course, are black-and-white. There are some game pictures, and articles about each team in the IHL that year. There's also a letter from Morris Snider, the Wings' GM, and an article from Wings Coach Ted Garvin. Local advertisements include Chick n' Joy, Bob Bair Chevrolet and London's Dairy. The Snoopy cartoon, strangely, is for an upcoming event at the Detroit Olympia, not McMorran Arena. There is also a flyer for an upcoming Wings-Komets game, in which "over 500 pounds of turkey will be given away between the second and third periods". Can't argue with that!
From the Times Herald Microfilm at St. Clair Library |
Pretty cool pictures and articles I found. I was able to get the results for most of the Flags/Wings programs I own. Not this program though, as there was no date. Might have to go check the archives out again.
Sources:
International Hockey League Statistics: 1971-72 (from hockeydb.com)
"A Night to Remember", Port Huron Wings 1972-73 Season Magazine, Author Unknown.
Walker, Joe. "Full House (Plus Rooster) See PH Wings Win It All". Times Herald, April 18, 1972. (from the Times Herald microfilm archive, St. Clair Library, Port Huron)
"Can This Really Be Happening?". Times Herald, April 18, 1972 (picture and caption from the Times Herald microfilm archive, St. Clair Library, Port Huron)
"Can This Really Be Happening?". Times Herald, April 18, 1972 (picture and caption from the Times Herald microfilm archive, St. Clair Library, Port Huron)
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