Fort Wayne Komets (1973-74, IHL)

1973-74 Regular Season: Komets vs. Des Moines Capitols

The Fort Wayne Komets started their 22nd year of play in the International Hockey League (IHL) in the 1973-74 season. The Komets were coming off a Turner Cup championship, as they swept aside the defending champion Port Huron Wings in four straight. The Komets were part of the Pittsburgh Penguins farm system, and were affiliated with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League.
Marc Boileau returned behind the bench, but would be promoted to the Pittsburgh Penguins at midseason. Ted Wright took over for the remainder of the season.
The Komets followed up their Turner Cup season by missing the playoffs in 1973-74. In fact, both finalists from the previous year missed the postseason. The Komets' 31-45-0 record was one point ahead of the Port Huron Wings' 29-44-3 mark. Strange to see two teams in the finals one year and dead last the next.
Fort Wayne struggled on defense this year, allowing a league-worst 345 goals on the year. Komets legend Robbie Irons seemed to have a good year, playing in 47 games and compiling a 3.29 GAA and two shutouts. Irons had two backups that year, Don Atchison and Guy DeNoncourt.
Offense was a letdown for the Komets, as they scored just 245 goals, only ahead of Port Huron in that category. Wayne Ego led the Komets with 79 points, on the strength of 64 assists. Jeff Abbot led the team in goals with 31.
No chance for the Komets to defend their title. That night's opponent, the Des Moines Capitols, would go on to win the Turner Cup in six games over the Saginaw Gears.
This program is 38 pages long, all in black-and-white. Page 29 has a seating chart of the Memorial Coliseum, and tickets ranged from $2.00-$4.50. Season tickets ranged from $99.00 (Upper level) to $148.50 (Rinkside). A team photo from last year's Komets team is featured on Page 8. Local advertisements include Viking Sauna, Ted and Tom's Restaurant, DeHaven Chevrolet and Don Ayres Pontiac.

Reference:

International Hockey League Statistics: 1973-74 (from hockeydb.com)

Comments

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...

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...

Chatham Wheels (CoHL, 1993-94)

1993-94 Regular Season Wheels vs. Detroit Falcons The Chatham Wheels were in their second season of play in the Colonial Hockey League. The team was named after the Wheels Inn, a hotel/indoor amusement complex in town that closed in 2009. The Wheels were owned by a group led by Tom Kirkconnell and played their home games at the 3,300-seat Chatham Memorial Arena. The Wheels were coming off a last place finish in 1992-93, going 24-32-4, 12 points back of 6th place Flint. Attendance was brutal as well, as the team drew just 1,174 per game to Memorial Arena. Changes were made, as longtime junior coach Tom Barrett was hired as Head Coach/GM and Governor, replacing Ron Caron. Barrett added veteran talent to the roster, including former Flint Spirits John Vecchiarelli and Brett MacDonald, and former St. Thomas Wildcats goaltender Kevin Butt, to go along with holdover Jim Ritchie. Barrett's moves paid off, as the Wheels surged up...

Hockey Programs

Search This Blog