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Kalamazoo Wings (IHL, 1993-94)

1993-94 Regular Season:
K-Wings vs. Indianapolis Ice
     The Kalamazoo Wings were celebrating their 20th season in the International Hockey League (IHL) in 1993-94. The Wings were the primary affiliate of the Dallas Stars and wore identical jerseys, with the green, gold and black K-Wing on the chest. The team's ECHL affiliate was the Dayton Bombers.
     Kalamazoo was coming off a rare down season in 1992-93. That year, the Wings missed the Turner Cup Playoffs for the first time since their inaugural season in 1974-75. After stepping in as interim coach last season, GM Bill Inglis hired former Philadelphia Flyers assistant coach Ken Hitchcock as Head Coach for 1993-94. His assistant coach was former Bombers coach Claude Noel, who played in the IHL with the Wings and Toledo Goaldiggers.
     The Wings rebounded to finish in first place in the oddly-named Atlantic Division (no team in that division was farther east than the Cleveland Lumberjacks), with a 48-26-7 record. Their 103 points were 10 points ahead of second-place Fort Wayne and fifth overall in the league, 12 points behind league-best Las Vegas. Attendance improved to 3,840 per game at the 5,113-seat Wings Stadium.
     The 1993-94 K-Wings scored 337 goals, third-most in the IHL. NHL veteran Rob Brown led the Kalamazoo attack, scoring 42 goals and 155 points on the season. Former Red Wing Chris Tancill (41) and ex-Flyers forward Derrick Smith (44) were the other 40-goal scorers on the roster. Rookie Jarkko Varvio chipped in 29 goals in 58 games. 
     Kalamazoo was fifth best in goals allowed, surrendering just 297 goals. The team used four different goaltenders that year, but the main two netminders were former Canucks prospect Troy Gamble and Dallas Stars prospect Mike Torchia. Gamble led the way with 48 games played, posting a 25-13-5 record, a 3.36 GAA and 2 shutouts. Torchia was in net for 43 games, with a 23-12-2 record and a 3.68 GAA. Jeff Levy and Jeff Stolp were the other two netminders. Both Gamble and Torchia saw action in the playoffs.
     Kalamazoo opened the 1994 Turner Cup Playoffs against the Cincinnati Cyclones. Despite finishing second in the Central Division, the Cyclones had a better record than the K-Wings (49-23-9, 107 points). Despite a 5-0 win in Game 3, the Wings went down quickly to Cincinnati in 5 games (best of 7), outscored 21-10 in the process.
     This is a 63-page program, mostly in black-and-white, on glossy paper. That night's opponent was the Indianapolis Ice, the top farm club of the Chicago Blackhawks. There's no date on this program, so I have no idea who won that night. The Ice had a miserable season that year, finishing next to last in the league with a 28-46-7 record. The Ice featured longtime NHL veteran Dave Christian and second-year defenseman Karl Dykhuis, who would go on to a long career in the NHL with Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and Montreal. 
     Pages 30-31 have an article about the Ice being a "stepping stone to the NHL". Kalamazoo Gazette writer Pam Shebest profiled K-Wings defenseman Travis Richards. Richards was a rookie from the University of Minnesota and a ninth round pick by the Stars in 1988. While he only played three games in the NHL, he went on to a long career in the IHL and AHL, mostly with the Grand Rapids Griffins. The "Player of the Game" insert featured Richard Matvichuk, who went on to a long career in the NHL, mostly in Dallas, where he won the 1999 Stanley Cup.
     Local advertisements include Old Kent Bank, Cork 'n Cleaver Beef and Booze Restaurant, WMSH FM 99.3/1230 AM, News 3 TV and Maple Hill Mall. The team had four different radio stations broadcasting games (WFAT 96.5, WQXC 100.9/980 AM, WELL 104.9/1400 AM and WMSH 99.3/1230 AM). The play-by-play broadcasters were Stephen Doherty and former Detroit Tigers announcer Larry Osterman.

References:
International Hockey League Season Statistics: 1993-94, from hockeydb.com

     


 

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