Hockey Programs

Note: Years ago, I had a post about "White Whales" for programs. A Port Huron Clippers program was one of them. I saw this on eBay last week and grabbed it immediately.        1987-88 AAHL Playoffs Clippers vs. Danville Fighting Saints      The 1980s were a bit of a "lost decade" for hockey in Port Huron. Following the folding of the IHL's Port Huron Flags in 1981, the city was represented by the Port Huron Jr. Flags from 1981-84. The Jr. Flags were a successful team in its first two seasons, going to the national championship tournament and dominating the Great Lakes Jr. B Hockey League. Their final season was a different story, as the team went 3-42-3 in the much stronger Western Jr. B Hockey League, based out of Ontario. Despite being welcomed back by that league for 1984-85, McMorran Arena folded the Jr. Flags when they could not get permission from USA Hockey to continue playing in that circuit. Other than high school hockey and the occasional sen...

  1977-78 Regular Season Wolverines vs. North Dakota Fighting Sioux      The University of Michigan has had college hockey since 1922-23 and has won nine NCAA National Championships (second most in college hockey). Since 1973, home ice has been at Yost Ice Arena, which currently seats 5800. Dan Farrell was head coach of the Wolverines for his fourth season. The team competed in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).       Michigan was coming off a trip to the 1977 NCAA Championship Game, losing 6-5 to Wisconsin at Olympia Stadium in Detroit. The 1977-78 squad took a step back, finishing 15-20-1 (12-19-1 in conference play). Their 25 conference points put the Wolverines in a three way tie for seventh place in the WCHA (with Minnesota-Duluth and Notre Dame), nine points ahead of last-place Michigan State.       Michigan scored 169 goals that year, 6th-most in the WCHA. They were led by senior center Dave Debol. The Chi...

1974-75 Regular Season Gems vs. Port Huron Flags       The Dayton Gems were in their tenth season of operation in the International Hockey League (IHL) in 1974-75. The franchise had been a success on and off the ice, reaching the Turner Cup Finals four times and winning the Turner Cup twice (1969 and 1970). They had also missed the playoffs just once in their 10 years of play, and that was in their inaugural season. The team had solid support throughout the years, regularly packing the 5,500-seat Hara Arena in the suburb of Trotwood, Ohio.       Longtime minor league left winger Tom McVie was back as head coach, with Bucky Albers as General Manager. The Gems were an affiliate of both the Boston Bruins and expansion Washington Capitals.       The Gems improved on their 1973-74 season (38-35-3) by finishing first in the IHL's South Division with a 46-26-3 record. Their 95 points were 11 points ahead of second-place Columbus and just f...

1954-55 Regular Season Red Wings vs. Boston Bruins      The Detroit Red Wings were in their first Golden Age entering the 1954-55 regular season. The Wings had gone on an unprecedented streak of finishing in first place for six consecutive seasons, starting in 1948-49. Detroit reached the Stanley Cup Finals five times in the previous seven seasons, winning the Cup in 1949-50, 1951-52 and 1953-54. The team was loaded with talent in the both the major league roster and in the farm system.      General Manager Jack Adams was back as GM for his 27th season, while Jimmy Skinner was in his first season as head coach. Home games were played at 11,563-seat Olympia Stadium.       1954-55 was similar to the previous six seasons, as the Red Wings finished first overall once again, with a 42-17-11 record. However, arch-rival Montreal was closing the gap on the Wings, as the Canadiens finished just two points behind them in the standings. An overflow...

2018-19 Regular Season Red Wings vs. Montreal Canadiens      The Detroit Red Wings were in the early stages of a long-overdue rebuild in 2018-19. Years of attempting to extend their playoff streak (which reached 25 years) and poor drafting had left the farm system depleted and the roster burdened with bloated contracts. Due to these issues, the team had missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the past two seasons. The Wings played their home games at the 19,515-seat Little Caesar's Arena. Ken Holland was in his 22nd (and final) season as General Manager, while Jeff Blashill was in his fourth season as head coach.       The Wings continued their decline and slow rebuild in 2018-19, finishing with a 32-40-5-5 record. Their 74 points put them in 7th place in the Atlantic Division, 10 points ahead of last-place Ottawa but 54 points behind first-place Tampa Bay. Despite the record, attendance was at 19,121 per game, fifth-highest in the league.    ...

2024-25 Game Program      The Flint Firebirds completed their 10th season of operation in the Ontario Hockey League, playing it's home games out of the 4,021-seat Dort Federal Event Center (originally the IMA Sports Arena). The Firebirds trace their history back to 1990, as the Detroit Compuware Ambassadors. Head Coach Paul Flache returned behind the bench, and Dave McParlan was General Manager.       After a rocky start in their inaugural season, the Firebirds have stabilized both on and off the ice. The team has qualified for the postseason five times in nine years (the 2020 playoffs and 2020-21 season were canceled due to COVID-19) and attendance has steadily increased.      Flint finished the 2024-25 season with a mediocre 29-34-2-3 record, third place in the West Division. Their 63 points were 16 behind second-place Saginaw and 1 point ahead of the Soo Greyhounds. Average attendance climbed to 3,185 per game, the highest for the fra...

1992-93 Regular Season Smoke vs. Thunder Bay Thunder Hawks       The Brantford Smoke were in their second season of operation in the Colonial Hockey League (also in it's second season). The team operated out of the 3600-seat Brantford Civic Center, former home of, among other teams, the OHL's Brantford Alexanders. Doug Robertson was General Manager while Ken Mann was head coach. The team was a secondary farm club of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames.      In their inaugural season, the Smoke were 34-22-4, just three points back of first place Michigan. Brantford then lost in 6 games to the eventual Colonial Cup Champion Thunder Bay Thunder Hawks in the semifinals.       Brantford cruised to first place in their sophomore season, finishing with a 39-18-3 record. Their 81 points were five better than the second-place Detroit Falcons (formerly Michigan Falcons). Off the ice, the Smoke averaged 1,745 fans per game, fourth in the Col...