Hockey Programs

Another team that (for some reason) is kinda hard to find online. It took awhile to find a Mariners program, and it wasn't that cheap. 1979-80 Regular Season--Mariners vs. Nova Scotia Voyageurs      The Maine Mariners joined the American Hockey League for the 1977-78 season. They played their home games at the Cumberland County Civic Center, a 6,733-seat arena in Portland, Maine. The franchise was owned by Ed Snider, owner of the Philadelphia Flyers, and was the Flyers' primary affiliate.       Bolstered by the Flyers' prospects, the Mariners were a powerhouse in their first two seasons. They finished first overall both years and won the Calder Cup as well, the only time an AHL team has accomplished that feat. The Mariners were coached by Bob McCammon, who previously coached the Port Huron Flags of the IHL and had a brief stint with the Flyers in 1978-79.      After two straight dominant seasons, the Mariners s...

Norfolk, Virginia--a hockey hotbed to say the least, right? Well, they've had a few teams over the years, and are currently home to the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL. I found this Virginia Red Wings program on eBay a few years back. 1972-73 Regular Season--Wings vs. Rochester Americans      The Virginia Red Wings were an AHL franchise that existed from 1971-75, originally called the Tidewater Wings for their inaugural season. They were the primary affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings for all three seasons and were owned by Bruce Norris. The team played it's home games at the Norfolk Scope, which seats just over 8000 for hockey.       In 1972-73, the Wings were led by former NHLer Doug Barkley, who doubled as Coach/GM. That season would be the team's finest in their five-year history. Virginia finished with an excellent 38-22-16, good enough for third place in the Western Division. The 92 points the Wings rang up was just three behind seco...

1986-87 Regular Season--Wings vs. Moncton Golden Flames      After the 1982-83 season, the Wings hired Bill Dineen as their sixth head coach (seventh if you count Larry Wilson, who died before the first season). Dineen brought something the franchise never had: coaching stability and winning seasons. He remained as head coach through the 1988-89 season, by far the longest any coach lasted in Glens Falls. He guided the Wings to their first winning season in 1983-84, and only had one losing season during his tenure.      Dineen was joined by returning General Manager Neil Smith, who was only 32 when hired in 1985. The Wings were again the primary affiliate of Detroit and owned by Mike Illitch.      The previous season was an interesting one for the organization. While Adirondack claimed their second Calder Cup in 1985-86, Detroit suffered through it's worst season in franchise history, winning only 16 games. The defending c...

1982-83 Regular Season--Wings vs. Maine Mariners      The Adirondack Red Wings were back for their fourth season of play in 1982-83. They were still the primary farm team of the Detroit Red Wings and now owned by Red Wings owner Mike Illitch. Jimmy Devellano, also Detroit's GM, served as AHL Wings' GM that season. Original GM Ned Harkness was gone by then, pushed out of both the AHL Wings and the Glens Falls Civic Center. Jack Kelley was the new GM of the arena and Adirondack's Director of Operations. They had yet another new coach, with Bill Mahoney this time behind the bench.      Adirondack had another mediocre season in '82-83, finishing 36-39-5, good enough for fourth place. Their 77 points were just two ahead of Moncton and 21 behind first-place Fredericton. Despite another so-so year, Adirondack had another strong season at the gate, averaging 4,872 per game, third-best in the AHL.      The Wings finished eighth in...

Forgot I had a program from the Wings' inaugural season. Usually I try to go in chronological order with particular teams, but we'll bend the rules with this team. 1979-80 Regular Season--Wings vs. Nova Scotia Voyageurs      The Adirondack Red Wings joined the American Hockey League for the 1979-80 season. The franchise was originally the Tidewater/Virginia Red Wings that suspended operations after the 1974-75 season. The team was the primary affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings (hence the name and unis), replacing the defunct Kansas City Red Wings of the CHL. They were owned by Bruce Norris, then NHL Red Wings owner. The team played it's home games in the Glens Falls Civic Center, a 4,794-seat arena built just before the team arrived.      The franchise's first GM was former Detroit coach/GM Ned Harkness, who was also GM of the Glens Falls Civic Center. Originally, the team was going to be coached by former Red Wings forward Larry Wil...

     It's been awhile since I last posted, hasn't it?      During the weekend of December 20-22, we were hit with an ice storm, which knocked out the last day of school before winter break (Dec. 20). A lot of people lost power during this weekend, and many didn't have it restored until just recently. We were lucky...ours was off for only six hours on Sunday.      While the power was back on, our internet signal was out until the ice melted away the following Friday. Glad we were lucky and didn't have to go without electricity for a week, but it wasn't fun not having the internet for so long! Don't forget the baseball programs blog, which can be found at this page: baseballprograms.blogspot.com Back to posting!

Always wanted a few Adirondack Red Wings programs, but for some reason they were hard to come by. I did end up finding a few. Here's one from 1981-82. 1981-82 Regular Season--Wings vs. Binghamton Whalers           In 1981-82, the Red Wings were coming off their first Calder Cup Championship. That team received a mid-season dose of veteran talent cast off by the NHL Wings, which helped push the team into the postseason and the championship. This was a format the AHL Wings would use throughout their existence. The team would be made up of a mixture of young prospects and seasoned veterans, in order to keep the team competitive.      Doug McKay was named head coach for 1981-82, replacing Wayne Maxner. Ned Harkness returned as General Manager. The Wings stumbled to fourth place in the Southern Division, with a mediocre 34-37-9 record. Their 77 points were 21 back of first-place Binghamton, that night's opponent. The off...

These programs are from the final season of the Broome Dusters. They are also the thickest programs I have of that franchise. 1979-80 Regular Season--Dusters vs. Hershey Bears     Another season, another new coach and GM. This time, Pat Kelly was behind the bench to start the year, but after an 8-19-3 record, was canned in favor of Dave Forbes. Jacques Caron was the new GM. The team had two new NHL affiliates, as Boston and Los Angeles aligned with Binghamton.      This season's Dusters fell right back to the Southern Division cellar. Their woeful 24-49-7 was the worst in the AHL, 11 points behind Rochester. Naturally, this team had problems putting the puck in and keeping it out. On offense, the Dusters scored an anemic 268 goals, second worst in the league. Tom Songin led the team in points with only 63. Gary Burns was the only player to score 30, but four others scored over 20.       On defense, Binghamton allowed...

Here's another set of Broome Duster programs, this time from the 1978-79 season. All the programs I have from this year look the same, so I'll only post one picture. 1978-79 Regular Season--Dusters vs. Nova Scotia Voyageurs      Before I say anything about the 1978-79 season, take a look at that program cover. That is the gaudiest goalie mask I have seen, almost psychedelic! Wonder if anyone wore that in a game? It was definitely an eye-catcher when I bought it a couple years ago.      In 1978-79, the Dusters improved somewhat on their first AHL season. The team went 32-42-5, third place in the Southern Division. Their 69 points were 32 points behind first-place Nova Scotia, that night's opponent, and just five points ahead of fourth place Rochester. Joe Hardy replaced Larry Kish as head coach, and Andre Veillieux was the new President-GM. The team was an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins.      The offense i...

The Broome Dusters, what a great name! Does the caveman look familiar? That's right, the team's logo was designed by Johnny Hart, the creater of the BC comic strip and a Binghamton resident. 1977-78 Regular Season--Dusters vs. Springfield Indians       The Broome (as in Broome County, New York) Dusters began in 1973 in the old North American Hockey League, a Double-A pro league in the northest. They played four years in the NAHL, then transferred to the AHL in 1977.      According to this program, the franchise was a late addition to the AHL for 1977-78. Binghamton's population at the time was about 64,000, which was second-lowest in the league. The 4,855-seat Broome County Veteran's Memorial Coliseum was the smallest in the league. However, despite those stats, attendance for the Dusters was strong. That night's game against Springfield was the 135th straight game (playoff or regular season) with a crowd of over 4,000. The progr...

A few posts back I had a program from the OHL's Detroit Junior Red Wings. There were actually a few teams that went by that nickname, going as far back as the 1970s. I have programs from two of those teams. 1975-76 Regular Season--Opponent Unknown      This version of the Junior Wings was a member of the Great Lakes Junior Hockey League, a precursor to the North American Hockey League. There were five clubs in the GLJHL at the time, and all but one in the Detroit area (the other being in Port Huron). Skeets Harrison was the Head Coach while Tom Wilson was General Manager. The Executive Committee behind the Jr. Wings included Hall of Famers Alex Delvecchio and Budd Lynch, as well as former NHLers Billy Dea and Denis DeJordy. The Wings played their home games at both Lakeland Arena and Olympia Stadium.      The Junior Wings were coming off a National Junior A Championship in 1974-75, so expectations were high. In 1975-76, the Wings fo...

Just a head's up, if anyone's paying attention. I've enjoyed sharing my hockey program collection, I thought I'd start another blog for baseball programs and scorecards. I have quite a few Tigers, CMU and Loons programs, but also some super rare minor league programs from across Michigan, such as: 1941 Flint Indians 1941 Saginaw White Sox 1923 Muskegon Anglers 1951 Flint Arrows 1948-50 Saginaw Bears These scorecards are some of my favorites from my collection. I still can't believe I found them, didn't think anything from those long-gone teams still existed! Here's the link to that blog, check it out! Baseball Programs Thanks, Brent

Now for a random one: The 1971-72 Des Moines Oak Leafs, who played in the IHL for about 10 years after five years in the USHL. Always liked that nickname. 1971-72 Regular Season--Oak Leafs vs. Columbus Seals      The Des Moines Oak Leafs enjoyed a 10-year run in the International Hockey League after five years in the USHL. The team played it's home games in Des Moines Ice Arena, and were affiliated with the New York Rangers in 1971-72. The Leafs were coached by Terry Slater, who would eventually coach 12 years at Colgate. The team's jerseys were nearly identical to the Minnesota North Stars, with the Oak Leaf logo on the front and "DES MOINES" written above the players' numbers.       Coming off a finals run in 1970-71, the Oak Leafs slipped to third place (out of four) in the Southern Division, with a 35-34-3 record. Their 73 points were safely miles ahead of woeful Columbus, but 25 points behind first place Dayton.   ...

Here's another set of programs I don't see that often. The franchise never lasted too long in any city it was in (3 years in St. Thomas was the max), and never drew much for crowds anywhere. 1991-92 Regular Season--Wildcats vs. Flint Bulldogs      The Colonial Hockey League was formed in 1991 with five charter members, two in Michigan and three in Ontario. At it's best, the CoHL was a Double A hockey league, a notch below the IHL. At it's worst, it was nothing more than a glorified beer league made up of has-beens and never-weres.      One of the "Original 5" teams was the St. Thomas Wildcats. They played their home games at the St. Thomas-Elgin Memorial Centre, a 2600-seat arena in St. Thomas, Ontario.       During the first two seasons of the Wildcats, their head coach was Peter Horachek, a former Flint Generals and Spirits forward. The Cats were also affiliated with the Buffalo Sabres and St. Louis Blues....

The Detroit Area has been in the OHL since 1990-91, when the Compuware Ambassadors joined the league. The team has changed it's name and home arena a couple times since then, but still exists. Here are a couple programs I have. 1993-94 Regular Season--Opponent Unknown  The 1993-94 Junior Red Wings, coming off their first playoff berth the previous year, won the Emms Division, their first divisional title. Their sparkling 42-20-4 record was 11 points better than second place Sault Ste. Marie. The team was coached by Paul Maurice, who would eventually coach in the NHL for several teams.  The Wings were the fourth-highest scoring team in the OHL that season, racking up 312 goals. The team was led by Kevin Brown, who popped in 54 goals in 57 games, to go along with 135 points. Five other players scored over 20 goals.  On defense, the team was even better. Their 237 goals allowed was third-best in the league. Between the pipes for the majority of the season was ...

Haven't seen too many of these programs on eBay. Don't really know anything about the British Columbia Hockey League, but I remembered the Victoria Salsa. One of the more unusual team names I've ever heard!     1996-97 Regular Season--Opponent Unknown        The Victoria Salsa, now there's a strange nickname for a Canadian hockey team! The Salsa were part of the British Columbia Hockey League from 1994-2006. In 1996-97, the team was coached by Garry Davidson. The Salsa finished in sixth place in the Coastal Division, with a 24-35-1 record, just three points ahead of last place Langley.       I honestly don't know anything about this team, and aside from the standings, hockeydb.com does not have individual stats from that season. I recognized one player from the Salsa roster: Corey Laniuk, who played for the Flint Generals for four seasons.      Don't think I paid too much for this program. J...

This is another one of those programs where you say to yourself, "Better grab this one or you'll kick yourself forever if you don't". This is the only Traverse City Bays program I have seen online or anywhere. The second I saw it on eBay, I grabbed it. Paid more than I usually do, but it was worth it. 1976-77 Regular Season--Bays vs. Milwaukee Admirals      The Traverse City Bays were a team in the United States Hockey League. The USHL was a semi-pro outfit that was a notch or two below the IHL until 1979, when it switched to junior hockey. The Bays played in the old Glacier Dome, which is now owned by Cherry Capital Foods.       In their inaugural season, 1975-76, the Bays had a respectable 24-23-1 record, good enough for second place in the Northern Division, 16 points behind Green Bay. Their sophomore season, however, was a big step back. Despite having former NHLer Dean Prentice as player-coach, the Bays collapsed to a 12-35-1 m...

Now here's a historic program! This is from a game between the Western Hockey League's Seattle Totems and the USSR National Champions. This is the first-ever encounter between a Soviet team and a North American professional hockey team. 1972-73 Exhibition--Totems vs. USSR      USSR teams would eventually play exhibition games against NHL teams in the mid-late 1970s, but their first game against a North American pro squad was against the Totems. The game was held at Seattle Center Coliseum (now Key Arena).      Seattle was part of the old Western Hockey League, a minor-pro loop that was about on-par with the American Hockey League and, at one time, was rumored to make a jump to major league status. A competitive team for most of it's existence, by 1972-73 the Totems were in decline. The team finished 26-32-14, in fifth place and out of the playoffs.       Despite their mediocre season, the Totems did have some talent. ...

I just dug this program out today, one of the first "vintage" programs I got in my collection. I think I got this for either a Christmas or birthday present, along with a media guide.  In the early 1970s, a rival to the National Hockey League was formed. Called the World Hockey Association, or WHA, the league began play in the 1972-73 season, with teams from New York to Los Angeles. The WHA scored a huge coup when it signed NHL star Bobby Hull to a then-unheard of $1 million contract. Many NHL players, from stars to journeymen, made the jump to the new league thanks to significant increase in pay. Detroit was represented in the WHA by the Michigan Stags, but only for a brief time. 1974-75 Regular Season--Opponent Unknown      The Michigan Stags began as the Los Angeles Sharks, one of the original franchises in the WHA. The Sharks made a splash in the hockey world by signing away Montreal sniper Marc Tardif. After a decent inaugural season (37-35...