Hockey Programs

     After the Flint Generals folded, the single-A All-American Hockey League placed a team in nearby Lapeer for the 2010-11 season. The team was called Lapeer Loggers and would play their home games at the Polar Palace. Former General Lorne Knauft was hired as head coach. 2010-11 Regular Season--Loggers vs. Troy      Expectations were high for the Loggers in their first season. The league was expecting not only Lapeer to get behind the team, but also Flint fans who weren't interested in the NAHL's Michigan Warriors. Loggers ownership even had a deal to bus Flint fans to Loggers games.      The Loggers got off to a 10-5-1 start, but the crowds were just not big enough to maintain a pro hockey team at any level. The fanbase was simply split between the Loggers and Warriors, and both teams struggled at the gate. By December the team was already cancelling games and not paying rent. The franchise eventually folded after a ...

     Fort Wayne has had hockey continuously since 1952, but technically the city is on it's third franchise. The original franchise, which played from 1952-90, relocated to Albany, New York, for the 1990-91 season. 1990-91 Regular Season (Opponent Unknown)      Hockey arrived to Albany for the 1990-91 season, when David Welker moved his Fort Wayne Komets to Albany. The team would be named "Albany Choppers" after the Price Chopper supermarket chain and would play their home games at the 15,000-seat Knickerbocker Arena. When asked why he chose Albany, Welker simply stated, "I didn't want to operate the team in Fort Wayne anymore...and I felt there was a tremendous amount of interest in hockey in the Capital District".      Both the IHL and AHL were not pleased with this move. The AHL was not happy that a rival league had placed a team in it's own territory, especially close to an established franchise, the Adirondack Red...

     Now, here are some of my rare programs. The next three teams can't even be called "one-and-done", since they didn't even make it through their first season! I'll start off with the ill-fated Lansing Lancers of the IHL. I've only seen two Lancers programs on eBay, and I grabbed this one the second I saw it posted. 1974-75 Regular Season--Lancers vs. Kalamazoo      The Lansing Lancers arrived on the scene for the 1974-75 season, and were Lansing's first pro hockey team. The team had played the previous 11 years in Toledo, first as the Blades (1963-70) and the Hornets (1970-74). Declining attendance due to mediocre hockey teams eventually forced owner Paul Bright to relocate north to Michigan's State Capital.      The team played their home games at the new Metro Ice Arena. The IHL media guide for that year listed capacity at 4600, but financial problems left construction incomplete, and the capacity stalled at 900. Th...

     If you can believe it, Port Huron got their fourth shot at UHL hockey after the Flags folded....sort of. By now, the UHL was really starting to fall apart, having lost over a dozen teams in two seasons. The remaining owners, led by the Franke family of Fort Wayne, reorganized as the IHL, dropping the UHL history and trophies in favor of the records, history and trophies of the original IHL (which folded in 2001).      After the Flags folded, the league granted another expansion franchise to Port Huron for the 2007-08 season. The team would be called the Icehawks and would be owned by Frank and Larry Kinney. They retained coach Stan Drulia for the upcoming season.      I was a big Icehawks fan during their three years in Port Huron, and went to several games each year. They really didn't have programs for sale like the previous teams, opting instead for the cheaper roster printouts or four-page booklets. They did have y...

OUR COMMUNITY! OUR TEAM!      Port Huron got another shot at UHL hockey after the Beacons skipped town. The league awarded an expansion franchise to a non-profit organization led by local businessmen. The idea was that hockey teams struggled in Port Huron because the teams were owned by out-of-towners that were out of touch with the community.      The new team would be called Flags, in honor of the original franchise that played in the IHL from 1962-81. They brought back the old logo and the Red Wings-like jerseys. At first, it looked like this team might have a shot at success. Their two-year existence, however, would disprove those hopes.      The Flags were around while I was in the middle of mid-tier and student teaching, so I really didn't have any time for hockey games back then. I did make it to one game, and here's the program. 2005-06 Regular Season--Flags vs. Motor City      Despite t...

     After the Border Cats folded, the UHL added an expansion team in time for the 2002-03 season. The team was owned by Ken and Kristen Dixon of Ohio. Many expected the new team to be called Flags, but the owners decided to go with a unique, and goofy, nickname: Beacons.      The Beacons lasted from 2002-05, and actually were competitive on the ice in two of their three seasons. However, the fanbase, still smarting from the Border Cats and cool towards the Beacons ownership, did not respond to the new team like they did during the heyday of the Border Cats. After three seasons, the Dixons moved the Beacons to Roanoke, Virginia.      I was not a Beacons fan, and therefore, only went to one of their games (a playoff game against Flint). I didn't like the nickname (the logos were goofy as well), and didn't care for the lack of effort I thought the Dixons made to market the team in Port Huron. However, I have bought a couple Bea...

     After the Flags folded in 1981, Port Huron went without pro hockey for 15 years (except for the 1987-88 Clippers). The city was rumored to be one of the first teams in the new Colonial League in 1991, but nothing ever came of it. Hockey would not return until the summer of 1996, when the Detroit Falcons arrived in town.      The Falcons were one of the original five members of the Colonial League, and played at the Fraser Ice Arenas in Fraser, Michigan. Despite icing a competitive team each year, the Falcons never drew big enough crowds to show a profit. After losing in Round Two to Flint in the 1996 playoffs, the Falcons packed up their bags and flew north to Port Huron for the 1996-97 season. The newly-named Border Cats were a smash hit in their new town, easily breaking franchise records for attendance. They stayed in Port Huron for six years before suspending operations after the 2001-02 season. The Cats were affiliated with the Florida ...

Flags Old-Timers vs. St. Clair County Community College      Here's a rare one, a program from an "Old Timers" game between the Flags Alums and St. Clair County Community College. I found this at the flea market in Croswell years ago, the first Flags program I found.      The Flags roster includes former stars like Lloyd Maxfield, Marcel Goyette, Bill LeCaine and Bill Sinnett. John Wismer, original owner of the Flags, was behind the bench. According to the roster, the President of SC4, Richard Norris, was also "acting coach" of the Skippers!      Not sure of the date for this program. It might be from 1977, but I also saw a copyright date from 1975. Who knows? Still, it's a rare one!

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...

Here's the last group of Generals programs. 2002-03 Regular Season--Generals vs. Adirondack      2003-04 was the Generals' tenth anniversary, a great run filled with many memories. When Skip Probst moved the Bulldogs, he said that Flint could no longer support pro hockey. In their first season, the Generals proved Probst wrong.      Despite the milestone year, the Generals stumbled to last place in the East, going 32-36-8. A slow start to the year cost Kirk Tomlinson his job. He was replaced by Robbie Nichols for the last 29 games. Crowds dwindled this season, dropping to 2637 per game, another low for the franchise.      The Gens struggled in net, using four different goaltenders. Former Mallard Martin Villeneuve struggled with the Gens, and was soon released. Paxton Schafer and Sean Weaver played the bulk of the games, but as a team, the Generals allowed 298 goals.      Offensively, the Generals ...

     Here's the next four seasons of Generals programs I have.                                                                      1997-98 Regular Season--Generals vs. Madison       After losing the Colonial Cup, the Generals reloaded for the 1997-98 season, their fifth anniversary. Robbie Nichols' squad finished in first place in the East again, but their 46-22-0-6 mark was not good enough to take the regular season crown. Attendance dipped slightly, but was still a solid 3306, third in the league.      Kevin Kerr continued his streak of 50-goal seasons, chipping in 67 goals to ...