Hockey Programs

1982-83 Regular Season--Komets vs. Flint Generals      As you can see by the program, 1982-83 was the 31st straight season of Komets Hockey. By now, the team had changed their colors slightly, dropping black for royal blue. Former Komets center Ron Ullyot was back behind the bench, and the team was a secondary affiliate of Vancouver, Washington and Winnipeg.      Ullyot's Komets had a fine season in '82-83, with an excellent 45-26-11 record, giving them 101 points on the year. They finished second place in the Eastern Division and overall in the IHL. the Komets were second only to Huber Trophy champion Toledo and 21 points ahead of third place Flint.      Fort Wayne had the second-best offense in the IHL that year, piling up 377 goals on the year. Ron Ullyot had a pair of 50-goal scorers that season, as both Ron Leef and Barry Scully each had 57. Leef led the team in points with 120. Two others scored at least 30 goals, a...

I already covered the Flags/Wings franchise early in this blog, but I wanted to give the '71-72 Wings their own post. I did some research on the Flags/Wings this past Saturday at the St. Clair County Library in Port Huron, browsing through the Times Herald microfilm.      Shortly after winning their second Turner Cup, the Port Huron Flags signed a working agreement with the 1971-72 Regular Season--Wings vs. Dayton Gems Detroit Red Wings. As a nod to their new affiliation, the Flags changed their name to the Port Huron Wings, and wore uniforms identical to the parent club. Detroit would also use McMorran Arena as their home for training camp. Ted Garvin was back behind the bench, along with General Manager Morris Snider.       Garvin's new-look Wings finished the 1971-72 season in second place, with a 37-31-4 record. Their 78 points put them 11 points ahead of third place Flint, but 22 behind Huber Trophy-winning Muskegon. Despite the second-...

1977-78 Regular Season--Whalers vs. Indianapolis Racers      The New England Whalers were one of the original members of the World Hockey Association, the second major league that was born in 1972. The Whalers, originally playing in Boston, won the first Avco Cup championship (the WHA's equivalent to the Stanley Cup). The Whalers would then relocate to Hartford, Connecticut, and the new Hartford Civic Center.      In 1977-78, the Whalers won a bidding war for Gordie, Mark and Marty Howe. The Howes had played the past several seasons with the Houston Aeros, but left that team after a falling out with ownership. The Howes were joined by former NHL stars Dave Keon and Johnny McKenzie, along with Jack and Steve Carlson (two-thirds of the infamous Hanson Brothers of Slapshot fame). Harry Neale was coach of the Whalers that year, with Jack Kelley as Director of Hockey Operations.      The 1977-78 Whalers had an excellent season...

Even though I have a ton of programs, there are still a few programs I'm still looking for. Here are my "White Whales": 1. 1980-81 Port Huron Flags : The final season of the Flags. Haven't seen a program for that franchise in awhile on eBay. The team didn't draw too well that final season, so a program from that season might be a bit tricky to find. 2. 1978-79 Muskegon Mohawks: 3-32-3 in the first half of the season. The Mohawks that year didn't just hit rock bottom, they slammed head-first into it at 100 mph. Have only seen schedules from that season on eBay and nothing at trade shows/flea markets. 3. Flint Spirits: I bought my first Spirits program at Gibraltar Trade Center in Mount Clemens, and got a 1989-90 Spirits program on eBay. Again, have only seen schedules and the occasional pack of cards online since.  Would love to have more Spirits programs 4. 1987-88 Saginaw Hawks: The only Hawks program I own is from a Hawks-Spirits game Dad and I we...

1979-80 Regular Season--Gears vs. Flint Generals      The Saginaw Gears were in their eighth year of existence in 1979-80. The Gears were a secondary affiliate of both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings. Don Perry was Coach/GM and Wren Blair was owner.       After going .500 in 1978-79, the Gears improved to 43-27-10 in '79-80, second place in the North Division. They were just one point ahead of third place Port Huron and three back of league champ Kalamazoo. Saginaw featured the third-best offense in the IHL that year, scoring 349 goals. Rookie sniper Scott Gruhl led the Gears with 53 goals and 93 points--not bad for a rookie season! Warren Holmes, Marcel Comeau and Claude LaRochelle each scored over 30 goals that year, and five other Gears scored at least 20.       Saginaw finished third in the league on defense, allowing 306 goals. They used four different goaltenders that season. Bob Froese, w...

1971-72 Regular Season--Braves vs. Rochester Americans      In 1971-72, hockey was red-hot in Boston, where Bobby Orr and the Bruins dominated the NHL. Hockey was so popular, the Bruins purchased an AHL expansion franchise to play at Boston Garden. The new team was called the Braves, and were, naturally, the top affiliate of the Bruins. The team was coached by Bep Guidolin, a former NHL forward who would go on to coach the Bruins a year later.      The Braves would have their best season, on and off the ice, in 1971-72. Off the ice, the Braves were a smash success, averaging 11,208 per game, easily the highest in the league. The Braves finished in second place in the East Division, with a sparkling 41-21-14 record, just behind league best Nova Scotia. Guidolin's Braves had the fifth-best offense in the AHL, scoring 260 goals. They were led by former NHL winger Doug Roberts, who scored 35 goals and 75 points. Garry Peters led the team in goals...

1973-74 Regular Season--Roadrunners vs. Denver Spurs      There have been numerous teams that have been called "Phoenix Roadrunners" over the years, in leagues from the ECHL to the WHA. The first version played in the Western Hockey League, a minor-pro circuit in Western North America, from 1967-74. The Roadrunners previously played as the Victoria Maple Leafs in British Columbia. The team played their home games at the Arizona Veterans' Memorial Coliseum. They were coached by Alex "Sandy" Hucul, a long-time minor league defenseman who played the last five years of his career in Phoenix.      Coming off their first Patrick Cup championship, the Roadrunners finished in first place in the WHL. Their 43-32-3 record was three points ahead of second place Salt Lake. Hucul's squad boasted the second-best offense in 1973-74, scoring an even 300 goals. Murray Koegan led the charge, with 31 goals and 87 points. Former Detroit Red Wing Howie Young led ...

1967-68 Regular Season--Komets vs. Des Moines Oak Leafs      1967-68 was the sixteenth season of Fort Wayne Komets hockey, all in the IHL. The team was coached by Ken Ullyot, who had been with the franchise since 1958. The Komets played      Having lost to Toledo in the 1967 Turner Cup Finals, the Komets slipped to fourth place in '67-68. While Muskegon ran away with first place, the battle for the second-fifth slots was hotly contested. Fort Wayne finished 30-29-13, their 73 points one ahead of Toledo and just five behind second place Dayton.      The Komets were also in fourth place in offense, scoring 282 times that year. Fort Wayne legend Len Thornson led the team with 38 goals and 97 points. Three others, Bob Baird, Randy Gates and Merv Dubchak, joined Thornson in the 30+ goal club. Three others scored at least 20 goals.      The Komets had the second-best defense in the IHL that season, allowing just...

1974-75 Regular Season--Gears vs. Lansing Lancers      1974-75 was the third season of Saginaw Gears hockey. The Gears were coming off a surprise run to the Turner Cup Finals in 1973-74, which they lost to the Des Moines Capitols. Don Perry returned as Coach/GM, and the Gears were a secondary affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs, after two seasons in the Minnesota farm system.      Saginaw would build on their Cinderella season by going 43-29-3, third place in the Eastern Division. Their 89 points put them 10 points behind the regular season champions, the Muskegon Mohawks, and ten points ahead of the fourth place Port Huron Flags.      Perry's crew pumped in 302 goals that season, third-highest in the league. They were led on offense by power forward Dennis Desrosiers. "Rosie" scored 44 goals to go along with 80 points and 225 penalty minutes. Stu Irving, a member of the 1972 USA Olympic hockey team, had 32 goals and 76 ...

Covered the Saginaw Gears earlier in this blog, but I wanted to give the 1980-81 season it's own post, since I have two programs from that year. 1980-81 Regular Season--Gears vs. Milwaukee Admirals     The Saginaw Gears were the first pro hockey team in Saginaw. They joined the International Hockey League as an expansion franchise in 1972, owned by former Bruins and North Stars executive Wren Blair. The Gears played their home games at the Saginaw Civic Center's Wendler Arena (now Dow Event Center), built shortly before the team's arrival. Their nickname was a nod to the Saginaw Steering Gear factory, now called Nexteer, on M46 on the east edge of town.      1980-81 was the ninth season of the franchise, which had established itself as one of the elite clubs in the IHL. They had already been to three Turner Cup Finals (1974, 1975, 1977), winning the Cup once (1977). Off the ice, the Gears were very popular in the Tri-Cities, often filling the 5...

1981-82 Turner Cup Playoffs--Admirals vs. Saginaw Gears      The Milwaukee Admirals were in their fifth season in the IHL in 1981-82. They joined the league after their former league, the USHL, switched from minor-pro to junior hockey for the 1976-77 season. The Admirals were owned by Lloyd Pettit, the long-time announcer for the Chicago Blackhawks, and his wife Jane. They were led by Coach/GM Phil Whitliff, a Port Huron native who previously played for the Admirals and would go on to a long career with the team in the front office. Milwaukee was affiliated with Edmonton, St. Louis and Quebec.      1981-82 was the finest season for the Admirals in their five years in the IHL. Milwaukee went 41-34-7, giving them 89 points on the season. They finished in second place, just ahead of third-place Kalamazoo and 22 points behind league-best Toledo. Whitliff's squad was third-best in goals scored, pumping in 385 on the year. They were led on offense ...

1976-77 Regular Season--Indians vs. Rhode Island Reds      The Springfield Indians franchise is one of the oldest minor-pro hockey franchises in North America. The Indians were born in 1926 in the Canadian-American Hockey League, lasting for seven seasons before folding. In 1935, the franchise was revived in the American Hockey League when the Quebec Beavers relocated to Springfield.      In 1939, Boston Bruins legendary defenseman Eddie Shore purchased the Indians franchise. He ran the franchise for the next 28 years (with a short hiatus during World War 2) before selling the team to the new Los Angeles Kings, who renamed the Indians after the parent club. Shore returned during the 1974-75 season, restoring the Indians name and jerseys, and leading the team to it's fifth Calder Cup before selling the Indians the following year.      By 1976-77, the Indians were struggling. The team slumped to a 28-51-1 record, fifth pl...

1988-89 Regular Season--Komets vs. Flint Spirts      The Komets played their 35th consecutive season in the IHL in 1988-89. The franchise was owned by local businessman David Welker. Welker, owner of Hoosier Culverts and W&W Concrete, purchased the Komets out of bankruptcy court for a paltry $300,000 in the summer of 1987.      The Komets, coached by former player Robbie Laird, had numerous affiliations that year. The Komets were a farm team of Boston, Quebec, Washington, Winnipeg and Edmonton. Quite a group of parent clubs!      As you can tell, the team had radically changed their look over the course of the 1980s. The traditional orange and black jerseys with the fireball logo were long gone. In their place, were red-white-blue unis with a silhouette of Indiana (the Komets script on the front of the program was on the road jerseys). They also had a koala bear for a secondary logo, which was supposedly for non-alcoh...

1970-71 Regular Season--Gems vs. Des Moines Oak Leafs      After the 1970 Turner Cup win, Wilson stepped down as coach and was replaced by Gems winger Gerry Moore. Moore's first Gems squad finished in third place in the IHL, with a 36-29-7 record. Dayton finished a distant 12 points behind league champion Muskegon.      Here's an unusual stat: the Gems scored the same amount of goals as they allowed that season--263. The offense finished third overall in the league. Moore's bunch were led by Barry Merrell, who scored 28 goals to go with 73 points. Clem Trembley was right behind him, with 68 points and a team-high 39 goals. Three other players had at least 20 goals on the year and six had at least 10.      The Gems defense allowed the third-highest in the league, trailing only Toledo and Port Huron. Dayton used two goaltenders that season. Michel Dumas played the majority of the games for the Gems, getting into 49 games wi...

1968-69 Regular Season--Gems vs. Muskegon Mohawks       The city of Dayton, Ohio, joined the International Hockey League in the 1964-65 season as an expansion franchise. The team was run by Lefty McFadden, who was general manager of Dayton Speedway then. A "Name the Team" contest was held and "Dayton Gems" was the winning vote, a nod to the city's "Gem City" nickname.      The Gems were a very popular and successful franchise for most of their 16-year history.  By Year Two, they were in the Turner Cup Finals, but came up short against Port Huron. After the 1967-68 season, original coach Warren Back resigned and was replaced by former Red Wing Larry Wilson.      Wilson inherited a team on the verge of greatness. They had won the Huber Trophy as regular season champions two years ago (44-25-3). They would do the same in 1968-69, topping the IHL with a strong 40-21-11 mark. They need every one of their 91 po...

1962-63 Turner Cup Playoffs--Komets vs. Muskegon Zephyrs      Their has been a Fort Wayne Komets franchise in minor league hockey since 1952. That's an incredible run for any minor league sport. Teams and entire leagues have come and gone, but Komets hockey has endured. The current team in the ECHL is actually the third incarnation of the Komets. The original franchise joined the IHL in 1952 as an expansion franchise. They played their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, which opened in 1952 and originally held 8,103.       Ken Ullyot coached the Komets in 1962-63. That year's squad won a hotly contested regular season title, going 35-30-5, just a point ahead of Minneapolis and two ahead of third place Muskegon. The cover picture is from the postgame celebration in Omaha. The Komets hammered the Knights, 7-1, to win the team's seventh league title in 11 years!      Fort Wayne was third in the league...

     (Note: A great website for Goaldiggers history is toledoretrohockey.com . It includes tons of pictures from the various minor league teams in that town, even an online store to buy Goaldiggers apparel. I bought a shirt there awhile back. Very nice!) 1984-85 Regular Season--Goaldiggers vs. Fort Wayne Komets      The Goaldiggers returned to the Turner Cup Finals in 1983-84, but their quest for 3 straight Cups ran into a buzzsaw called the Flint Generals, who swept them aside in four straight. Bill Inglis stepped down after 3 1/2 successful seasons to take the Coach/GM position in Kalamazoo.      Toledo replaced Inglis with former netminder Tony Piroski. Piroski didn't last too long behind the bench, and after a 7-14-4 start, was replaced by former Diggers coach Ted Garvin.      The Diggers slumped to a 32-42-5 record, their worst since 1980-81. They brought up the rear in the Eastern Division, 17 ...

1982-83 Regular Season--Goaldiggers vs. Saginaw Gears      After winning the 1977-78 Turner Cup, the Goaldiggers stumbled through a few forgettable seasons. By 1980-81, the team hired Bill Inglis as head coach midway through the season. Inglis built a powerhouse team in 1981-82, which set team records for victories (53), then flattened the Saginaw Gears in five games to win the Turner Cup.       Inglis' 1982-83 Diggers were almost as good. They repeated as regular season champions, with an excellent 51-21-10 record, 10 points ahead of second place Fort Wayne. They were 25 points ahead of Western Division champion Milwaukee.      The Diggers featured the third best offense in the IHL in '82-83, lighting the lamp 362 times. Future NHLer Dirk Graham led the way with 70 goals and 125 points (amazingly, not the league leader in goals!). Dave Falkenberg was next in goal-scoring with 51 goals. Five other players had at least 20 ...

1977-78 Regular Season--Opponent Unknown      The Toledo Goaldiggers joined the IHL as an expansion franchise shortly after the Hornets skipped town. They wisely hired ex-Port Huron Wings coach Ted Garvin as head coach/GM, and made the playoffs in their first season. The Diggers then stormed to the Turner Cup Finals, completing the legendary "Miracle on Main Street" by defeating the Saginaw Gears in seven games to win the Cup in their inaugural season.      The Toledo Goaldiggers existed from 1974-86, and are considered by many fans to be the glory years of pro hockey in Toledo. By 1977-78, the Diggers were firmly established as a dangerous team in the IHL. They were coming off a seven-game defeat in the Finals to Saginaw, and the Sports Arena was packed on a nightly basis. Ted Garvin's squad were affiliated with the New York Rangers and Cleveland Barons.      Toledo finished in second place in the South Division, with a ...