Hockey Programs

1969-70 Regular Season--Opponent Unknown      The Iowa Stars arrived from Memphis after the 1968-69 CHL season. They played their home games at McElroy Auditorium in Waterloo, Iowa. The franchise was still affiliated with the Minnesota North Stars. John Muckler remained with the team as the General Manager, but Parker MacDonald was now Head Coach.      The Stars had their best season in 1969-70. Iowa went 35-26-11, second place in the league (the CHL had no divisions that year). Their 81 points were just one shy of league-leading Omaha.      Iowa had the league's top offense that year, scoring 252 goals. They were led by Mike Chernoff, who scored 36 goals and 75 points. Two other players, Bill Orban (31 goals) and Grant Erickson (31) joined Chernoff in the 30-goal club that season. Three other players had at least 20 goals.      On defense, Iowa was middle of the pack, allowing 232 goals, fourth-highest in the seven...

1968-69 Regular Season--Opponent Unknown      The Memphis South Stars were part of the old Central Hockey League, a nine-team circuit based mostly in the American Southwest. The Stars were affiliated with the Minnesota North Stars and played their home games at the Mid-South Coliseum. They replaced the Memphis Wings, who moved to Fort Worth after the 1966-67 season.      John Muckler was behind the bench for both seasons the South Stars existed. In their inaugural season, the South Stars went 24-34-12, good enough for third place in the Northern Division and a first round exit in the playoffs. Memphis drew the second-fewest fans that season, as 2,315 per game went to Mid-South for hockey.      1968-69 was even worse for Muckler and the South Stars. Memphis plunged to the CHL basement, going a woeful 14-41-17. Their meager 45 points were 21 points behind the next-worst team, Fort Worth.      The South Stars s...

The second Checkers program I found online. Definitely an eye-catching cover. Kinda reminds me of that arcade hockey game "Hit the Ice". 1986-87 Regular Season--Opponent Unknown      Following the 1983-84 season, the Central Hockey League folded. The Checkers, along with Salt Lake, responded by joining the IHL for the 1984-85 season. The IHL was still a Midwestern-based league at the time, giving the Checkers several nearby opponents, including new rival Fort Wayne. The team was originally owned by Al Savill, former owner of the Grand Rapids Owls. After one season, Savill sold the franchise to Larry Woods.      By now, the Checkers played their home games at Market Square Arena, which sat 15,900 and was also the home of the Indiana Pacers. The Islanders were no longer the parent club, having dropped the Checkers after the 1983-84 season. Instead, Indianapolis relied on New Jersey and Minnesota for prospects.      Vete...

The first Checkers program I saw on eBay. Bought it a few years ago. 1981-82 Regular Season--Checkers vs. Salt Lake        Indianapolis joined the Central Hockey League for the 1979-80 season after several seasons in the World Hockey Association. The new team was called the Checkers and were the primary farm team of the New York Islanders. They played their home games at the 8,421-seat State Fair Coliseum.      For the 1981-82 season, the Checkers were still affiliated with the Islanders, in the middle of their legendary dynasty. Indianapolis was coached by Fred Creighton, who was also General Manager. Creighton's squad had a solid season, going 42-33-5. That record was good enough for third place in the North Division, eight points behind league-leading Salt Lake.      The Checkers scored the fourth-fewest goals that season, with 319 in the net. They were led by Don Laurence, who had 43 goals and 98 points. T...

1984-85 Regular Season--Eagles vs. Kalamazoo Wings      The Salt Lake Golden Eagles joined the IHL for the 1984-85 season. They played their home games at the 10,594-seat Salt Palace. The team was a farm club of Hartford, Calgary and the New York Rangers that season.       The IHL was the franchise's third pro league. They were originally part of the old Western Hockey League, then joined the Central Hockey League in 1974 when the WHL collapsed. They remained in the CHL until 1984, when that league folded as well. The Golden Eagles were, by far, the farthest-west team in the IHL, which had been a Great Lakes bus league for years.       For the 1984-85 season, the Golden Eagles were led by Head Coach Tom Webster. Webster's bunch finished their first IHL campaign with a 35-35-12 record. Their 82 points put them in third place in the Western Division, 13 points ahead of fourth place Indianapolis and 23 behind le...

The Peoria Prancers, what an..."interesting" name. With the logo they had, couldn't the team name have been something like, I don't know, Stags or Bucks or even Chargers (see, it's charging...)? I'm sure fans of the other IHL teams at the time had some fun with this nickname. 1983-84 Regular Season--Opponent Unknown      The Peoria Prancers joined the IHL as an expansion franchise for the 1982-83 season. The Prancers were owned by Ken Wilson and played at the recently opened Carver Arena. In their first season, Peoria was dead last in the IHL. Their miserable 25-47-10 record was nine points behind the next two worst teams (Muskegon and Saginaw). The Prancers went through three different coaches in that forgettable first season.      In Year Two, Peoria hired Pat Kelly as Head Coach. Wilson returned as General Manager. The Prancers had three NHL affiliates in 1983-84: Calgary, Chicago and the New York Rangers.      Th...