Hockey Programs

1972-73 Regular Season Opening Night Gears vs. Des Moines Capitols      Professional hockey came to Mid-Michigan in 1972 with the arrival of the Saginaw Gears of the International Hockey League. The Gears were an expansion franchise awarded to North Stars executive Wren Blair, and played their home games at the new Wendler Arena, part of the Saginaw Civic Center complex. The team was named after the Saginaw Steering Gear plant, located in Buena Vista on M46, and was a nod to the city's auto industry ties. Blair's choice as head coach was Don Perry, formerly of the Eastern Hockey League. Thanks to Blair's ties to the Minnesota North Stars, the Gears would be a secondary affiliate of that NHL team.      The Gears would take the ice in turqoise and tangerine jerseys featuring the "toothed G" logo you see on the program. Their first regular season game was in Port Huron. Despite a hat trick by forward Juri Kudrasovs, Saginaw fell, 5-4, to the defending cha...

1972-73 Regular Season Clippers vs. Virginia Red Wings      The Baltimore Clippers were coming off their first-ever trip to the AHL's Calder Cup Finals in 1972. Terry Reardon was back behind the bench in '72-73. The Clippers were no longer affiliated with the California Golden Seals, and appeared to operate as an independent that season.      After two straight years at the top of the Western Division, the Clippers crashed to the basement in 1973. Their record of 17-48-11 and miniscule 45 points were the worst in the AHL that year. Baltimore was 10 points behind the fifth place Cleveland/Jacksonville Barons and 68 behind the league-leading Cincinnati Swords. Oddly enough, attendance remained steady that year, as 2,910 fans per game went to the Civic Center, the same as last season.      So, what happened that season in Baltimore? The lack of an NHL affiliate, even from one as awful as the Golden Seals, didn't help matters. Neither did a...

1971-72 Regular Season Clippers vs. Hershey Bears      Baltimore has had a long history in the American Hockey League. Prior to the Skipjacks and Bandits, Baltimore was home to the Clippers, who began play in 1962. Terry Reardon returned as Head Coach and General Manager. The Clippers played their home games at the Baltimore Civic Center, which held 11,329. For the 1971-72 season, the Clippers were the primary affiliate of the NHL's California Golden Seals.      Reardon's Clippers successfully defended their Western Division crown in '71-72, but it wasn't easy. In a hotly contested division race, the Clippers finished with a 34-31-11 mark. Their 79 points tied with Hershey and was one point ahead of Cincinnati. The fourth place Cleveland Barons were just five back of Baltimore. Leading the way on offense for the Clippers was left winger Peter Laframboise, who what 37 goals and 81 points. Center Joe Szura had the most goals on the team, popping in 38. A...

1969-70 Regular Season Komets vs. Toledo Blades      The Komets were in their 18th year of play in the International Hockey League, one of the oldest and most stable franchises in that circuit. Owned by a group headed by Colin Lister, the Komets were lead by Vice President/GM Ken Ullyot and Head Coach Moe Bartoli. The team played it's home games at Memorial Coliseum, which they still do to this day.      Fort Wayne had a rough season in '69-70, finishing with a dismal 26-38-8 record. Their 60 points were just six ahead of the expansion Flint Generals for the final playoff spot in the North, and a whopping 40 behind league-best Muskegon. Veteran center Ray Brunel, in his only season with the team,  led the Komets in scoring, with 33 goals and 88 points. Brunel was joined in the 30-goal club by left winger Bob Baird and right winger Merv Dubchak. A player of note on the 1969-70 Komets was right winger Ron Ullyot. After a stint at Michigan, Ullyot pl...

1976-77 Regular Season Black Hawks vs. Colorado Rockies      Despite the picture on the front cover, this is actually a Chicago Black Hawks program from 1976-77. Many teams used Goal Magazine as the team's official program during this time. Tommy Ivan continued his storied career as Hawks GM, dating back to 1954 after coaching in Detroit. The Hawks were part of the Smythe Division in the Campbell Conference, along with the Colorado Rockies, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues and Minnesota North Stars. Not the strangest division setup in the league that year, but still rather spread out. By the way, "Black Hawks" was the proper way to write the team's nickname back then. It wasn't until the late 1980s that the Hawks dropped the space in their nickname.      Chicago had a miserable season in 1976-77, with a 26-43-11 record. However, this would still give them a third place finish in the mediocre Smythe Division, ahead of Vancouver and Colorado. In fact, ...

1975-76 Regular Season Gears vs. Port Huron Flags      The Saginaw Gears were in their fourth season of existence and were really starting to get on a roll, on and off the ice. In the previous three seasons, Saginaw reached the Turner Cup Finals, coming within one win of the Cup in 1975. Fans from Saginaw and throughout Mid-Michigan flocked to the Saginaw Civic Center, helping the Gears become one of the hottest tickets not only in the IHL, but in minor-pro hockey. This no doubt pleased President/GM Wren Blair, who retained Head Coach Don Perry      The Gears built on the momentum from the past two seasons by clinching their first-ever North Division championship, with a sparkling 43-26-9 record. Their 95 points put the Gears 12 points ahead of the second-place Port Huron Flags, and 9 back of the Huber Trophy winning Dayton Gems.      Saginaw missed having the IHL's most potent offense by a single goal, as they pumped in 339 in 1975-76....

1977-78 Regular Season Gears vs. Fort Wayne Komets      The Saginaw Gears were the defending Turner Cup Champions heading into the 1977-78 IHL season. Wren Blair continued to run the six-year old franchise as President/GM, while Don Perry was back behind the bench. The Gears were still a secondary affiliate of both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings.      Championship teams often experience numerous call-ups after the season, and the Gears were no different. Coach Perry had to replace players such as leading scorer Paul Evans, future NHL defenseman Greg Hotham and goaltender Mario Lessard. Saginaw also lost forward Wayne Zuk and defenseman Gordie Malinoski to retirement. However, their replacements were more than up to the challenge in 1978. The Gears finished the season with a spectacular 40-28-12 record. Their 92 points clinched the team's third-straight North Division title, 8 points head of the Kalamazoo Wings, and just 5 behind Huber Tr...

1973-74 Regular Season Gears vs. Columbus Owls      The Saginaw Gears were in their second season of existence in the International Hockey League by 1973-74. The Gears were a secondary affiliate of the Minnesota North Stars and were still owned by former North Stars executive Wren Blair. Former EHL tough-guy Don Perry returned behind the bench, and would remain their through 1981. The Gears played their home games at Wendler Arena (now the Dow Event Center).      After a dismal inaugural season, the Gears roster got a bit of a makeover. The core of last year's team, including Dennis Desrosiers, Marcel Comeau, Stu Irving, Mike Hornby and Russ Friesen, returned for Year Two. An offseason trade with the Dayton Gems brought in defenseman Gordie Malinoski, who supplied both experience and brawn (333 PIM).      The Gears  were a much-improved squad in their sophomore season, finishing with a 38-34-4 record. Their 80 point finish was a 17...

1985-86 Regular Season Checkers vs. Flint Spirits      The Indianapolis Checkers were back for their second season in the IHL after five seasons in the defunct Central Hockey League. The Checkers remained a secondary affiliate of both the New York Islanders and Minnesota North Stars. Larry Woods purchased the Checkers after the 1984-85 season and moved the team to the 15,900-seat Market Square Arena, home of the NBA's Indiana Pacers. The team kept their Islanders-styled uniforms, but changed the logo.      Former Port Huron Flags coach Ron Ullyot was named Coach/GM of the Checkers, and his team greatly improved on their first IHL season. Indy finished with a 41-35-6 mark. They finished last in the very competitive West Division, which had all the teams win at least 40 games. The Checkers' 88 points would have easily taken fourth place in the East.     Indy scored just 296 goals that year, better than only Flint and Toledo. Longtime minor lea...

1987-88 Turner Cup Playoffs Hawks vs. Flint Spirits      1987-88 was a fresh start for the Saginaw Generals. After two seasons in Saginaw (using the nickname and colors of Flint's former team), the franchise was rechristened the Saginaw Hawks. The team became the primary farm team of the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks and adopted uniforms virtually identical to the parent club. The lone difference was the shoulder patch, which had an S instead of a C with the interlocking tomahawks. Dr. Eugene Chardoul remained as President of the club, while Dennis Desrosiers returned for his fifth year behind the bench (two in Flint, three in Saginaw). Peter Horachek took off the skates and joined "Rosie" behind the bench as his assistant coach.      The Hawks had an excellent season in 1987-88, finishing with a 45-30-7 record. Their 97 points would have won the Western Divison crown, but was only good enough for third in the very competitive Eastern Division. The Hawks we...

1984-85 Turner Cup Playoffs Generals vs. Kalamazoo Wings      The Flint Generals were in their sixteenth year of existence in 1984-85. The franchise was coming off it's finest hour in the previous year, winning their first-ever Turner Cup championship. The Generals swept aside both Milwaukee and Toledo in four straight, the first team to sweep to the Cup since the 1969 Dayton Gems.      Dr. Eugene Chardoul led the consortium that had owned the Generals for the past several years. Former Saginaw Gears and Generals forward Dennis Desrosiers returned for his second season as head coach and general manager. The team played their home games at the 4,021-seat IMA Sports Arena.      Desrosiers' Generals had a fine season in 1984-85, going 43-32-4. Their 93 points placed them in second place in the IHL Eastern Division, ten points behind league-best Muskegon. Flint had the third-most goals scored that season, with 349. Gilles Thibaudeau, a rook...

1969-70 Regular Season Generals vs. Des Moines Oak Leafs      Flint's long run in professional hockey began in 1969, when a group led by Frank Gallagher purchased an IHL expansion franchise for the Vehicle City. The team was called "Flint Generals" in a nod to the city's close ties to General Motors, which had several factories in town then. Gallagher, a former IHL commissioner as well as former General Manager of the Port Huron Flags, was named GM of the new Generals. He then named Ken Hodge as the team's first head coach. The Generals would play at the similarly new IMA Sports Arena, which held 4.031 with 1,000 standing room.      The new Generals went through the usual growing pains in Year One. Flint finished the 1969-70 season in last place, with a 21-39-12 record. Their 54 points were six behind the Fort Wayne Komets and 46 behind league-best Muskegon. The Generals were actually strong on defense, allowing 270 goals, fourth-fewest in the IHL. Th...

1983-84 Regular Season Checkers vs. U.S. Olympic Team      The Checkers were riding high by 1983-84. They were the two-time defending Adams Champions and one of the strongest teams off the ice as well.           The CHL, on the other hand, was not as fortunate. The league was running on fumes by then. Having lost several teams the past few seasons, the CHL was down to just five teams. The league was spread all across the country, mostly in the western US. The five teams were as far north as Billings, Montana, as far west as Salt Lake City, Utah, and as far south as Tulsa, Oklahoma. Indianapolis was easily the most easterly team in the circuit.      Things got worse as the year went on. The owners of the Tulsa Oilers declared bankruptcy and abandoned the team to the CHL, which kept it afloat as a travel team. To balance the schedule, the CHL counted games against the Canadian and American Olympic teams in the schedule. So this p...

1982-83 Regular Season Opponent Unknown      The Indianapolis Checkers were in their fourth year in the Central Hockey League by 1982-83. They were the primary farm club of the New York Islanders and played their home games at the 8,421-seat State Fairgrounds Coliseum. Fred Creighton was the Head Coach and General Manager.      As you can see by the cover, Indy was the defending Adams Cup Champions that year, defeating Dallas in the Finals. In 1982-83, Creighton's bunch had a spectacular season, going 50-28-2, cruising to first place. Their 102 points were 17 points ahead of second-place Colorado.      The Checkers were tops in the CHL on both sides of the puck. On offense, they piled up 335 goals and were led by Don Laurence, who popped in 43 goals and 98 points. Steve Stoyanovich was the other 40-goal scorer that season, with 41. Five other Checkers had at least 20 goals on the year.      On defense, Indy allowed just ...

I'm going to add another program to my list of "wants": the 1983-84 Tulsa Oilers. The reason?  Read this article.  Quite an interesting story. Basically, the following events happened: 1. Oilers ownership declared bankruptcy midway through the season. 2. Oilers lose arena lease and fold. 3. CHL and the New York Rangers (Oilers' parent team) split the costs of keeping the Oilers alive for the rest of the season as a travel team. 4. Oilers players are put up in a Denver hotel. 5. Oilers make the playoffs. 6. Oilers win the Adams Cup while not playing a home game in over a month. 7. Oilers finally cease operations. 8. The entire CHL follows suit and folds as well. It would make a great ESPN 30 for 30 episode. Programs do exist, but I haven't seen one from that season yet. Hopefully I can find one reasonably priced.

1979-80 Regular Season Black Hawks vs. Tulsa Oilers      The Central Hockey League's Dallas Black Hawks had been in existence since 1967-68, relocating from St. Louis after the arrival of the NHL Blues. Originally a Chicago farm club, the Hawks were now the primary farm club of the Vancouver Canucks. The Hawks played their home games at the 7,593-seat State Fair Coliseum and were coached by John Choyce, who was also GM.      Dallas was coming off an Adams Cup championship in 1978-79. The Hawks were a juggernaut in the CHL. Since arriving in 1967-68, Dallas had reached the Adams Cup Finals nine times in 12 years (including an incredible six years straight), winning the Cup four times.      1979-80 would see that come to a screeching halt. Dallas would fall to last place in the CHL that year (excluding the Cincinnati Stingers, who folded at midseason). Their 29-43-8 record was eight points behind sixth-place Houston, who had the last play...

1980-81 Regular Season Wings vs. Washington Capitals      By 1980-81, the Detroit Red Wings were slowly reaching the end of their "Dead Things" era. From 1966-67 to 1985-86, the Wings missed the playoffs in all but four seasons. A myriad of coaches and general managers had come and gone during that era, and the Wings remained buried deep in the standings.      1980-81 was more of the same, as the Wings retained control of the Norris Division cellar, with an ugly 19-43-18 record. In most seasons, that would have given Detroit the #1 overall pick, but Winnipeg was especially horrific in 1981, winning only nine games. The Wings were four points behind fourth-place Hartford, but 47 behind first-place Montreal.      Jimmy Skinner, former head coach of the 1955 Wings (the last Detroit team to win the Stanley Cup) was now the general manager. His former captain, Ted Lindsay, started the year as coach, but was canned after a 3-14-3 start in fav...

2008-09 Regular Season Opponent Unknown      The Flint Generals were in their 16th season of operation by 2009. This tied the original Flint Generals of the IHL for the longest stay by a pro hockey team in the Buick City. The modern Generals were now part of the "new" IHL, which the United Hockey League renamed itself the season before. The team was owned by a consortium called The Perani Group (TPG), which included Perani's Hockeyworld owner and Flint legend Bob Perani (hence the name). The team played it's home games at Perani's Hockey World and Event Center.      The franchise, and the league for that matter, had been in decline for the past several seasons, attendance-wise and in the standings. 2008-09 saw the Gens hit rock bottom both on and off the ice. Head Coach Peter South, an unpopular midseason replacement the previous year, was suddenly expected to "co-coach with former General Bobby Reynolds after a slow start to the year. Seeing the writi...

1993-94 Regular Season Opponent Unknown      As you can tell by the programa cover, the Peoria Rivermen were in their tenth season of existence. The franchise originally started in 1983 as the Peoria Prancers, but changed their names after two lackluster seasons and new ownership. The Rivermen were the primary affiliate of the St. Louis Blues and played their home games at the 9,315-seat Peoria Civic Center.      Long-time NHL forward Paul MacLean was behind the bench for the 1993-94 season. The Rivermen were coming off a last-place finish in the Midwest Division (third place out of three teams, actually) in 1992-93. This year would be different, as they jumped to first place, with a 51-24-6 record. Their 108 points just barely edged out second-place Cincinnati and was only seven points behind league-best Las Vegas.      MacLean's squad scored the fourth-most goals in the IHL that year, piling up 327 goals. They were led by Doug Evans, ...