Hockey Programs

     Here's the other Flint Generals yearbook I recently purchased. This one is from the 1975-76 season, the seventh season in franchise history. Similar format to the other yearbook, as each of the previous six Generals teams and their statistics are given. Each player from the 1975-76 campaign has their own black-and-white photo with a short blurb about them. Stats for every player that wore the Generals jersey are listed in the back of the yearbook.      Flint Journal sportswriter Len Hoyes introduced the season and wrote about the sale of the team to a local group led by Dr. Eugene Chardoul. Chardoul, by the way, would own the franchise for not only the remainder of it's stay in Flint, but also it's final four seasons in Saginaw. Attendance apparently was as strong as ever, as Hoyes noted that the Generals averaged about 98% capacity in the 4,021-seat IMA Sports Arena. He also pointed out that the team would play host to their "One Millionth Fan" in ...

     I recently bought two yearbooks from the Flint Generals of the IHL. This one is from the 1973-74 season. It's a 40-page book, all in black-and-white, and on glossy paper. Each player for that season has a full page photo and a short bio. The statistics and a team photo for each Generals season are included. Stats for every player that wore the "blue and gold" are listed in the back of the yearbook. Flint Journal sportswriter Len Hoyes added an article previewing the remainder of the 1973-74 campaign.       One thing that Hoyes noted in his article was about attendance: "With all of their problems, the Generals were still attracting fans at a rate of 3,950 per game. Attendance was down slightly, but Flint's percentage rate of almost 100 percent remained the envy of minor league hockey." (Hoyes, 1974)      The original Generals were a popular team for most of their existence, and attendance only bottomed out when the region...

1967-68 Regular Season Flags vs. Dayton Gems      The 1967-68 season was the sixth season in the International Hockey League (IHL) for the Port Huron Flags. The Flags were owned by John Wismer, who also owned radio stations WHLS and WSAQ. Jerry Toppazzini, who spent twelve years in the NHL, mostly with the Boston Bruins, was player/coach that year, taking over for Lloyd Maxfield, who was now Administrative Assistant to the President. The Flags played their home games at the 3,400-seat McMorran Arena.      Maxfield's Flags just missed the playoffs in 1967, finishing three points behind fourth-place Des Moines. Toppazzini's Flags fared much worse in 1968, finishing in sixth place (out of seven) with a 25-36-11 record. Their 61 points were twelve points behind the fourth-place Fort Wayne Komets and 37 behind the league-leading Muskegon Mohawks.      The Flags owned the third worst offense (269 goals scored) and the worst defense (343 allow...

2017-18 Regular Season Firebirds vs. Erie Otters      2017-18 is the third year of Flint Firebirds hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The Firebirds are coming off a "bounce-back" season in 2016-17, in which they went 32-28-3-5 and made the playoffs after a disastrous inaugural season. Head Coach Ryan Oulahan returned behind the bench, but GM George Burnett was replaced by Barclay Branch (the son of OHL commissioner David Branch).      This program is from the game I went to between the Firebirds and Erie Otters. The Firebirds were in the middle of a long winless streak, and lost to Erie, 5-2. Probably one of the more uninspired OHL games I have ever went to. Rumors were flying that "suspended" owner Rolf Nilsen and his assistants were causing trouble behind the scenes again, leading to the players being disinterested on the ice.      The Firebirds have had nice programs in each of their three seasons, and this is no different. I...

2011-12 Regular Season--Opponent Unknown      The Dayton Gems were members of the Central Hockey League (CHL). They joined the CHL in 2010 when that league merged with the International Hockey League. The Gems played their home games at Hara Arena, a 5,500-seat arena in nearby Trotwood.       Brian Gratz returned as head coach for the Gems that season. However, 2011-12 was not as good as last year, as the Gems dropped to 23-29-7-7. Their 60 points were good enough for sixth place in the CHL's Turner Division, 22 points behind Quad City for the last playoff berth. Attendance increased slightly from 2010-11, as the Gems drew 2,228 per game, the lowest average in the CHL.      The Gems struggled both on offense and defense that season, scoring only 185 while allowing 228, both near the bottom of the league. Damian Surma led the team in scoring, with 31 goals and 65 points. Former Port Huron Icehawk Larry Sterling led the team in goaltendin...

This was the only season of Saginaw Gears hockey I did not have in my collection. Cross one off the "white whale" list.... 1978-79 Regular Season Gears vs. Fort Wayne Komets       The Saginaw Gears began their sixth season of play in the International Hockey League (IHL). Led by owner Wren Blair and Head Coach/General Manager Don Perry, the Gears had become one of the more stable franchises on and off the ice in the league. The Gears had been a Turner Cup contender for most of their existence, reaching the Finals three times, winning it all in 1976-77. The team was very popular in Mid-Michigan, as the Gears were frequently near the top of the IHL in average attendance. 1978-79 was no different, as an average of about 4,458 fans per game packed Wendler Arena that year. Stat Sheet from Program    This program is from a Gears-Komets game on Saturday, February 10, 1979. If you go by what is written on the cover, Saginaw won, 5-4. This game was a battle...

1982-83 Regular Season Flames vs. Wichita Wind      The Colorado Flames were an expansion franchise in the Central Hockey League, a Triple-A minor league circuit based primarily in the middle of the United States. The Flames were the primary affiliate of the NHL's Calgary Flames, and, naturally, wore uniforms that were identical to their parent club. The Flames played at Denver's McNichols Sports Arena, a 16,384-seat arena. The Flames filled the void left by the NHL's Colorado Rockies, who relocated to East Rutherford, New Jersey, after the 1981-82 season to become the New Jersey Devils.      The Colorado Flames were owned by Detroit native Douglas Spedding, who later owned the Denver Gold of the USFL. Calgary tapped 32-year old assistant coach Pierre Page as Head Coach/General Manager for Spedding's Flames.      Year One of the Colorado Flames was a success. Colorado benefitted from the Flames deep farm system, and finished in second p...

1975-76 Regular Season Golden Seals vs. Atlanta Flames       Just got this program a couple of weeks ago. Wasn't sure if it was a Flames program or a Golden Seals program. Either way was fine, since I didn't have one from either team.      The California Golden Seals were in their ninth year of existence in the National Hockey League. They were one of the "Class of '67" expansion franchises added to the NHL in 1967. The team played their home games at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, a 12,021-seat arena they shared with the NBA's Golden State Warriors.      During their short existence in the NHL, the Seals were the definition of instability. The franchise changed ownership several times, including a brief stint being operated by the NHL. The team changed names multiple times as well, even partway through their inaugural season, switching from "Oakland Seals" to "California Seals" to try and draw fans from outside Oakland. ...

2016-17 Regular Season Spirit vs. Kitchener Rangers       Hard to believe, this is the fifteenth season of Saginaw Spirit hockey. The Spirit are the longest-lasting team to ever play in Saginaw, with the next-oldest team being the IHL's Gears (1972-83). The Spirit's principal owner is still Dick Garber, but he has been joined by investors Brandon Bordeaux, Detroit Red Wings and Tigers executive Jimmy Devellano and former Wings goalie Chris Osgood. The Spirt have yet another new coach behind the bench: former ECHL coach Spencer Carbery.      The Spirit got off to a horrendous start to the year, winning just 3 games out of 15, but have rebounded to get back into the playoff chase. This program was from the Saturday, November 26th game against the Kitchener Rangers. The Rangers won, 4-1, in front of 2,812 at Dow Event Center.      This is a compact program, similar in dimensions to the Prowlers program. However, it's 87 pages thick, all on...

2016-17 Regular Season Prowlers vs. Cornwall Nationals      The Prowlers entered their second season of play as the defending Commissioner's Cup Champions, the first pro hockey title in Port Huron since 1972. Head Coach Trevor Karasiewicz returned behind the bench for 2016-17, along with a few returning players from last year's championship team. Off the ice, attendance has gone up slightly, as the team averages about 982 per game, tops in the FHL (which doesn't say much).      Per usual with the Federal Hockey League, there was offseason instability. The league lost the Dayton Demolition and Brewster Bulldogs, but saw the return of the Watertown Wolves after a one-season absence. The FHL also welcomed the St. Clair Shores Fighting Saints, Cornwall Nationals and Carolina Thunderbirds (who will start next season).      This program is from the Friday, January 6th game between the Prowlers and Cornwall Nationals. In front of 1,036 fans, t...

2016-17 Regular Season Firebirds vs. Saginaw Spirit Hockey season's back, so here are the latest programs added to my massive collection.      This program is from the Friday, December 30th game between the Flint Firebirds and the Saginaw Spirit. The Firebirds won, 3-2, in a hard-hitting, exciting game in front of 3,989 fans. Flint's Mathieu Henderson scored a beauty of a backhand goal in OT with just over 8 seconds left to give the Firebirds the win.      After last year's off-ice nonsense, the OHL took control of the day-to-day operations of the Firebirds. They hired longtime OHL coach and general manager George Burnett as General Manager. Burnett's experience in junior hockey gave the Firebirds immediate credibility in the junior hockey world. He then hired North Bay assistant coach (and former Red Wings prospect) Ryan Oulahan as head coach, who in turn hired former Flyers prospect Eric Wellwood as his assistant. Despite their youth, Oulahan and W...