Hockey Programs

1973-74 Regular Season--Musketeers vs. Chicago Warriors      Sioux City, Iowa, a town of approximately 86,000, has been home to the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) since 1951. After a single season in 1951-52, the Musketeers returned to Iowa in 1972-73 and have remained in town ever since.      At the time of this program (1973-74), the USHL was a semi-pro circuit, a notch below the International Hockey League. It contained nine teams, mostly west of the Great Lakes and one team, Thunder Bay, in Canada. The Musketeers played their home games at the Sioux City Auditorium, which sat about 3,500.      This was the second season of Musketeers hockey, and the team was coached by John Saville. Sioux City finished the year with a 23-24-1, missing the postseason. The Musketeers were m iddle-of-the-pack on offense, scoring 215 goals. Leading goal-scorer that year was Dave Kartio, who had 34 goals and 58 points.       On defense, Sioux City was fourth-wo

1968-69 WHL Playoffs--Buckaroos vs. San Diego Gulls      The Portland Buckaroos were members of the Western Hockey League (WHL), a six-team minor-pro circuit based along the West Coast of the US and Canada. The Buckaroos were two-time Patrick Cup Champions (1961 and 1965) and played their home games at the 10,128-seat Memorial Coliseum.      Led by former NHLer Hal Laycoe, the Buckaroos had a fine season in 1968-69. Portland won the regular season title that year, with a 40-18-16 record, 10 points ahead of the Vancouver Canucks. Despite the strong showing on the ice, attendance dipped below 6,000 per game for the first time, as the Buckaroos drew 5,655 per game to the Coliseum. 1968-69 Team Photo      The Buckaroos topped the WHL in both offense and defense that season. Portland scored 291 goals in 1968-69. Longtime center Art Jones led the team in scoring, with 38 goals and 114 points. Bill Saunders, with the Buckaroos since 1961, had a career season, scoring 53 goals and 11

1985-86 Regular Season--Wings vs. Flint Spirits      The Kalamazoo Wings were in their eleventh season of existence in 1985-86. Owned by Ted and Martha Parfet, the K-Wings were members of the International Hockey League (IHL) and affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers and Vancouver Canucks. They played their home games at the 5,113-seat Wings Stadium.      Bill Inglis returned as Head Coach and General Manager of the K-Wings that season. Prior to arriving in Kalamazoo, Inglis was head coach of the Toledo Goaldiggers from 1980-84, winning two Turner Cup titles in the process. In 1984-85, Kalamazoo finished with a 40-35-7 record (4th place in the Eastern Division). They knocked off the defending champion Flint Generals in 7 games in Round One, but were swept aside by the Muskegon Lumberjacks.      The K-Wings improved on that season in 1986, jumping to second place in the Eastern Division with a stellar 47-29-6 record. Their 100 points were just five behind the

1973-74 Regular Season: Komets vs. Des Moines Capitols           The Fort Wayne Komets started their 22nd year of play in the International Hockey League (IHL) in the 1973-74 season. The Komets were coming off a Turner Cup championship, as they swept aside the defending champion Port Huron Wings in four straight. The Komets were part of the Pittsburgh Penguins farm system, and were affiliated with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League.      Marc Boileau returned behind the bench, but would be promoted to the Pittsburgh Penguins at midseason. Ted Wright took over for the remainder of the season.      The Komets followed up their Turner Cup season by missing the playoffs in 1973-74. In fact, both finalists from the previous year missed the postseason. The Komets' 31-45-0 record was one point ahead of the Port Huron Wings' 29-44-3 mark. Strange to see two teams in the finals one year and dead last the next.      Fort Wayne struggled on defense this year, allowing

2016-17 Regular Season: Blackhawks vs. Carolina Hurricanes      The Chicago Blackhawks were near the end of a long stretch of dominance. Since 2008, the Hawks had made the postseason 8 straight years and won three Stanley Cups. The Hawks, led by Head Coach Joel Quenneville, had another dominant season in 2016-17. Chicago finished with the second-best record in the NHL, with a 50-23-7 mark, seven points back of President's Trophy-winning Washington. The Hawks were three points ahead of second place Minnesota in the race for the Central Division crown.      The Hawks had the ninth-best offense in the NHL in 2016-17, lighting the lamp 244 times. Patrick Kane led the attack, with 34 goals and 89 points. Artemi Panarin was the other Hawk with 30+ goals, as he potted 31. Four other players had at least twenty goals on the season: Jonathan Toews (21), Marian Hossa (26), Artem Anisimov (22) and Richard Panik (22).      Defense was about the same for Chicago, as the Blackhawks allowed

1993-94 Regular Season: Smoke vs. Utica Bulldogs      The Brantford Smoke were one of the "Original 5" Colonial Hockey League franchises, along with the Michigan (Detroit) Falcons, Flint Bulldogs, St. Thomas Wildcats and Thunder Bay Thunder Hawks. The Brantford Smoke played their home games at the Brantford Civic Center, a 3600-seat arena. A competitive team from the get-go, the Smoke won their only Colonial Cup championship in 1992-93, defeating St. Thomas in five games. They were given a boost in goal with former New York Islander Roland Melanson.      The Smoke were back for Year 3 in 1993-94. Ken Gratton, who took over as coach during the previous season, was retained as Head Coach Don Robertons was the General Manager that season. The Smoke made a slight change to their logo, using a silhouette of a maple leaf behind the "Smoke Train".      The Smoke took a big step back in 1993-94, with a 28-26-10 record. Their 66 points were good enough for second place

1977-78 Regular Season: Owls vs. Toledo Goaldiggers      After six seasons playing in an aging arena in front of dwindling crowds, the Columbus Owls gave up on Columbus, Ohio. Initially planning on relocating to Indianapolis, Indiana, for the 1977-78 season, the Owls instead shifted to Dayton, Ohio, recently vacated by the Dayton Gems. The Owls hoped for an increase in attendance in Hara Arena, despite the steady decline the Gems saw in their last few seasons.     The move turned out to be a disaster. A declining economy and harsh winter helped keep attendance dangerously low. Owner Al Savill announced that the team was on track to lose over $350,000 and may be forced to fold the franchise. An emergency meeting of the IHL Board of Governors was convened and the Owls were allowed to relocate to Grand Rapids, Michigan, on December 3, 1977.      The Owls' second home that season was Stadium Arena, a 5,000-seat arena in the Grand Rapids suburb of Walker, Michigan. Grand Rapids wa

1977 USHL Playoffs: Blades vs. Milwaukee Admirals      The Grand Rapids Blades were a minor-pro hockey team in the United States Hockey League (USHL). They played their home games at Stadium Arena (now DeltaPlex Arena), located in Walker, Michigan. The Blades were the first professional hockey team to call Grand Rapids home since the IHL's Rockets relocated to Huntington, West Virginia in 1956. 1976-77 was the franchise's first season.      Nelson LeClair was Player/Coach for the Blades, and Joe Zalokar was the General Manager. The team's first season was a successful one, to say the least. The Blades ran away with the regular season crown, sporting a 34-11-3 record. Their 71 points were 11 better than second-place Green Bay and 23 ahead of Southern Division champion Milwaukee.      Grand Rapids led the league in goals scored, with 336. Gary Ford, who spent 9 years with the Muskegon Mohawks, had 37 goals and 105 points to lead the team. Rich Kramp led the team in goal