Hockey Programs

1960-61 Regular Season: Rangers vs. Detroit Red Wings      The New York Rangers were entering some pretty lean seasons by 1960-61. In fact, in the last ten seasons of the Original Six era (1957-67), New York qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs just three times, all first-round exits. The typical Rangers season during this era saw the team finish in fifth place, about 12-15 points out of the final postseason berth.      1960-61 was no different for the "Broadway Blueshirts". While New York was able to climb out of the basement, their forgettable 22-38-10 record kept them out of the playoffs. The Rangers' 54 points were twelve behind fourth-place Detroit for the final playoff spot.      It wasn't that the Rangers didn't have talented players on their roster. Indeed, during the Original Six era, even bottom feeders like Boston and New York had a couple Hall-of-Famers on their lineups. Unfortunately, neither the Bruins or Rangers had the...

     Every now and then, a minor-league team fails after one season, whether it's from non-existent fan support, a poor on-ice product, questionable owners or bad facilities. I have a few programs from "one and done" hockey teams, and here's the latest addition to that group.      The Cincinnati Tigers joined the Central Hockey League in 1981 as an expansion franchise. The franchise came to be when the Toronto Maple Leafs, tired of sharing the AHL's New Brunswick Hawks with Chicago, added the Tigers to the Queen City as their top affiliate. The new Tigers would be coached by former Flint Generals coach/GM Doug Carpenter, and would play their home games at the 14,453-seat Riverfront Coliseum.      Most expansion franchises struggle in the first season, but the Tigers were quite the opposite. Cincinnati finished in second place in the CHL's North Division, sporting an excellent 46-30-4 record. Their 96 points were just one point behind leag...

1983-84 Regular Season: Wings vs. Muskegon Mohawks      1983-84 was the tenth season of operation for the Kalamazoo Wings in the International Hockey League. Owned by Ted and Martha Parfet, the Wings were a secondary affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings and played their home games at 5,121-seat Wings Stadium.      Kalamazoo had been one of the more competitive franchises in the IHL since joining in 1974. After missing the postseason in their inaugural campaign, the K-Wings had qualified each year since, including three straight Turner Cup Finals appearances (1979-81), winning two Cups in 1979 and 1980.      Kalamazoo was coming off a mediocre 1982-83 season, which saw the team drop to 32-44-6 (2nd in the IHL West, 5th overall) and a second round exit at the hands of Milwaukee. Coach (and former Red Wing) JP LeBlanc was back behind the bench for his third year in 1983-84.      The IHL shrunk to seven teams and dropped the d...