Pittsburgh Hornets (AHL, 1949-50)

1949-50 Regular Season:
Hornets vs. Indianapolis Capitols

      Before the Penguins joined the NHL in 1967, Pittsburgh was home to numerous minor professional hockey teams, dating back to 1922. The Steel City even had an NHL franchise from 1925-30, the Pirates, who relocated to Philadelphia in the depths of the Great Depression before folding in 1931. 

     The Pittsburgh Hornets were a long-time member of the American Hockey League, playing in that league from 1936-56 at Duquesne Gardens, then resuming play from 1961-67 when the Pittsburgh Civic Arena was completed. During the first run, the Hornets were the top farm club of the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

     The 1949-50 Pittsburgh Hornets finished in fourth place in the Western Division with a 29-26-15 record. Their 73 points were just three back of the St. Louis Flyers for the last playoff spot. Head Coach Bob Davidson was fired after a 13-14-8 start to the season, replaced by Baz Bastien, the former Leafs goaltending prospect who was forced to retire due to an eye injury. 

     Pittsburgh scored the third-fewest goals in the AHL, managing just 215 on the year. Minor league veteran Eldred Kobussen led the Hornets in scoring with 23 goals and 63 points in 70 games. Ray Hannigan had the most goals on the team, with a career-high of 30. Fleming Mackell, who would go on to a 10-year NHL career (including a Stanley Cup with the Leafs in 1951), scored 25 goals, while Andy Barbe notched 25. 

     The Hornets were much stronger on defense, a trademark of the Toronto Maple Leafs style of play back then. Pittsburgh allowed the fewest goals in the AHL in 1949-50, just 185. They used two different goaltenders that season: Gil Mayer and Al Rollins. Mayer would play the majority of the games, playing 50 with a 2.84 GAA and 3 shutouts. Mayer would play until 1962-63, mostly in the AHL. In another generation, he likely would have had a long NHL career, but with only six goaltending jobs in the NHL back then, he was a career minor-leaguer.

     While Mayer's NHL career would only span 9 games, his partner in net, Al Rollins, would stick around much longer in The Show. Rollins, acquired to replace Bastien, played 20 games with a 2.15 GAA and 4 shutouts. He split time between Pittsburgh and Toronto. He took over the top goaltending job with the Leafs, replacing an aging Turk Broda, and helped lead Toronto to the 1951 Stanley Cup. Rollins was traded to Chicago in 1952 in a blockbuster trade for Black Hawks goalie Harry Lumley, and responded by leading Chicago to the 1953 playoffs. Rollins would then become the classic "good goalie on a bad team", playing good to spectacular goal behind an awful team. He even won the Hart Trophy in 1953-54, despite playing on a 12-win team. Some say the MVP award was for bravery.

 
   A notable player on the Hornets blue line was 19-year old Tim Horton. Yes, that Tim Horton. Before his name became synonymous with donuts and coffee, Tim Horton was a rugged Hall-of-Fame defenseman, playing 24 years in the NHL, mostly with Toronto. In 1949-50, Horton was in his rookie season, having advanced from the Toronto St. Mike' Majors of the OHA, a Toronto junior program. Horton would spend the next three seasons in the Steel City before making the parent club for good in 1952-53. 

     Former Leafs center Pete Langelle was wrapping up his pro career by then. A Leaf from 1938-42 (winning the 1942 Stanley Cup), Langelle spent the last four seasons in Pittsburgh after a stint in the military during World War 2.

Lineups and scoresheet for that night's game

     This program is from the December 26, 1949 game against the Indianapolis Capitals, the top farm club of the Detroit Red Wings. The Capitals won, 8-4, on the strength of Doug McKay's 2 goals and 3 points. Notable Capitals players include Fred Glover, Al Dewsbury, Benny Woit, and legendary goaltender Terry Sawchuk. Sawchuk would win the Rookie of the Year Trophy in the AHL, the second of three straight ROTY awards he would win on his way to the NHL. Sawchuk would lead the Capitals to the 1950 Calder Cup championship in a four-game sweep over Johnny Bower's Cleveland Barons.

     This program is 27 pages long, all in black and white and loaded with advertisements. Unlike most programs, there are not many articles, just player bios and hockey rules and lingo. Local advertisements include University Grill, Kenn Buick, Inc., Pittsburgh Pretzel Company, WWSW AM (The radio home of the Hornets, and Duquesne Pilsner Beer. 

Reference:

American Hockey League Regular Season Statistics: 1949-50, from hockeydb.com