Hockey Programs

1988-89 Regular Season: Opponent Unknown      After such a great season in 1987-88, the Spirits saw many changes on and off the ice. Head Coach/GM Rick Dudley was hired by the Buffalo Sabres and was replaced by top defenseman Don Waddell. Star forward John Cullen also jumped to "The Show", signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Spirits were affiliated with Buffalo, Detroit, Los Angeles and Toronto.      1988-89 was a huge disappointment, as the Spirits crashed to the league cellar, with a pathetic 22-54-6. With only 50 points on the year, Flint was 35 points behind fourth place Kalamazoo and a mind-numbing 71 behind Huber Trophy winner Muskegon.      Waddell's first team had trouble scoring goals, bringing up the rear in the IHL with just 287. New arrival Michel Mongeau, a former Saginaw General, scored 41 goals and 117 points to lead the team. Yves Heroux was second-best with 43 goals and 85 points. The only other Spi...

1987-88 Regular Season: Spirits vs. Milwaukee Admirals      The Flint Spirits were in their third year of operation by 1987-88. Rick Dudley was back as Coach/GM, and the team was now a secondary affiliate of Buffalo, Detroit, Philadelphia and Vancouver.      After a 26-win turnaround the following season, the Spirits had their greatest season in their five-year history in 1987-88. They broke or tied 59 team records that year, as they went 42-31-9 that year. While only finishing fourth in a very strong East Division, they would have clinched the West with that record. The team's 42 wins were also a franchise record. The Spirits' 93 points were just four points behind third place Saginaw, but a distant 33 behind league best Muskegon.      Rick Dudley's team had no problem putting the puck in the net, scoring 396 goals, second-highest in the league. Future NHLer John Cullen led the charge, scoring 48 goals and 157 points. Cu...

1985-86 Regular Season: Spirits vs. Kalamazoo Wings      The Flint Spirits were an expansion franchise that joined the IHL late in the summer of 1985. Flint's previous team, the Generals, left for Saginaw in July after failing to come to terms on a lease for the IMA Sports Arena. The Spirits replaced them on August 6, 1985, a mere eight weeks before training camp!      The Spirits were originally owned by Laraine and Carl Lamb. Former Red Wings great Ted Lindsay helped get the franchise off the ground as consultant, and suggested the Lambs hire Doug McKay as Coach/GM. Due to the late start for the franchise, the Spirits operated as an independent club (no NHL affiliates).      Doug McKay had success in the IHL before, leading the Kalamazoo Wings to two-straight Turner Cup Finals berths, winning it all in 1980. However, he would have no such success in Flint. His Spirits slammed head-first into the basement of the IHL, wit...

     Needless to say, the 1980s were not kind to Flint, Michigan. Plant closings...soaring unemployment...high crime rates...Six Flags Autoworld...it was a rough decade for residents. On the bright side, the city continued to be represented in the International Hockey League. After the Generals bolted for Saginaw in the 1985 offseason, the league awarded an expansion franchise, the Flint Spirits, to Laraine Lamb. During a horrific first season, Lamb was bought out by a group of investors that included local hockey legend Bob Perani.      The Spirits lasted five years in a difficult era in the city. For the majority of their existence, they had loose affiliations with several NHL clubs. In 1989-90, they teamed up with the New York Rangers.      Spirits programs have been hard to find, but here are the two I have. 1986-87 Regular Season--Spirits vs. Indianapolis      The Spirits bombed in their firs...