Hockey Programs

1974-75 Regular Season: Komets vs. Flint Generals      The Fort Wayne Komets were looking to rebound from a disappointing 1973-74 season, which saw the defending Turner Cup Champions drop to last place in the Southern Division with a 31-45-0 record, next-to-worst in the entire league. ex-Komet player Ted Wright, who replaced Marc Boileau when he was hired by the Pittsburgh Penguins, was back behind the Komets bench.       1974-75 was another letdown season, as the Komets were even worse than last year. Fort Wayne was dead last in the Southern Division, with a 26-44-6 record, 11 points back of the Des Moines Capitols and 37 behind first place Dayton. Wright was let go after winning just twice in the first 10 games of the season, and was replaced by Ralph Keller for the rest of the year.       Fort Wayne had the third-worst offense in the IHL in 1974-75 (counting Lansing, which folded midway through the season), scoring only 247 goals...

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.   ...

1969-70 Regular Season Komets vs. Toledo Blades      The Komets were in their 18th year of play in the International Hockey League, one of the oldest and most stable franchises in that circuit. Owned by a group headed by Colin Lister, the Komets were lead by Vice President/GM Ken Ullyot and Head Coach Moe Bartoli. The team played it's home games at Memorial Coliseum, which they still do to this day.      Fort Wayne had a rough season in '69-70, finishing with a dismal 26-38-8 record. Their 60 points were just six ahead of the expansion Flint Generals for the final playoff spot in the North, and a whopping 40 behind league-best Muskegon. Veteran center Ray Brunel, in his only season with the team,  led the Komets in scoring, with 33 goals and 88 points. Brunel was joined in the 30-goal club by left winger Bob Baird and right winger Merv Dubchak. A player of note on the 1969-70 Komets was right winger Ron Ullyot. After a stint at Michigan, Ullyot pl...

1982-83 Regular Season--Komets vs. Flint Generals      As you can see by the program, 1982-83 was the 31st straight season of Komets Hockey. By now, the team had changed their colors slightly, dropping black for royal blue. Former Komets center Ron Ullyot was back behind the bench, and the team was a secondary affiliate of Vancouver, Washington and Winnipeg.      Ullyot's Komets had a fine season in '82-83, with an excellent 45-26-11 record, giving them 101 points on the year. They finished second place in the Eastern Division and overall in the IHL. the Komets were second only to Huber Trophy champion Toledo and 21 points ahead of third place Flint.      Fort Wayne had the second-best offense in the IHL that year, piling up 377 goals on the year. Ron Ullyot had a pair of 50-goal scorers that season, as both Ron Leef and Barry Scully each had 57. Leef led the team in points with 120. Two others scored at least 30 goals, a...

1967-68 Regular Season--Komets vs. Des Moines Oak Leafs      1967-68 was the sixteenth season of Fort Wayne Komets hockey, all in the IHL. The team was coached by Ken Ullyot, who had been with the franchise since 1958. The Komets played      Having lost to Toledo in the 1967 Turner Cup Finals, the Komets slipped to fourth place in '67-68. While Muskegon ran away with first place, the battle for the second-fifth slots was hotly contested. Fort Wayne finished 30-29-13, their 73 points one ahead of Toledo and just five behind second place Dayton.      The Komets were also in fourth place in offense, scoring 282 times that year. Fort Wayne legend Len Thornson led the team with 38 goals and 97 points. Three others, Bob Baird, Randy Gates and Merv Dubchak, joined Thornson in the 30+ goal club. Three others scored at least 20 goals.      The Komets had the second-best defense in the IHL that season, allowing just...

1988-89 Regular Season--Komets vs. Flint Spirts      The Komets played their 35th consecutive season in the IHL in 1988-89. The franchise was owned by local businessman David Welker. Welker, owner of Hoosier Culverts and W&W Concrete, purchased the Komets out of bankruptcy court for a paltry $300,000 in the summer of 1987.      The Komets, coached by former player Robbie Laird, had numerous affiliations that year. The Komets were a farm team of Boston, Quebec, Washington, Winnipeg and Edmonton. Quite a group of parent clubs!      As you can tell, the team had radically changed their look over the course of the 1980s. The traditional orange and black jerseys with the fireball logo were long gone. In their place, were red-white-blue unis with a silhouette of Indiana (the Komets script on the front of the program was on the road jerseys). They also had a koala bear for a secondary logo, which was supposedly for non-alcoh...

1962-63 Turner Cup Playoffs--Komets vs. Muskegon Zephyrs      Their has been a Fort Wayne Komets franchise in minor league hockey since 1952. That's an incredible run for any minor league sport. Teams and entire leagues have come and gone, but Komets hockey has endured. The current team in the ECHL is actually the third incarnation of the Komets. The original franchise joined the IHL in 1952 as an expansion franchise. They played their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, which opened in 1952 and originally held 8,103.       Ken Ullyot coached the Komets in 1962-63. That year's squad won a hotly contested regular season title, going 35-30-5, just a point ahead of Minneapolis and two ahead of third place Muskegon. The cover picture is from the postgame celebration in Omaha. The Komets hammered the Knights, 7-1, to win the team's seventh league title in 11 years!      Fort Wayne was third in the league...