Hockey Programs

1986-87 Regular Season: K-Wings vs. Flint Spirits       1986-87 was the twelfth season of Kalamazoo Wings hockey in the International Hockey League. The Wings were a secondary farm club of the Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings. The K-Wings played their home games at 5,113-seat Wings Stadium (now Wings Event Center). Ted and Martha Parfet owned the franchise, while Bill Inglis was Head Coach/GM.      Kalamazoo was coming off a strong season in 1985-86, which saw the K-Wings finish in second place with a strong 47-29-6 record, just five points back of first-place Muskegon. 1986-87 would be a different story, as the K-Wings stumbled to last place in the Eastern Division with a 36-38-8 record. Their 80 points were 11 back of third-place Flint and 19 back of first place Muskegon.      Kalamazoo scored the second-fewest goals in the IHL this season, lighting the lamp just 331 times. Bob Curtis scored the most goals, with ...

1993-94 Regular Season: K-Wings vs. Indianapolis Ice      The Kalamazoo Wings were celebrating their 20th season in the International Hockey League (IHL) in 1993-94. The Wings were the primary affiliate of the Dallas Stars and wore identical jerseys, with the green, gold and black K-Wing on the chest. The team's ECHL affiliate was the Dayton Bombers.      Kalamazoo was coming off a rare down season in 1992-93. That year, the Wings missed the Turner Cup Playoffs for the first time since their inaugural season in 1974-75. After stepping in as interim coach last season, GM Bill Inglis hired former Philadelphia Flyers assistant coach Ken Hitchcock as Head Coach for 1993-94. His assistant coach was former Bombers coach Claude Noel, who played in the IHL with the Wings and Toledo Goaldiggers.      The Wings rebounded to finish in first place in the oddly-named Atlantic Division (no team in that division was farther east than the Cleveland Lumberjac...

1977-78 Regular Season: K-Wings vs. Port Huron Flags      1977-78 was the fourth season of hockey for the Kalamazoo Wings in the International Hockey League. The franchise was still a secondary affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings and owned by Ted and Martha Parfet. After a rough inaugural season, the K-Wings quickly built into a contender, making the postseason the next two years. The fans flocked to Wings Stadium, as attendance figures ranked in the top three each season in the IHL.       Kalamazoo had it's best season yet in 1976-77, finishing 38-27-13, just two points behind league-best Saginaw. Head Coach Bob Lemieux was back behind the bench, the only coach the K-Wings had known. However, a slow start in 1977-78 led to Lemieux being replaced by Peter Slater as coach. The Wings still finished in second place in the North Division, but their 35-31-14 record was 12 points back of first place Saginaw.      On offense, the K-Wings h...

1989-90 Regular Season: Wings vs. Fort Wayne Komets       The Kalamazoo Wings were in their fifteenth season of operation in the International Hockey League by 1989. Owned by Ted and Martha Parfet, the Wings were the primary affiliate of the Minnesota North Stars, hence the green, gold and black jerseys. The team played it's home games at the 5,113-seat Wings Stadium, just off I-94. Long-time IHL executive Bill Inglis was back as General Manager, and John Marks returned behind the Kalamazoo bench.      Coming off a 4th place, 39-36-7 record in 1988-89, the K-Wings improved significantly the following season. Marks led the team to a 53-23-6 record, setting a new franchise record for wins in a regular season. Their 112 points were good enough for second place in the Eastern Division and third overall in the league. The Wings' 389 goals not only led the league, but set a franchise record. Right Winger Mitch Messier led the team in points with 80 (34 goals...

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...

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....

2010-11 Regular Season--Wings vs. Gwinnett Gladiators       The Kalamazoo Wings are members of the ECHL. This version of the K-Wings actually began in 1999-2000 as the Madison Kodiaks in the United Hockey League. After the IHL's Kalamazoo Wings franchise suspended operations, the Kodiaks were quickly purchased and relocated to Wings Stadium. They assumed the K-Wings nickname and brought back the original color scheme upon their arrival. After nine years in the UHL, the K-Wings switched to the ECHL, where they've been ever since.      In 2010-11, the K-Wings were the secondary affiliate of the New York Islanders. Nick Bootland, a former K-Wing himself, was back behind the bench. Paul Pickard, former commissioner of the IHL, was team president.      Kalamazoo had a fine season in 2010-11, capturing the North Division crown. Their 40-24-2-6 record was seven points better than second place Wheeling, but nine points behind lea...

1990-91 Regular Season--Wings vs. Peoria Rivermen      By 1990-91, the K-Wings were the primary affiliate of the Minnesota North Stars. They also dropped their original red-white-blue color scheme for the North Stars green and gold look.      Ted Parfet still owned the franchise, then in it's 16th season in the IHL. Bill Inglis was by then just General Manager. John Marks was behind the bench for the fourth straight season.      The IHL was becoming a coast-to-coast league with many teams in major US cities. Many of Kalamazoo's longtime rivals, such as Flint, Saginaw, Port Huron and Toledo, were long gone from the IHL. In their places were cities as far west as San Diego and as far east as Albany.      The K-Wings were still in the Eastern Division, and captured the division crown in 1990-91. Their sparkling 52-29-1 record was good for 105 points, 16 behind league-best Peoria. John Marks' squad was th...

1985-86 Regular Season--Wings vs. Salt Lake Golden Eagles      The Kalamazoo Wings were back for their 11th season of IHL hockey in 1985-86. They were still part of the Red Wings farm system, but were also affiliated with Vancouver and Philadelphia. Ted Parfet was still owner of the franchise. Bill Inglis returned as coach/GM for a second season after three years in Toledo.      The IHL emerged from the recession of the early 1980s to begin expanding across the continent to much larger towns. The demise of the Central Hockey League brought teams from Salt Lake City, Utah, and Indianapolis, Indiana, into the IHL for the 1984-85 season. Peoria became the Rivermen and Muskegon became the Lumberjacks. After the 1984-85 season, the Flint Generals would move to Saginaw and would be replaced by the expansion Flint Spirits.      Bill Inglis' 1985-86 K-Wings finished in second place in the Eastern Division. Their 47-29-6 record ga...

1982-83 Regular Season--Wings vs. Saginaw Gears      Before I give the recap for this season, take a look at the cover. See what the K-Wings foward is wearing? Those are called Cooperalls, a long-legged hockey pant that was around during the early 1980s. Two NHL teams, Hartford and Philadelphia, even wore these things at this time. Cooperalls were much lighter than traditional equipment, and allowed players more agility. However, they were also a safety risk, as they greatly reduced friction, sending players hurtling quicker across the ice. They were soon declared unsafe and discontinued. Note the continuation of the pants stripes along the sides of the K-Wings' jerseys.      Anyway, on to that season. 1982-83 saw the IHL expand to eight teams with the arrival of the Peoria Prancers. They also brought back the two-division format after a one-year hiatus. Kalamazoo was now in the Western Division, along with Milwaukee, Muskegon and Peoria. The...

1981-82 Regular Season--Wings vs. Fort Wayne Komets      The country was going through a recession during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and the industrial Midwest was especially hit hard. With fewer and fewer fans having disposable income for hockey games, attendance began to drop off for many IHL franchises. The league was coming off a forgettable offseason in 1981. The Grand Rapids Owls and Port Huron Flags both ceased operations after the season's end. The Saginaw Gears filed for bankruptcy protection shortly after winning the Turner Cup, and Muskegon came close to being evicted from their arena. The league, now down to 7 teams, scrapped their divisional setup.      The Kalamazoo Wings opened the 1981-82 season in an unfamiliar role: ex-champions. The K-Wings were routed in the 1981 Turner Cup Finals by a red-hot Gears squad in five games, ending their two-year dynasty. Coach Doug McKay moved on to coach the AHL's Adirondack Red Wings an...

1979-80 Regular Season--Wings vs. Port Huron Flags      The Kalamazoo Wings joined the International Hockey League as an expansion franchise in 1974-75. They were a farm team of the Detroit Red Wings and were owned by Ted Parfet. The Wings played their home games in new Wings Stadium, a 5,121-seat stadium.      In 1978-79, the Wings captured their first-ever Turner Cup championship, besting the Grand Rapids Owls in seven games. New head coach Doug McKay would improve on that success in 1979-80. The Wings would win the regular season title that year, going 45-26-9, three points ahead of second place Saginaw and six ahead of Southern Division leader Fort Wayne.      McKay's K-Wings led the league in both offense and defense. Kalamazoo potted 366 goals on the year. They were led by Tom Milani's 49 goals and 111 points. Tom Ross joined Milani in the 40-goal club, lighting the red light 43 times to go with 103 points. Seven ot...