Hockey Programs

1968-69 WHL Playoffs--Buckaroos vs. San Diego Gulls      The Portland Buckaroos were members of the Western Hockey League (WHL), a six-team minor-pro circuit based along the West Coast of the US and Canada. The Buckaroos were two-time Patrick Cup Champions (1961 and 1965) and played their home games at the 10,128-seat Memorial Coliseum.      Led by former NHLer Hal Laycoe, the Buckaroos had a fine season in 1968-69. Portland won the regular season title that year, with a 40-18-16 record, 10 points ahead of the Vancouver Canucks. Despite the strong showing on the ice, attendance dipped below 6,000 per game for the first time, as the Buckaroos drew 5,655 per game to the Coliseum. 1968-69 Team Photo      The Buckaroos topped the WHL in both offense and defense that season. Portland scored 291 goals in 1968-69. Longtime center Art Jones led the team in scoring, with 38 goals and 114 points. Bill Saunders, with the Buckaroos since 1961, ...

1964-65 Regular Season Buckaroos vs. Victoria Maple Leafs      The Portland Buckaroos were in their fifth season of existence in 1964-65. The franchise began as the New Westminster Royals, who played from 1945-59. The Buckaroos were members of the Western Hockey League, a minor-pro circuit based in the West Coast of the United States and Canada. This was prior to the NHL's 1967 Expansion, so the WHL was practically the closest thing to major league hockey.      Hal Laycoe, longtime NHL defenseman (mostly with Boston), followed the team from New Westminster and was back behind the bench this season. The team had yet to miss the playoffs, and 1964-65 was no different. Laycoe's Buckaroos went 42-23-5, first overall in the WHL. Portland's 89 points were 13 better than the second-place Seattle Totems. As a result of the great season,  just under 8,200 per game attended Buckaroos games.      The Buckaroos' offense pumped in 267 goals, to...

1973-74 Regular Season--Roadrunners vs. Denver Spurs      There have been numerous teams that have been called "Phoenix Roadrunners" over the years, in leagues from the ECHL to the WHA. The first version played in the Western Hockey League, a minor-pro circuit in Western North America, from 1967-74. The Roadrunners previously played as the Victoria Maple Leafs in British Columbia. The team played their home games at the Arizona Veterans' Memorial Coliseum. They were coached by Alex "Sandy" Hucul, a long-time minor league defenseman who played the last five years of his career in Phoenix.      Coming off their first Patrick Cup championship, the Roadrunners finished in first place in the WHL. Their 43-32-3 record was three points ahead of second place Salt Lake. Hucul's squad boasted the second-best offense in 1973-74, scoring an even 300 goals. Murray Koegan led the charge, with 31 goals and 87 points. Former Detroit Red Wing Howie Young led ...

1973-74 Regular Season--Gulls vs. Seattle Totems      1973-74 was an improvement over the previous season, as Jack Evans' Gulls finished 40-33-5. That record was good enough for third place in the Western Hockey League, only four points behind league-leading Phoenix.      Goals-against went up this season, but so did the offense. San Diego was still next-to-last in goal scoring, but they lit the lamp 278 times, a marked improvement from the previous year. Mike Bloom was the leading point-scorer, with 69 points, while Tom Trevelyan had a team-best 31 goals. Five other Gulls scored at least 20.      San Diego was third best in the goals-against department, allowing 281. The team went through five different goaltenders, but John Adams played the majority of games (69). Bob Champoux, on the roster for that night's game against Seattle, was later dealt to Salt Lake.      The Gulls again made the WHL Playof...

Well, that was a long layoff, wasn't it? Kinda lost interest in doing this awhile ago. Been wanting to get back to posting programs, but never got around to it. The computer and scanner I use are, shall we say, stubborn.  Anyway, here are a couple more from my collection. The next two posts will be for the San Diego Gulls.  1972-73 Regular Season--Gulls vs. Salt Lake Golden Eagles      The San Diego Gulls were part of the old Western Hockey League, a minor-pro circuit based along the Pacific coast and Southwest United States. The Gulls joined the WHL in 1966 and were the third hockey team to represent San Diego since 1940.      Former Red Wing and long-time minor leaguer Max McNab was coach and GM for the Gulls for most of their existence. After 1971-72, McNab turned over coaching duties to assistant Jack Evans, who stayed behind the bench for the franchise's final two seasons.      In 1972-73, the ...

Now here's a historic program! This is from a game between the Western Hockey League's Seattle Totems and the USSR National Champions. This is the first-ever encounter between a Soviet team and a North American professional hockey team. 1972-73 Exhibition--Totems vs. USSR      USSR teams would eventually play exhibition games against NHL teams in the mid-late 1970s, but their first game against a North American pro squad was against the Totems. The game was held at Seattle Center Coliseum (now Key Arena).      Seattle was part of the old Western Hockey League, a minor-pro loop that was about on-par with the American Hockey League and, at one time, was rumored to make a jump to major league status. A competitive team for most of it's existence, by 1972-73 the Totems were in decline. The team finished 26-32-14, in fifth place and out of the playoffs.       Despite their mediocre season, the Totems did have some talent. ...