Hockey Programs

Continuing to stay out west, here's a program from the Dallas Blackhawks of the old Central Hockey League. 1974-75 Adams Cup Finals--Dallas vs. Salt Lake Golden Eagles      Before the arrival of the NHL's Stars, Dallas had a long, successful run as a minor-pro hockey city. The Dallas Black Hawks were one of the old Central Hockey League's more successful franchises. Existing from 1967-82, the Hawks made it to 10 CHL Finals series, winning four Adams Cups.      As you can tell by the logo, the Black Hawks were an affiliate of the Chicago Black Hawks. They wore jerseys that were nearly identical to the parent club. The only difference was the shoulder patch, which featured a capital D with crossed tomahawks.      Bobby Kromm was GM/Coach of the Dallas Black Hawks for their first 8 years of existence. Kromm guided the Hawks to six CHL Finals series, winning three Adams Cups. After such a stellar run in Dallas, Kromm w...

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 ...

1969-70 Regular Season--Opponent Unknown      The Iowa Stars arrived from Memphis after the 1968-69 CHL season. They played their home games at McElroy Auditorium in Waterloo, Iowa. The franchise was still affiliated with the Minnesota North Stars. John Muckler remained with the team as the General Manager, but Parker MacDonald was now Head Coach.      The Stars had their best season in 1969-70. Iowa went 35-26-11, second place in the league (the CHL had no divisions that year). Their 81 points were just one shy of league-leading Omaha.      Iowa had the league's top offense that year, scoring 252 goals. They were led by Mike Chernoff, who scored 36 goals and 75 points. Two other players, Bill Orban (31 goals) and Grant Erickson (31) joined Chernoff in the 30-goal club that season. Three other players had at least 20 goals.      On defense, Iowa was middle of the pack, allowing 232 goals, fourth-highest in the seven...

1968-69 Regular Season--Opponent Unknown      The Memphis South Stars were part of the old Central Hockey League, a nine-team circuit based mostly in the American Southwest. The Stars were affiliated with the Minnesota North Stars and played their home games at the Mid-South Coliseum. They replaced the Memphis Wings, who moved to Fort Worth after the 1966-67 season.      John Muckler was behind the bench for both seasons the South Stars existed. In their inaugural season, the South Stars went 24-34-12, good enough for third place in the Northern Division and a first round exit in the playoffs. Memphis drew the second-fewest fans that season, as 2,315 per game went to Mid-South for hockey.      1968-69 was even worse for Muckler and the South Stars. Memphis plunged to the CHL basement, going a woeful 14-41-17. Their meager 45 points were 21 points behind the next-worst team, Fort Worth.      The South Stars s...

The second Checkers program I found online. Definitely an eye-catching cover. Kinda reminds me of that arcade hockey game "Hit the Ice". 1986-87 Regular Season--Opponent Unknown      Following the 1983-84 season, the Central Hockey League folded. The Checkers, along with Salt Lake, responded by joining the IHL for the 1984-85 season. The IHL was still a Midwestern-based league at the time, giving the Checkers several nearby opponents, including new rival Fort Wayne. The team was originally owned by Al Savill, former owner of the Grand Rapids Owls. After one season, Savill sold the franchise to Larry Woods.      By now, the Checkers played their home games at Market Square Arena, which sat 15,900 and was also the home of the Indiana Pacers. The Islanders were no longer the parent club, having dropped the Checkers after the 1983-84 season. Instead, Indianapolis relied on New Jersey and Minnesota for prospects.      Vete...

The first Checkers program I saw on eBay. Bought it a few years ago. 1981-82 Regular Season--Checkers vs. Salt Lake        Indianapolis joined the Central Hockey League for the 1979-80 season after several seasons in the World Hockey Association. The new team was called the Checkers and were the primary farm team of the New York Islanders. They played their home games at the 8,421-seat State Fair Coliseum.      For the 1981-82 season, the Checkers were still affiliated with the Islanders, in the middle of their legendary dynasty. Indianapolis was coached by Fred Creighton, who was also General Manager. Creighton's squad had a solid season, going 42-33-5. That record was good enough for third place in the North Division, eight points behind league-leading Salt Lake.      The Checkers scored the fourth-fewest goals that season, with 319 in the net. They were led by Don Laurence, who had 43 goals and 98 points. T...