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1976–77 IHL Season
The 1976–77 IHL season was the 32nd season of the International Hockey League (IHL), a North American minor professional league. Nine teams participated in the regular season, and the Saginaw Gears won the Turner Cup. Inquiry into professional sports IHL commissioner Bill Beagan testified at the July 1976 United States House of Representatives inquiry into professional sports, which investigated United States antitrust law, the effect of United States nationality law, finances of leagues and their franchises, and violence in sport. He stated that IHL players were not considered professionals despite receiving some compensation, and were classified as amateurs by the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS).''Inquiry Into Professional Sports (1976)'', p. 329 He testified that the IHL was the largest financial contributor to AHAUS at the time, and had an agreement with the National Hockey League (NHL) to develop on-ice officials and players, but the World Hockey A ...
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International Hockey League (1945–2001)
The International Hockey League (IHL) was a minor professional ice hockey league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1945 to 2001. The IHL served as the National Hockey League (NHL)'s alternate farm system to the American Hockey League (AHL). After 56 years of operation, financial instability led to the league's demise. Six of the surviving seven teams merged into the AHL in 2001. History Early years The IHL was formed on December 5, 1945, in a three-hour meeting at the Norton Palmer Hotel in Windsor, Ontario. In attendance were Jack Adams (coach of the Detroit Red Wings), Fred Huber (Red Wings public relations), Frank Gallagher (amateur hockey organizer in Detroit and Windsor), Lloyd Pollock (Windsor hockey pioneer), Gerald McHugh (Windsor lawyer), Len Hebert, Len Loree and Bill Beckman. The league began operations in the 1945–46 IHL season with four teams in Windsor and Detroit, and operated as semi-professional league. In 1947, a team from Toledo, Ohio, ...
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Flint Generals (1969–1985)
The Flint Generals were a professional hockey team in Flint, Michigan from 1969–1985. They were members of the International Hockey League and played their home games at the IMA Sports Arena. Their team colors were originally black and gold, but they were changed to royal blue, gold, and white. They were moved to Saginaw, Michigan after the 1985 season, becoming the Saginaw Generals. After the Generals departed Flint, they were replaced by the Flint Spirits. Championships Standings Notable players Jim Aldred played for the Generals in the 1984–85 IHL season, and later became coach of the Portugal men's national ice hockey team. List of Generals to play in the National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...: * Doug Rombough * Rick Knickle ...
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Columbus Owls
The Columbus Owls were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the International Hockey League from 1973 to 1977. Prior to 1973, the team was known as the Columbus Golden Seals since 1971. After 1977, the team moved and became the Dayton Owls, and later the Grand Rapids Owls. The longtime owner of the team while it was in Columbus, British-born mortgage writer Al Savill, leveraged his ownership of the club to purchase the Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ... in 1975, which he owned until 1977. References International Hockey League (1945–2001) teams Sports clubs and teams in Columbus, Ohio Defunct ice hockey teams in Ohio Ice hockey clubs established in 1973 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1977 1973 establishments in Ohio ...
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Fort Wayne Komets
The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey team, which currently plays in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In all of North American professional hockey, only the Original Six teams of the NHL and the Hershey Bears of the AHL have played continuously in the same city with the same name longer than the Komets. History There have been two different hockey teams known as the Fort Wayne Komets. The original Komets franchise was founded in 1952 in the International Hockey League. In 1990 they moved to Albany, New York and became the Albany Choppers. They only played part of one season in Albany before folding on February 15, 1991. The second team was founded in 1985 in Flint, Michigan where they were known as the Flint Spirits. In 1990, only two days after the first Komets team left Fort Wayne, the Franke family of Fort Wayne bought the Flint Spirits, moved them to Fort Wayne, and took the Komets name ...
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Dayton Gems
The Dayton Gems were a minor league ice hockey team based in Dayton, Ohio, and members of the International Hockey League from 1964 to 1977, and 1979–1980. The Gems were an expansion team assembled from various cast-offs and young players looking for their first break in minor league hockey. The team began play in 1964 in the new Hara Arena. Dayton was the host for several IHL all-star games due to the large attendance in their 5,500 seat arena. The Gems played exhibition games against the US Olympic team as well as the Oklahoma City Blazers of the Central Hockey League. The team had a few games a season televised locally as well as all games broadcast on the premier AM radio station in town. Other teams in the league copied the uniform styling of the Gems. The Dayton Gems were the first adult team in North America to make helmets mandatory, long before the NHL adopted them. Team history Local businessman Edgar “Lefty” McFadden provided the financial base for the team ...
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Toledo Goaldiggers
The Toledo Goaldiggers were a minor professional ice hockey club based in Toledo, Ohio, from 1974 to 1986. They played in the International Hockey League (IHL) and held their home games at the Toledo Sports Arena on the east side of Toledo. Prior to the Goaldiggers, Toledo had two minor league franchises: The Mercurys (1947–1962) and Blades/Hornets (1963–1974). History During their 12-year history, the Goaldiggers qualified for the post season 10 times, reaching the playoff finals six times (1975, 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983 and 1984) winning four Turner Cup playoff championships (1975, 1978, 1982, and 1983). Also, the "Diggers" won two regular season championships (Fred A. Huber, Jr. Memorial Trophy) finishing with the most points in the IHL two consecutive seasons (1981–82 and 1982–83). In 1981, Bill Beagan became a partial owner and the general manager of the Goaldiggers. Under his management, the team won Turner Cup championships during the 1981–82 IHL season an ...
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Port Huron Flags
The Port Huron Flags were a minor league professional ice hockey team located in Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in and seat of government of St. Clair County, Michigan, United States. The population was 28,983 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the west by Port Huron Township, but the two are administered autonomously. Po .... The Flags competed in the International Hockey League between 1962 and 1981. For three of those seasons from 1971 to 1974, Port Huron was a farm team of the Detroit Red Wings, and were known as the Port Huron Wings. Port Huron won the International Hockey League playoff title, known as the Turner Cup, in 1966, 1971, and 1972. Season-by-season results * Port Huron Flags, 1962–1971 and 1974–1981 * Port Huron Wings, 1971–1974 References Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States Defunct ice hockey teams in Michigan Port Huron, Michigan Ice hockey clubs established in 1962 Sports clubs and teams disestabli ...
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Muskegon Mohawks
The Muskegon Mohawks were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the International Hockey League from 1965 to 1984. Muskegon were Turner Cup champions in 1968. This team was originally named the Muskegon Zephyrs. After the completion of the 1983–84 season, the team was again renamed, this time becoming the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Season-by-season results :::::† indicates replaced mid-season :::::‡ indicates replacement References''Muskegon Mohawks Statistics'' International Hockey League (1945–2001) teams Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States Defunct ice hockey teams in Michigan Ice hockey clubs established in 1965 Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 1984 Montreal Canadiens minor league affiliates New York Islanders minor league affiliates Atlanta Flames minor league affiliates Calgary Flames minor league affiliates Colorado Rockies (NHL) minor league affiliates Pittsburgh Penguins minor league affiliates New Jersey Devils minor league ...
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Kalamazoo Wings (1974–2000)
The Kalamazoo Wings, nicknamed the K-Wings, were a professional ice hockey team in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The team played in the International Hockey League from the 1974–75 season to the 1999–2000 season. The team played in Wings Stadium and was affiliated with the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota North Stars, and the Dallas Stars. History That team, which had named itself for its affiliation with the NHL Detroit Red Wings, changed its name during the 1995 playoffs to the Michigan K-Wings because the league wanted to raise its appeal for expanding to larger markets. The team's owner, the late R.T. Parfet, was the only small-market owner to oblige. However, concerns about larger-market teams entering the league, the league's instability, and the Dallas Stars ending their affiliation led to the Wings owners to request inactive status on April 17, 2000, and the team was dissolved.
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Bill Beagan
William Thomas Beagan (born December 1, 1937) is a Canadian retired ice hockey administrator and ice hockey referee. He served in the Canadian Army for thirteen years, before refereeing in the National Hockey League (NHL) for two seasons. He was commissioner of the International Hockey League (IHL) from 1969 to 1978, the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League (OMJHL) from 1978 to 1979, the Eastern Hockey League from 1979 to 1981, and the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) from 1985 to 1998. He was a partial owner and the general manager of the Toledo Goaldiggers from 1981 to 1985, and led the team to two Turner Cup championships. Beagan is credited for turning around IHL finances and making it a top-tier development system for future NHL talent. He had agreements with the NHL to develop on-ice officials while commissioner of the IHL and the CCHA. He signed the CCHA to the first national television contract for colleges in the United States, introduced instant replay to ...
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Saginaw Gears (IHL)
The Saginaw Gears were a minor-league ice hockey franchise based in Saginaw, Michigan, that played in the defunct International Hockey League (IHL). The Gears existed from 1972 to 1983 and played their home games at Wendler Arena in the Saginaw Civic Center (now known as The Dow Event Center). IHL hockey would later return to the Tri-Cities when the Flint Generals were moved to Saginaw to become the Saginaw Generals for the 1985–1986 season. Championships The Gears made the playoffs for nine straight seasons, from 1973 to 1982. The Gears reached the Turner Cup Finals five times in that stretch, and won the following championships: Trivia The Turner Cup replica at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto has Saginaw misspelled as "Sagimaw" for the 1976-77 championship. Notable players The Gears sent several players to the National Hockey League in their 11-year existence. The biggest names include: * John Gibson * Lou Franceschetti * Bob Froese * Greg Hotham, whose sons S ...
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World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association () was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1978–79 WHA season, 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) since the collapse of the Western Canada Hockey League, Western Hockey League in 1926. Although the WHA was not the first league since that time to attempt to challenge the NHL's supremacy, it was by far the most successful in the modern era. The WHA tried to capitalize on the lack of hockey teams in a number of major American cities and mid-level Canadian cities, and also hoped to attract the best players by paying more than NHL owners would. The WHA successfully challenged the NHL's reserve clause, which had bound players to their NHL teams even without a valid contract, allowing players in both leagues greater freedom of movement. Sixty-seven players jumped from the NHL to the WHA in the first year, led by star forward Bobby Hull, w ...
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