Brian "Butch" MacKay - Greensboro Generals and US National Team

The last few weeks, I've been collecting articles about the 1962 US World Championships. The Canadian team had EHLers Butch Martin (Johnstown), and future EHLer Bobby Brown (Johnstown, Long Island, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Jersey). The US team had EHLers Don Hall & Dick Roberge (Johnstown), Reggie Meserve (Philadelphia), Gord Tottle (Charlotte) and the Greensboro Generals defenseman and captain, Brian "Butch" MacKay. These articles are posted on the EHL Discussion Boards http://theehl.yuku.com/topic/71/EHL-stars-at-the-1962-WORLD-CHAMPIONSHIPS As you read through, you'll see that the EHLers, including MacKay represented the U.S. and Canada well.

Butch MacKay was one of a handful of Troy Bruins (IHL), who stayed with the team when they became the nucleus of the EHL Greensboro Generals in 1959, along with Pat Kelly, Don Carter, and Max Szturm. The first year Kelly was team captain, with MacKay an alternate. The next three years MacKay was team captain, until his retirement after the Generals won the EHL Championship in 1962-63 to work at a meat packing company in Greensboro. MacKay was a high-scoring, yet rugged defenseman, as the article on the right would suggest - and that's before he entered the EHL. He was an EHL 2nd-team All-Star in 1960-61.

The photo below is from a game at Clinton on November 7, 1962. MacKay, #2, has the "C".
The program cover is from the Generals first season, with MacKay wearing the "A".





















Butch MacKay's Obituary from the Greensboro News & Record, May 19, 2011
http://obituaries.news-record.com/obituaries/news-record/obituary.aspx?n=brian-edward-mackay-butch&pid=151134587&fhid=6071

Brian Edward "Butch" MacKay Sr. Visit Guest Book

GREENSBORO — Brian Edward "Butch" MacKay, Sr., 78, passed away on May 17, 2011 at Moses Cone Hospital.
A graveside service will be held on Friday, May 20, 2011 at 2 p.m. at Westminster Gardens Cemetery with Father John Eckert officiating.
A native of Montreal, Canada, Brian was born September 29, 1932 to the late Louis Edward Turner MacKay and Agnus Brady MacKay. He was self-employed and worked in the beverage industry.
Butch MacKay's stats at hockeydb.com:
http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=12768

This Week in EHL History - July 20-27

* July 21, 1971 - The St. Petersburg entry in the Eastern Hockey League lacks a name and players but it does have a coach. Lloyd Hinchberger (pictured right), a veteran of 22 years in pro hockey, has signed to coach the team which will be based at the Bayfront Center.


* July 22, 1963 - Don Davidson, 28, of Ottawa Chaudiere, professional hockey player, used power driving and sharp putting to defeat Brian McGuian three and two Sunday and win the Quebec amateur golf championship. Davidson plays centre for Greensboro, N.C., Generals of the Eastern Hockey League.

* July 22, 1970 - Pat Kelly has signed a two-year contract to coach the Clinton, N.Y., Comets in the Eastern Hockey League, the Minnesota North Stars announced Tuesday. Wren Blair, manager of the National Hockey League North Stars, said the working agreement with Clinton was renewed. Kelly has won three straight championships and was the league's coach of the year in 1969-70.

* July 22, 1971 - Johnstown Jets' player-coach Dick Roberge (pictured right) sought, and was granted permission to relinquish his duties as Jets' ice boss. Jets' fans breathed easier July 7 when Roberge signed his 1971-72 player contract. Entering his 17th season as a Jet, Roberge is the all-time scoring champ in the Eastern Hockey League and the United States Amateur Hockey Association. The hunt for a coach to replace Roberge still continues, although Mitchell interviewed one applicant with outstanding credentials over the weekend. He is Eddie Kachur (Catcher), a veteran performer in the American Hockey League. An outstanding right winger, the 37- year-old Kachur scored 47 goals for the Providence Reds of the AHL in 1967-68.In addition to hunting a coach, Mithcell will also be on the lookout for a defenseman to replace Blake Ball, who announced his retirement July 10.


* July 23, 1971 - Jack Bownass (pictured left) was named the new coach of the Jacksonville, Fla., Rockets of the Eastern Hockey League. Last season he coached at Halifax in the Maritime Junior League. The Rockets have a working agreement with Toronto Maple Leafs of the National League. Bownass is 39 years of age and a native of Winnipeg.


* July 24, 1959 - Officials of the Greensboro Generals of the Eastern Hockey League have announced the club has signed a working agreement with the New York' Rangers of the National Hockey League. This marked the first deal, in which, an Eastern League club tied up with a major league hockey organization. Greensboro is making its debut in the Eastern League. The Generals will open their home schedule at the new Greensboro Coliseum on Nov. 11.


* July 25, 1956 - The Charlotte Clippers of the Eastern Hockey League will play 30 regular season home matches, opening Nov. 8, In their first professional hockey season. Jim Whittington of Charlotte, vice president of the club, also announced today the Clippers' president will be Charles Rock of Baltimore. Rock was president of the Baltimore Clippers last year when the team's home rink burned and it played the rest of its home schedule before enthusiastic Charlotte crowds. Whittington said he will meet this week with the Charlotte Coliseum Authority to sign a lease for use of the building at home games. Other Clippers officers are William O. Allen, a Charlotte accountant, secretary; Joe Small, partner with Rock in his Baltimore contracting business, treasurer. The tentative list of Eastern Hockey League teams includes Clinton, N. Y., New Haven, Conn, Johnrtown, PA., Philadelphia, Washington, and the only other new entry, the New York Rovers of Long Island.

* July 25, 1967 - Syracuse became the 12th member of the Eastern Hockey League Monday when league officials unanimously approved a Syracuse group's bid for a Northern Division franchise. Syracuse joins Long Island, New Haven, Jersey, Clinton and Johnstown in northern play. Jacksonville, Nashville, Knoxville, Charlotte, Greensboro and new addition Salem comprise the Southern Division. There'll be no inter-division competition this year except that between the winners of the respective divisions. It's expected that the Syracuse team will soon sign a working agreement with the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League and that the parent club will stock Syracuse's entry with numerous fine, young players. In addition to the Bruin recruits, Syracuse will be allowed to select players from a pool ol EHL competitors at the Aug. 15 draft in Roanoke, Va. Each of the 10 veteran EHL teams will place two players on the draft list for selection by Syracuse and Salem.


* July 26, 1957 - A backer has been found to build an ice plant and Raleigh, North Carolina will have an ice hockey team in the Eastern Hockey League next season, a Charlotte businessman said today. P. G. (Pete) Benard of Charlotte, would-be owner of the Raleigh team, told the Raleigh Times a northern backer would put up money for a plant which would furnish ice for a hockey arena. He did not identify the backer.

* July 26, 1964 - Bernard "Buzzy" Deschamps (pictured left) , who scored 57 goals to lead the Eastern Hockey league as an amateur last season, has signed a professional contract with the Baltimore Clippers of the American Hockey league.


* July 27, 1972 - Jack Wells, 24, was named Wednesday the new coach of the Charlotte Checkers of the Eastern Hockey League. His selection was announced at a news conference by Al Manch, Checkers' president.

New York State Legislature Honours Pat Kelly

If you can cut through the legalese version of Pat's Wikipedia profile, it's a nice gesture to an Eastern Hockey League legend...

http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/api/1.0/html/bill/J5924

J5924: Honoring Patrick Kelly upon the occasion of his induction into the Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame

S R5924 RESO TEXT 2009 LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Patrick J. Kelly upon the occasion of his induction into the Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to acknowledge those outstanding individuals from the sporting world who have distinguished themselves through exceptional performance, attaining unprecedented success and the highest level of personal achievement; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Patrick J. Kelly upon the occasion of his induction into the Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame, held on Sunday, June 6, 2010, at the Radisson Hotel-Utica Centre; and WHEREAS, Former National Hockey League coach, Patrick J. Kelly is a ECHL Hall of Fame Inductee who coached in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League, the American Hockey League, the Eastern Hockey League, the International Hockey League, the Quebec Hockey League, the Southern Hockey League, and the World Hockey League; he led the famed Clinton Comets to five first place finishes, the Charlotte Checkers (SHL) to two first place finishes, and the Salem Raiders (ACHL) to a first place finish; and WHEREAS, From 1984-1985, Patrick Kelly's Peoria Rivermen finished first overall in the IHL; his teams won three Walker Cups, two James Crockett Trophies, and one Turner Cup; he was SHL Coach of the Year in 1974-1975, and IHL Co-Coach of the Year in 1984-1985; his combined coaching record is 936-798-170; and WHEREAS, As a player, Patrick Kelly was a member of four championship teams in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) - one as a full-time player with the Greensboro Generals (1962-63) and three as a player/coach with the Clinton Comets (1967-68 to 1969-70); the defenseman started his professional hockey career in the Quebec Hockey League (QHL) in 1957-58 with Trois Rivieres and then split the following year between Trois Rivieres (QHL) and Troy of the International Hockey League (IHL); and WHEREAS, Patrick Kelly began the first of his 14 seasons in the EHL with Greensboro and New Haven in 1959-60; he gained his first head coaching job in 1964-65 with Jersey (EHL) as a player/coach; in 1967-68, he guided the Clinton Comets (EHL) to the greatest regular season in the history of minor professional hockey with a 57-5-10 record; and WHEREAS, Patrick Kelly ranks fourth all-time in assists (619), seventh all-time in games played (835), and ninth all-time in PIM (1,150) on the EHL's all-time lists and was selected to the EHL all-star team a record nine times; his minor league regular season player totals are: 757 points, 664 assists, 93 goals, and 1,359 PIM in 946 games; and WHEREAS, Patrick Kelly has received several honors throughout his coaching career; he was voted to the EHL all-star team as a coach three times and in 1969-70, he was named THE HOCKEY NEWS Minor Hockey Coach of the Year; and WHEREAS, Patrick Kelly has been inducted into four Halls of Fame; he was enshrined into the Peoria Sports Hall of Fame in February of 1990, and the Roanoke Hall of Fame and the Sports Hall of Fame in his hometown of Welland, Ontario, elected him in 1998; in March of 2002, he became the first inductee into the Greensboro Hockey Hall of Fame when the Generals (ECHL) retired his No. 5 uniform; and WHEREAS, As Commissioner of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), Patrick Kelly helped expand the game into new markets and developed it into the biggest minor professional hockey league in North America; the hockey legend brought professional hockey to seven new cities; when he stepped down as Commissioner at the end of the 1995-96 season the ECHL Board of Governors instituted a new ECHL playoff championship trophy, the Kelly Cup, in honor of his accomplishments with the league; the board also gave him the lifetime title of Commissioner Emeritus; and WHEREAS, The careers of the inductees of the Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame provide a legacy of commitment and excellence, bringing them distinction as well as serving as models of inspiration to all who would aspire to growth and success; and WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individuals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our attention, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of the great State of New York; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to honor Patrick J. Kelly upon the occasion of his induction into the Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Patrick J. Kelly.

* They are probably referring to the Roanoke Valley Hockey Hall of Fame
* Kelly is actually in the Peoria Rivermen Hockey Hall of Fame (1991), not the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame
* They missed the Charlotte Hockey Hall of Fame
* I can't find any Welland, Ont. Hall of Fame online.

Clinton Comets' Pat Kelly Won Over Fans

"http://www.uticaod.com/sports/x968907595/Clinton-Comets-Kelly-won-over-fans

Clinton Comets' Kelly won over fans
Former player-coach headed to Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame
By JOHN PITARRESI, Utica Observer-Dispatch

Pat Kelly heard it good the first time he took the ice in a Clinton Comets jersey.

“They booed me!” Kelly remembered.

Yes, they did. Kelly had been an enemy, invading the Clinton Arena with a couple of opposing Eastern League Hockey teams over the course of the previous half-dozen seasons, and he had arrived in a trade the team’s boisterous fans didn’t like much.

They didn’t boo for long.

The Comets already were an EHL power, but as a defenseman and player-coach, Kelly helped transform them into a revered small-town hockey legend. They eventually won three consecutive Walker Cup championships under his leadership, recorded one of the most dominating seasons in professional hockey history, and cemented their mythic position in Mohawk Valley sports history.

For that, and an ongoing six decades as a player, coach, and administrator everywhere from the EHL to the National Hockey League, Kelly will be inducted in the Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame June 6.

Kelly has worn many hats in his 57 years in the game. He played for a quarter century and he’s coached in eight different leagues, including the NHL with the Colorado Rockies and the World Hockey Association with the Birmingham Bulls. He’ll be 75 in September, is in great shape, plays a lot of golf near his home in Charlotte, N.C., and still works as commissioner emeritus of the ECHL, which named its trophy for him.

His teams won six playoff championships, and his record in 25 seasons behind the bench was 936-798-170. He had fun doing it all.

“I never had a real job,” he said. “Hockey’s not a job. Hockey’s something I love. If there is such a thing as reincarnation, I want to come back as a hockey player.”

Maybe in Clinton, where he made many friends and left a imposing legacy that was
built with the help of a core group that included Jack Kane, Borden Smith, Ian Anderson – all Greater Utica Sports Hall of Famers - Dave Armstrong, Pete Prevost, Len Speck, Don Davidson, and Bill Bannerman. That group was bolstered regularly by first-year and replacement players like goalies Ed Babiuk, Ted Tucker and Lyle Carter.

It took a while, but Clinton fans soon were cheering Kelly, who was obtained from the Jersey Devils by general manager Wren Blair along with Smith and Ed Babiuk in exchange for popular coach Benny Woit, Orval Tessier, Hec LaLande, Norm Defelice, and Ted Szydlowski.

The Comets had won the Walker Cup as EHL champions in 1959 and 1964. After two strong seasons under Kelly, they grabbed the title again in 1968, 1969, and 1970. The 67-68 team went 57-5-10 during the regular season, believed to be the fewest losses in pro hockey history. That run is Kelly’s favorite memory.

“Winning that third championship, that hasn’t been done often in any league,” he said. “That topped any
thing.”

Kelly said the Comets were easy to coach.

“They wanted to play!” he said. “The hardest part was trying to get them off the ice. ‘Come on,’ they’d holler from the bench, ‘You’re taking half my shift.’ They’d come to work. They got along great together. The wives and kids got along. It was a team that just got along on and off the ice. When I put Kane, Smith and Bannerman together, it seemed they’d known each other forever.”

Anderson, the Comets much-feared defenseman, said Kelly kept everybody happy and everybody working.

“He did a great job; the record speaks for itself,” he said. “He had a system that worked. It was basically simple. And we all (the veterans) came together to help him. He didn’t panic, ever. He got upset when he had good reason to, but he’d say, ‘Don’t push the panic button.’ He was pretty good at that.”

Kane was well-established as the Comet captain when Kelly arrived, but said their relationship was good.

“It’s not easy being a player coach; he handled it very well,” he said.

They might have had words once or twice, though.

“One time he decided to put Smith back on the point on the power play where Anderson normally played,” Kane said. “Smitty let one go and nearly took my head off. I skated to the bench and said, ‘Kelly, you get Anderson back there and get Smitty up front or I’m not going back out there.’”

Whatever. It worked, and Kelly did his job on the ice, too, as a hip-checking, puck moving 5-foot-9, 180-pound defenseman, having moved to the blue line as a teenager despite a great desire to be a lefthanded-shooting right wing.

“The coach said you either play defense or we let you go,” Kelly said. “My dad said, ‘Try it. You might like it.’ I’ve played defense ever since. I was a pretty good playmaker. I pride myself on being able to get the puck to people.”

Kelly is a native of Sioux Lookout, an outpost in far Western Ontario that is a lot farther from Toronto – about 700 miles – than Clinton is. His father was a logger, but the family moved to Welland, not far across the Niagara River, in the early days of World War II. He played on a three-time Southern Ontario juvenile team in St. Catharines, then moved up to that city’s junior team. He began his professional career with the Trois Rivieres Lions in the Quebec Hockey League in 1957, starting the long journey to Clinton and beyond.

Along the way, he got to room with Don Cherry for a while in training camp with the Springfield Indians, owned by Eddie Shore, an all-time great player, a stern taskmaster, and, by most accounts, more of a pitiless skinflint than Ebenezer Scrooge ever thought of being.
“Tell me about it,” Kelly said. “Eddie Shore was a nightmare.”

Kelly and his wife June had three sons, one lost to cancer several years ago, with the other two living in Charlotte. The couple will celebrate their 57th wedding anniversary in October.

Clinton Comets' Pat Kelly named to Greater Utica Hall of Fame

6 named to Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame

By FRAN PERRITANO

Utica Observer-Dispatch

Posted Apr 23, 2010 @ 04:11 PM

UTICA —

Six former area athletes were named Friday to the Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame.

The inductees are: Byron Abraham, Ernest Jones, Pat Kelly, J. Michael Barr, Alonzo Patterson and Rick Siriano.

The induction ceremony will take place Sunday, June 6, at the Radisson Hotel-Utica Centre. The event will begin at 4 p.m. with a cocktail hour followed by dinner and program.

Tickets are $25, and can be purchased by emailing GreaterUticaSportsHOF@gmail.com.

Greater Utica Sports HOF selects '10 class - WKTV Newschannel 2 Sports

UTICA, N.Y. - The Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame released its 2010 Class of Inductees Friday. This year’s selections are:

...Former National Hockey League coach Patrick J. Kelly. The 2008 ECHL Hall of Fame Inductee coached in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League, American Hockey League, Eastern Hockey League, International Hockey League, Quebec Hockey League, Southern Hockey League, and World Hockey League in addition to the National Hockey League. He led the famed Clinton Comets to 5 first place finishes, the Charlotte Checkers (SHL) to 2 first place finishes, and the Salem Raiders (ACHL) to a first place finish. In 1984-85, his Peoria Rivermen finished first overall in the IHL. His teams won 3 Walker Cups, 2 James Crockett Trophies, and one Turner Cup. He was SHL Coach of the Year in 1974-75 and IHL Co-Coach of the Year in 1984-85. His combined coaching record is 936-798-170.

A Few 2008 EHL News Links...Clinton Comets, Syracuse Blazers, Greensboro Generals

Here's a few 2008 EHL news links that I'm removing from http://TheEHL.com front page, but wanted to save.

Thursday, October 2, 2008
Skaters Flock to Clinton By Marques Phillips Utica Observer-Dispatch
CLINTON - For more than a half a century, the ice at Clinton Arena has been a blank canvas for figure skating artists to use their pallet of spins, jumps and dance moves to sculpt a skating identity...more

Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Greensboro Booster Club is having a meeting Wednesday night, Sept.17th at Shoney's on Regional Road, Eat: 6:00, Meet: 7:00PM. Head Coach Mark Richards and Assistant Coach Sean Cowan for the Cyclones will be there. Everyone is invited to attend.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008 Syracuse.com
War Memorial Gets an Update Onondaga County is on the hook for repairs it promised the Crunch
By John Mariani, Staff writer.

July 22, 2008
Clinton Comets to appear at fundraiser Utica Observer-Dispatch
CLINTON — The Clinton Comets will be together again. Or at least a few of them will be next Wednesday at one of two gatherings to raise funds for the Reschetnikow Benefit Fund. “An Evening with the Clinton Comets” will be held from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. July 30 at VFW Post 9591 on Franklin Avenue, with coach Pat Kelly, captain Jack Kane and several other members of the very successful and wildly popular Eastern Hockey League team of the 1950s and 1960s scheduled to attend... more

Clinton Comets Revisited

Here's a remembrance of the Clinton Comets by Richard L. Williams, Town and Village Historian, for the Clinton Historical Society.

According to Wikipedia, the original Clinton Arena burned down September 11, 1953. The Comets played in both the Western Ontario League and a partial schedule in the EHL for the 1954-55 season. The Comets played a combined 74 games (35-35-4), which at that time was considered a very long season.
This makes me wonder if Clinton had been a new franchise for the 1953-54 EAHL season, and if their arena burning down had an affect on the EAHL not playing that year. After that year off, the EAHL reformed into the "modern" EHL for the 1954-55 season. Ed Later Note: No, Clinton was not in the EHL's plans until September 1954, when a meeting for a New York State league was held at the same time as a meeting for restarting the EHL.