Eastern Hockey League Schedule 2010-11

Here's your schedule for the 2010-11 season at Eastern Hockey League arenas. Some schedules aren't out, yet. I'll make updates as schedules become available. Non-hockey events are listed for arenas that no longer have ice. For details, click on the links included for all teams and arenas involved. Have fun! See you on the road!

Atlantic City - Trenton Devils (ECHL) and Albany Devils (AHL) at Boardwalk Hall (Washington Lions, Philadelphia Ramblers)
Clinton - Public Skating and local hockey TBD at Clinton Arena (Comets)
Charlotte - Live Events at Bojangles Coliseum (Clippers/Checkers)
Johnstown - Wheeling Nailers (ECHL) at Cambria County War Memorial Auditorium (Jets)
Knoxville - Knoxville Ice Bears (SPHL) at Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum (Knights)
Macon - Live Events at Macon Metroplex (Jacksonville Rockets)
Nashville - Live Events at Nashville Municipal Auditorium - (Dixie Flyers)
Roanoke - Virginia Tech Hockey at Roanoke Civic Center (Rebels)
Salem - Live Events at Salem Civic Center (Rebels)
Springfield, MA - Live Events at The Big E Coliseum (New England Blades)
Syracuse - Syracuse Crunch (AHL) at Syracuse War Memorial Arena (Blazers)
Syracuse - Live Events & local hockey TBD at Syracuse Fairgrounds Coliseum (Coca-Cola Coliseum) (Blazers)
Utica, NY - Utica College Hockey at Utica Memorial Auditorium (Clinton Comets)
Washington - Park your car at Uline Arena (Lions/Presidents)
West Palm Beach, FL - Live Events TBD at the Christian Convention Center (Florida Rockets)
Woonsocket, RI - Mount St. Charles Hockey TBD at Mount St. Charles Arena (Rhode Island Eagles)

SEPTEMBER 2010
09/24/10 7:30 PM Virginia Tech vs. Virginia at Roanoke
09/25/10 7:30 PM Binghamton U. vs. Virginia Tech at Roanoke

OCTOBER 2010
Sat 10/02/10 Paula Deen Live at Salem
Sat 10/09/10 7:30 PM Lake Erie at Syracuse
Sat 10/09/10 Collin Raye at Nashville
Fri 10/15/10 - Sun 10/17/10 CNY Reining Horse Assoc. Fall Classic at Syracuse (Fairgrounds Coliseum)
Sat, 10/16/10 7:30 Huntsville Havoc Exhibition Game #1 at Knoxville
Sat 10/16/10 7:30 PM Binghamton at Syracuse
Wed 10/20/10 Halloween Hootenanny Tour with Alice Cooper & Rod Zombie at Nashville
Wed 10/21/10-Sun 10/24/10 - New England Equitation Championships at Springfield
Fri, 10/22/10 7:30 Fayetteville FireAntz Home Opener at Knoxville
Fri 10/22/10 7:30 PM Norfolk at Syracuse
Fri 10/22/10-Sun 10/24/10 Stepping Stone Horse Show at Syracuse (Fairgrounds Coliseum)
Fri 10/22/10 7:30 PM Monmouth U. vs. Virginia Tech at Roanoke
Fri 10/22/10 7 PM Brockport State versus Utica College at Utica
Sat, 10/23/10 7:30 PM Wheeling vs. Trenton (at Johnstown)
Mon 10/25/10 Styx at Salem
Thur 10/28/10 - 10/31/10 TSASA Octoberfest Horse Show at Springfield
Fri 10/29/10 7:30 PM Hershey at Syracuse
Fri 10/29/10 7 PM Franklin Pierce versus Utica College at Utica
Sat 10/30/10 7:30 PM Albany at Syracuse
Sat 10/30/10 7 PM Franklin Pierce versus Utica College at Utica
Sat 10/30/10 Collin Raye at Charlotte

NOVEMBER 2010
Fri, 11/05/10 7:30 Augusta RiverHawks Church Night at Knoxville
Fri 11/05/10 BJ Thomas & Billy Joe Royal at Salem
Fri 05/11/10-Sun 07/11/10 Christmas Made In The South Craft Show at Macon
Sat, 11/06/10 7:30 Columbus Cottonmouths Scout Night at Knoxville
Thu 11/11/10-Sun11/14/10 Disney On Ice presents Princess Classics at Macon
Fri, 11/12/10 7:30 PM Wheeling vs. Trenton (at Johnstown)
Fri 11/12/10 7 PM Westfield State vs. Utica College at Utica
Fri 11/13/10 7 PM Oswego vs. Utica College at Utica
Sat 11/13/10 7:30 PM Hershey at Syracuse
Sun, 11/14/10 5:00 Huntsville Havoc Family Fun Day at Knoxville
Wed 11/17/10 11:00 AM Binghamton at Syracuse
Fri 11/19/10 7:30 PM Albany at Syracuse
Fri, 11/19/10 7:30 Augusta RiverHawks Food Drive at Knoxville
Fri 11/19/10 7:30 PM Temple vs. Virginia Tech at Roanoke
Fri 11/19/10 7 PM Neumann vs. Utica College at Utica
Sat 11/20/10 7:30 PM Maryland vs. Virginia Tech at Roanoke
Sat 11/20/10 7:30 PM Springfield at Syracuse
Sat, 11/20/10 7:30 Augusta RiverHawks Hometown Hereos at Knoxville
Fri 11/26/10 7:30 PM Hershey at Syracuse
Fri, 11/26/10 7:30 Huntsville Havoc Weiner Dog Race at Knoxville
Sat 11/27/10 7 PM Amherst vs. Utica College at Utica
Sun 11/28/10 3:00 PM Hamilton at Syracuse

DECEMBER 2010
Thu, 12/02/10 7:30 Mississippi Surge “Two"riffic Thursday at Knoxville
Fri, 12/03/10 7:30 Mississippi Surge Teddy Bears Toss at Knoxville
Fri 12/03/10 7 PM Manhattanville vs. Utica College at Utica
Fri 12/03/10 7:30 PM Kentucky vs. Virginia Tech at Roanoke
Sat 12/04/10 7:30 PM Kentucky vs. Virginia Tech at Roanoke
Sun 12/5/10 4:00 PM Albany vs. Adirondack (at Atlantic City)
Fri 12/10/10 7:30 PM Adirondack at Syracuse
Fri, 12/1010 7:30 PM Wheeling vs. Gwinnett (at Johnstown)
Sat, 12/11/10 7:30 PM Wheeling vs. Gwinnett (at Johnstown)
Sat 12/11/10 7:30 PM Bridgeport at Syracuse
Sat 12/11/10 7 PM Buffalo State vs. Utica College at Utica
Sun 12/12/10 4:00 PM Albany vs. W-B/Scranton (at Atlantic City)
Sat, 12/18/10 7:30 Pensacola Ice Flyers Guaranteed Fight Night at Knoxville
Sat 12/18/10 7:30 PM W-B/Scranton at Syracuse
Sun 12/19/10 3:00 PM Hartford at Syracuse
Tue, 12/21/10 7:30 Huntsville Havoc Family Fun Day at Knoxville
Sun, 12/26/10 5:00 Pensacola Ice Flyers Family Fun Day - Spongebob at Knoxville
Tue, 12/28/10 7:30 Fayetteville FireAntz Healthcare Night at Knoxville
Tue 12/28/10 7:00 PM Adirondack at Syracuse
Thu 12/30/10 7:30 PM Mannheim Steamroller 25th Anniversary Christmas Tour at Macon

JANUARY 2011
Fri 01/07/11 7 PM Curry vs. Utica College at Utica
Fri, 01/07/11 7:30 Huntsville Havoc Back to School Night at Knoxville
Sat 01/08/11 7 PM Cortland vs. Utica College at Utica
Sat, 01/08/11 7:30 Louisiana IceGators Race Night at Knoxville
Fri 01/14/11 7:30 PM UMBC vs. Virginia Tech at Roanoke
Sat 1/15/11 7:30 PM Rochester at Syracuse
Sat 1/15/11 7:30 PM Penn State vs. Virginia Tech at Roanoke
Sun 1/16/11 4:00 PM Adirondack at Syracuse
Fri 1/21/11 7:30 PM Rochester at Syracuse
Fri 1/21/11 7:30 PM East Carolina vs. Virginia Tech at Roanoke
Fri, 1/21/11 7:30 PM Wheeling vs. Trenton (at Johnstown)
Fri, 01/21/11 7:30 Louisiana IceGators Legends Night at Knoxville
Sat 01/22/11 7:30 East Carolina vs. Virginia Tech at Roanoke
Sat, 01/22/11 7:30 Louisiana IceGators Legends Night at Knoxville
Sat 1/22/11 7:30 PM Norfolk at Syracuse
Sun 1/23/11 4:00 PM Trenton vs. Wheeling (at Atlantic City)
Sun 1/23/11 6:00 PM Liberty vs. Virginia Tech at Roanoke
Wed 1/26/11 7:00 PM Houston at Syracuse
Thu, 01/27/11 7:30 Fayetteville FireAntz “Two"riffic Thursday at Knoxville
Fri, 01/28/11 7:30 Columbus Cottonmouths Baby Derby at Knoxville
Fri 1/28/11 7:30 PM Toronto at Syracuse
Fri 01/28/11 7 PM Hobart vs. Utica College at Utica
Sat 1/29/11 7:30 PM Adirondack at Syracuse
Sat 01/29/11 7 PM Hobart vs. Utica College at Utica
Sun, 1/30/11 5:00 PM Wheeling vs. Trenton (at Johnstown)

FEBRUARY 2011
Thu, 02/03/11 7:30 Columbus Cottonmouths “Two"riffic Thursday at Knoxville
Fri 2/4/11 7:00 PM Albany vs. Hershey (at Atlantic City)
Sat 02/05/11 7 PM Manhattanville vs. Utica College at Utica
Sat 2/5/11 7:30 PM W-B/Scranton at Syracuse
Sat, 02/05/11 7:30 Huntsville Havoc Star Wars Night at Knoxville
Thu, 02/10/11 7:30 Columbus Cottonmouths “Two"riffic Thursday at Knoxville
Fri, 2/11/11 7:00 PM Wheeling vs. Reading (at Johnstown)
Sat, 2/12/11 8:00 PM Wheeling vs. Toledo (at Johnstown)
Sat, 02/12/11 7:30 Fayetteville FireAntz Weiner Dog Race at Knoxville
Fri 2/18/11 7:30 PM San Antonio at Syracuse
Fri, 02/18/11 7:30 Augusta RiverHawks Miss Ice Bear at Knoxville
Sat 02/19/11 7 PM Elmira vs. Utica College at Utica
Sat 2/19/11 7:30 PM Rochester at Syracuse
Tue 2/22/11 7:00 PM Charlotte at Syracuse
Fri 2/25/11 7:30 PM Binghamton at Syracuse
Sat 2/26/11 7:30 PM Hamilton at Syracuse
Sun 2/27/11 4:00 PM Albany vs. Norfolk (at Atlantic City)

MARCH 2011
Fri, 03/04/11 7:30 Huntsville Havoc watch live at Knoxville
Sat, 03/05/11 7:30 Augusta RiverHawks Scouts Night - Sleepover at Knoxville
Fri 3/11/11 7:30 PM Texas at Syracuse
Fri, 3/11/11 7:30 PM Wheeling vs. Kalamazoo (at Johnstown)
Sat 3/12/11 7:30 PM Rochester at Syracuse
Wed 3/16/11 7:00 PM Albany at Syracuse
Fri 3/18/11 7:30 PM Toronto at Syracuse
Sat 3/19/11 7:30 PM Charlotte at Syracuse
Sat, 03/19/11 7:30 Fayetteville FireAntz Bike Night/ Fan Appreciation at Knoxville
Fri, 03/25/11 7:30 Fayetteville FireAntz Smokies Night at Knoxville
Fri 3/25/11 7:30 PM Albany at Syracuse
Sat 3/26/11 7:30 PM Rochester at Syracuse

APRIL 2011
Fri 4/1/11 7:30 PM Binghamton at Syracuse
Sun 4/3/11 3:00 PM W-B/Scranton at Syracuse
Fri 4/8/11 7:30 PM Norfolk at Syracuse
Sat 4/9/11 7:30 PM Norfolk at Syracuse

Atlantic City Convention Hall To Host 5 Games in 2010-11

One of the oldest remaining EHL rinks, built in 1929 (three years after the Big E in Springfield, MA) the Atlantic City Convention Hall, will be the site of five hockey games this year. While the famed Atlantic City Seagulls of the EAHL went defunct before the EHL was reformed in 1954-55, there were still EHL games played there. Amongst other games played there, the 1954-55 EHL champion Washington Lions played four "home" games in Atlantic City while the circus was at the Uline Arena in late January, early February 1955. The Philadelphia Ramblers also played four "home games" at the AC Convention Hall between December 27, 1955 and January 6, 1956. Perhaps bumped by Holiday on Ice?

The Convention Hall or Boardwalk Hall as they are now calling it, has the world's "largest and loudest pipe organ", which should be worth the visit in itself.
(Anyone remember the NCAA Football Boardwalk Bowl at the Convention Center?)

The AHL will release its schedule tomorrow and at that time I will start assembling possible "EHL Roadtrip" itineraries for 2010-11, including stops in Knoxville, Johnstown, Syracuse and Atlantic City for league games games, with perhaps Roanoke, Clinton, Woonsocket, Springfield, Charlotte and Nashville for lesser league games, skating and other non-ice events. Stay tuned.

Here's the USA Today article from today...

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall will be the site of five professional hockey games this season.

The New Jersey Devils announced Tuesday that two of its minor league affiliates will host the games at the Jersey shore.

The Devils' top development squad, the Albany Devils of the American Hockey League, will play in Atlantic City on Dec. 5, Dec. 12, Feb. 4 and Feb. 27.

The Trenton Devils of the Eastern Hockey League will play at the shore on Jan. 23.

Ticket prices and the on-sale date for single-game tickets will be announced in September.

The Devils will donate tickets to the New Jersey Department of Children and Families for use by children in foster care in the Atlantic City area.

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 Photos of Uline Arena in Washington

The Hidden Side of Washington - SlideShow - Washington Post
David "Deal, a Washington portrait and sports photographer, has recently been braving cobwebs, dark stairs and hardened functionaries to see the cloaked, the abandoned and the restricted spaces of D.C."

If you are an architecture fan at all, or of top-notch b&w photography, you'll enjoy this slideshow from the Washington Post. The Uline Arena shots are #18 & 19. These are the best shots I've seen to get a sense of what the inside of Uline Arena, later known as Washington Coliseum, looked like.

From A Short Pictorial History of Uline Arena: "The story of the building itself begins in of all places, Hershey Pennsylvania. In the spring of 1936, the 7,286-seat Hershey Sports Arena was constructed. It was at the time the largest monolithic structure in the United States in which not a single seat suffered from an obstructed view. Its unparalleled construction was to due to the unique and innovative use of concrete. The Sports Arena is composed of a barrel vault roof, then known as the Zeiss-Dywidag or Z-D type. The concrete shell is only 3 1/2 inches thick at the upper most part, and is stiffened at 39 foot intervals by massive two-hinged arch ribs. The roof crown is 100 feet above the floor, and the shell was constructed as five separate units, with expansion joints between each unit. In 1941 Miguel L. "Uncle Mike" Uline had started a successful ice making business. He had also purchased a hockey team, the Washington Lions, and needed a building for to them to play in. Wanting an arena much like the Hershey structure he contracted with the Lone Star Cement of company of Texas to build a similar facility. When it was done "Uline Arena" could seat close to 7,000 fans."
Here's a shot of a beer-league game courtesy National Brewers Hockey at Uline back in the late 60s. No that's not the historically impossible Knoxville Knights vs. the Washington Lions matchup that one e-Bay seller would have you believe it is.

Further reading: The Story of Uline Arena from Wizards Magazine, which I blogged back in March.

Eastern Hockey League Birthdays This Week: July 20-27

Happy EHL Birthdays!

* July 20, 1936 - John Yanchuk, LW, Clinton Comets 1956-57
* July 20, 1943 - Larry Johnston, (pictured left) D, Johnstown Jets 1963-64
* July 20, 1949 - Ian Wilkie, G, Long Island Ducks 1972-73


* July 21, 1943 - Bill Flett, (pictured right) RW, Charlotte Checkers, 1963-64
* July 21, 1945 - Bill Hway, LW, Knoxville Knights, 1966-67

* July 22 - No Birthdays

* July 23, 1925 - Harvey Bennett, G, Washington Presidents, 1958-59
* July 23, 1939 - Stan Konrad, LW, New Haven Blades, 1958-59


* July 24, 1924 - Andy Brown, (pictured left) LW/Coach, Baltimore Clippers, Charlotte Clippers 1954-57
* July 24, 1946 - Bob Whidden, G, Charlotte Checkers, 1967-69


* July 25, 1942 - Claude Ouimet, LW, Charlotte Checkers, 1964-69
* July 25, 1946 - Neil Clark, C, Charlotte Checkers, New Haven Blades, New England Blades 1967-73


* July 27, 1928 - Bill "Red" Johansen, C, Charlotte Checkers, New York Rovers, 1963-65
* July 27, 1930 - Jack Bownass, D/Coach, Jacksonville Rockets 1970-71
* July 27, 1948 - Larry Gibbons, (pictured right) D, Salem Rebels, Greensboro Generals 1968-71
* July 27, 1949 - Jim Whittaker, D, Syracuse Blazers 1968-70

On This Day in EHL History - July 19

Happy Birthday!
* July 19, 1916 - Morden "Ducky" Skinner, GM & Coach, New Haven Blades
* July 19, 1942 - Pete Shearer, C, Knoxville Knights, Charlotte Checkers, Salem Rebels, Roanoke Valley Rebels
* July 19, 1945 - Len Bazay, RW, Johnstown Jets, Florida Rockets
* July 19, 1947 - Jacques Blain, D, Syracuse Blazers, Long Island Ducks
* July 19, 1948 - Dick McGlynn, D, Rhode Island Eagles


* July 19, 1959 - Greensboro's Generals of the Eastern Hockey League will have a working agreement with the New York Rangers of the National League next year. General Manager Ken Wilson of the Generals Saturday announced completion of details of the agreement. New York will send a number of players to the Greensboro team to supplement those who were with the club last year when it performed at Troy, Ohio. The coming season will be Greensboro's first into hockey.

On This Day in EHL History - July 18

Happy Birthday!
* July 18, 1934 - Jim Mattson, G, Johnstown Jets, Washington Lions, New Haven Blades, Clinton Comets
* July 18, 1936 - Ted Harris, D, Philadelphia Ramblers
* July 18, 1948 - Gerry DeMarco, LW, Clinton Comets
* July 18, 1951 - Ed Sidebottom, D, New Haven Blades, Charlotte Checkers

On This Day in EHL History - July 17

Happy Birthday!
* July 17, 1933 - Alan "Skip" Teal, C, Clinton Comets
* July 17, 1935 - Hank Therrien, RW, Johnstown Jets, Greensboro Generals
* July 17, 1935 - Don Davidson, C, Charlotte Clippers, New Haven Blades, Greensboro Generals, Clinton Comets
* July 17, 1946 - Kevin Smith, D, Nashville Dixie Flyers

* July 17, 1958 - The Eastern Hockey League admitted the New York Rovers as the seventh member. The Rovers are headed by Tom Lockhart, president of the league. Lockhart heads a group which has been building an arena in Commack, LI. He said the building would be ready for use this season. The league is keeping its Washington franchise. There was talk that West Orange, NJ might become the league's eighth member. The Eastern loop also declined Wednesday to absorb or play an interlocking schedule with three clubs of the wavering International League. This was decided at an Eastern-International meeting here under Tom Lockhart, who heads both leagues and the Rovers. Directors planned a post-season playoff between their league champions, the winner challenging Canada's Allen Cup hockey champions. Remaining in the International are Louisville, Ky, Toledo, Ohio, and Fort Wayne. Ind. Arena leasing trouble knocked out Cincinnati and Indianapolis for at least a year, while Troy, Ohio, has heavy financial problems.
An April 18, 1954 article says that Tom Lockhart was building a new arena in Commack, with James Van Alst of Centerport as the architect. The building was scheduled to be completed "by winter". Pretty much every year in the 1950s, the Rovers were admitted to the league, and then had to back out when they realized the arena wouldn't be ready. The Rovers finally made it in for the 1959-60 season, but even then, John Muckler relates that there was still a whole bunch of work to do on the arena. The troubled Troy, Ohio IHL franchise also joined the EHL in 1959-60 as the Greensboro Generals. West Orange, and the South Mountain Arena, finally got an EHL level team when the Jersey Rockhoppers won the 2008-9 championship in the EPHL's only season.

* July 17, 1967 - A local group, formed recently to bring organized hockey to Syracuse has wired officials that it will formally apply for mrmbership in the Eastern Hockey League. According to Frank Barker, spokesperson for the group, a telegram was sent over the weekend to Nathan Podoloff of New Haven, an EHL representative. The league had granted the Syracuse group until July 21 to confirm that formal application will be made at a league meeting July 24 in Pittsburgh.
Barker said financial arrangements were not complete an that their group was negotiating with prospective backers who may be interested in supporting the hockey club. Barker said that plans are progressing well for a working agreement with the Boston Bruins of the NHL.
This Syracuse group was formed earlier in the summer, when the Jersey Devils were on shaky financial ground. A West Palm Beach, Florida group had offered to buy the Devils, but the EHL deemed the travel to be too far. Then the Syracuse group formed quickly to buy the Devils, but new backers jumped in to bail the team out and keep them in Cherry Hill. Without which, I'd have never seen an EHL game and there would be no http://TheEHL.com.

* July 17, 1972 - The New York Raiders of the WHA announced the signing of center-right wing Jamie Kennedy of the Eastern Hockey League Jersey Devils.
The Devils' Kennedy, Claude Chartre, Ted Scharf and G Pete Donnelly all signed with the Raiders that summer. The Devils had actually been picked to win their division that year (they were in the newly formed Central Division with the LI Ducks and two expansion teams - the Rhode Island Eagles and the Cape Cod Cubs.) However, the parent Philadelphia Flyers decreed that no player signed by the WHA, which was in its first season, could play for the Devils. The ex-Devils started the season with the Raiders. Not able to send the players to the Devils, the Raiders tried to send the players to the Ducks. The Devils balked, and the EHL intervened. The Devils had to work out a trade with the Ducks, otherwise the Raiders would have sent the players to the IHL. Having no leverage, the Devils received Mel Gushattey and Bill Morris from the Ducks. According to the Hockey News stats issue from that year, neither player ever played for the Devils. Gushattey ended up in Cape Cod shortly thereafter. Morris didn't appear to play again that season. In spite of the added help, the Ducks lost their last 15 games. Still, they ended up one point ahead of the Devils for the last playoff spot. The Ducks tried to fold, and hand the last spot to the Devils, but the league intervened and transferred the Ducks to Cape Cod for the remainder of the playoffs, which turned out to be a four game sweep by the Cubs. More on that: http://theehl.blogspot.com/2009/11/when-long-island-ducks-became.html

On This Day in EHL History - July 16

* July 16, 1958 - CHARLOTTE, N. C. -Officials of the Eastern and International Hockey Leagues meet today on whether they can patch the money-troubled circuits together for the coming season. The six-club Eastern loop faces the loss of its Washington club, whose abandoned franchise, might be picked up by Uline Arena in Washington. The club's fate could decide whether three of two International teams, if any, could be taken on. The International is down to three clubs—Louisville, Ky,, Toledo, Ohio, and Fort Wayne, Ind. The Eastern includes Charlotte, Johnstown, Pa., Clinton, N.Y., New Haven, Conn., and Philadelphia.

* July 16, 1960 - The Philadelphia Ramblers of the Eastern Hockey League have signed Doug Adam (pictured left), 36, to a one year contract as coach and director of player personnel.

*July 16, 1971 - Although it has not yet been officially announced, the Syracuse Blazers of the Eastern Hockey League will be without the services of coach Phil Watson for the 1971-72 season. Bill Charles, general manager and president of the Blazers, refused to confirm the report that Watson is out, but he did say that he would be meeting with the contriversial coach "in the next day or so." Watson, a former NHL player and coach, took over the reins of the team last season after a front office shakeup and led them to a second place finish in the EHL's Northern Division. They were eliminated by Johnstown in the league playoffs. The 57-year-old veteran of 14 seasons as an NHL player and another eight as a head coach at New York and Boston, signed a one-year contract with the Blazers last fall and it is not expected that another will be proffered when it runs out Sept. 1.

Brian Lunney, Goaltender for Knoxville Knights and New Haven Blades

Brian Lunney, goaltender for the Knoxville Knights and New Haven Blades in the 1963-64 season died Tuesday at his home in Green Bay. He was 67.

Lunney was in goal on December 23, 1963 when the Knoxville Knights gained a 4-4 tie with the Soviet National All-Star Team which had blown out EHL teams in four previous games.

Lunney played in 47 games primarily with Knoxville in 1963-64, with 2 shoutouts, 199 Goals Against and a 4.23 Goals Against Average. In mid-February 1964 Lunney went to New Haven to replace netminder Jim Armstrong who was out with a wrenched knee.

A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, he tried out for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League in 1963. He was offered the job of backup goalie, but turned it down, preferring to play regularly in the Eastern League.

After his year in the EHL, Lunney played goalie for the Marquette Iron Rangers of the USHL for a decade.

Brian Lunney's stats at Hockeydb: http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=13997

Green Bay Press Gazette Article: http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20100715/GPG0209/100715027/1225/GPG02/Brian-Lunney--former-USHL-goalie--dies-at-67

Obit at Tributes.com: http://www.tributes.com/show/Brian-LUNNEY-88944589

Photo: Brian Lunney makes a save for the Marquette Iron Rangers.

Artifacts from New Haven Arena Coming Back

Special thanks to Abeetzwmoots for posting this story on The EHL Message Boards: http://TheEHL.yuku.com/forums/66


Artifacts from New Haven Arena Coming Back By Mary E. O’Leary, New Haven Register Topics Editor, 7/11/10

NEW HAVEN — Paul Sandella remembers the yellow-brick-lined interior, the smoke filled stands, the fights and just the sheer excitement of the place.

Paul, his brother, Rick, and his dad were among the loyal fans of the New Haven Blades hockey team that played at the New Haven Arena in the early 1970s, with the family heading in from Wallingford for those twice-weekly home games.

After it closed in 1972 and hockey fans had to go to the New Haven Coliseum to get their fix, “the quality of the games went up, but the passion from the crowd diminished. A lot of energy was lost,” Sandella said.
....
For almost half a century, three concrete cast panels depicting “Lady Victory” and sports figures looked down on Grove Street as thousands of music fans and skating and hockey fanatics passed by below on their way into the New Haven Arena.

Crated and stored away for another three decades, Febo Ferrari’s artwork will soon be on display within the sightline of the original Arena at Grove, State and Orange streets, now the headquarters of the FBI.

Demolished in 1975, the Arena was the largest space of its kind in Connecticut for entertainment and sporting events for some 45 years, a three-story brick building built and operated by the Podoloffs, a prominent Greater New Haven family.
....
The three 800-pound vertical panels outlasted the Arena and the New Haven Coliseum, where they were stored for the life of that facility, until it was imploded in January 2007. The original plan to place them in the lobby of the Coliseum never materialized.
....
Dave Hainsworth, the popular goalie for the Blades from 1968-72, remembers the Arena as a “cozy place to play.”

“It was a place where fans hung out after the game,” he said. “It kind of became one big family.”

Hainsworth said the place was always in use. If it wasn’t hockey or ice skating, there were basketball tournaments and organized boxing.

“I remember we came back from being on the road once and the circus was here. The elephants were in the garage. A reminder of them hung in the air for a week and half after they were gone,” Hainsworth said.
....
From left to right, standing guard over the entrance of the Arena from 1927 until 1975, the three figures depicted were:

- A male figure wearing knickers, a jersey and skates, with a hockey stick and puck, but no protective gear.

- A classically dressed female holding an urn and wearing a laurel wreath to symbolize victory, with the word “Sport” inscribed at the bottom.

- A male boxer, to symbolize a pasttime that was wildly popular at the turn of the 20th century, when immigrants and others would enter the ring to earn some money and local fame.
....
Nathan Podoloff, an engineer by training, oversaw construction of the Arena and was its day-to-day manager for 45 years, from the time it opened on Jan. 17, 1927, with a Yale hockey team game, to the sellout closing concert by Elton John on Sept. 29, 1972.

He was one of several Podoloff siblings, including brother Morris, who advanced professional sports through their connections to the family-owned Arena.

They were the children of an immigrant couple from a town south of Kiev in Ukraine who fled to the U.S. in 1890 to escape the pogroms aimed at Jews.

Morris Podoloff, in 1920, was part of a group that created the American Hockey League, and was elected its first president, according to a history written by Hilda Myers Podoloff, wife of Nathan and mother of Ann Podoloff Lehman, a metal sculptor and one of the founders of the Creative Arts Workshop.

Morris Podoloff also became the first commissioner of the National Basketball Association and, through the International Association of Auditorium Managers, Nathan Podoloff and his colleagues produced the first Ice Capades.

The Arena is fondly remembered by the thousands of hockey fans who followed the beloved New Haven Blades and before that the New Haven Ramblers and the New Haven Senators, with the New Haven Eagles hitting the ice from 1926-43.
....
In an interview with the New Haven Register in November 1972, Nathan Podoloff estimated that, statistically, in the Arena’s nearly half-century history, there were “more than 10 million paying customers who saw and heard a tremendous variety of sports, culture, pageantry and entertainment that they otherwise would have been deprived of. Approximately 10,000 days of Arena use were held on time, rain or shine, storms or blizzards.”

New Haven Arena Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Haven-Arena/122181024467873

Full NH Register Article: http://newhavenregister.com/articles/2010/07/11/news/doc4c392b0a0f581383306064.txt

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.

Jacksonville Rockets - One of Jacksonville's Top 10 Little Known Sports Franchises

http://jacksonville.com/sports/2010-06-07/story/summer-10-jacksonvilles-top-10-little-known-sports-franchises

Summer of 10: The top 10 little-known sports franchises in Jacksonville history
by Gary Smits, Florida Times Union

...2 Rockets, Hockey, 1964-1972
Before the Lizard Kings and before the Barracudas were the Jacksonville Rockets, who had an eight-year run in the Eastern Hockey League from 1964-72. The team was coached by Bob Sabourin and featured players with names that would have fit in the movie "Slap Shot" — Harley Hodgson, George Fogie and Melvin "Shorty" Melanchuk... read whole article
......................................................................................................

George Forgie (not Fogie) at hockeydb.com: http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=15669

Harley Hodgson at hockeydb.com: http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=11539
Melvin "Shorty" Melanchuk (not to be confused with brother Clarence "Curly" Melanchuk, who played for the 1955-56 Baltimore Clippers): http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=12677

On this Date 40 Years Ago Today

Someday I hope to have an "On This Day in EHL History" calendar. For now, when an "on this day in" pops up, I'll post it....
http://nhregister.com/articles/2010/06/02/sports/doc4c055e6a3d09b382784280.txt
June 2 — On This Date...
1970 - The New York Rangers and New Haven Blades are close to finalizing a deal to extend their working agreement.

Johnstown Jets' Don Hall and Reg Kent to be at Charity Hockey Game

http://tribune-democrat.com/sports/x1414111658/Stars-coming-out-for-charity-hockey-game
Stars coming out for charity hockey game
by Mike Mastovich , The Tribune Democrat, Johnstown, PA, May 23, 2010

JOHNSTOWN — Two all-star rosters are shaping up for the Johnstown Chiefs alumni hockey game that will be played as part of the Ziggy’s Fundraiser event on June 5 at Planet Ice.

The alumni game will headline a special evening that includes a silent auction, food and drink as part of a $50 donation to benefit Dave “Ziggy” Zeigler, who recently was diagnosed with brain cancer.

“Ziggy” is one of the most recognizable and well-liked figures in the region’s hockey scene. He operated the pro shop at Cambria County War Memorial for many years before starting his own business, Ziggy’s, across the street from the arena. Zeigler assisted both the Chiefs and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins equipment staffs and was on the ice for the Pens’ Stanley Cup-winning celebration last year...

...Johnstown Hockey Hall of Famer Don Hall and Reg Kent, who had his No. 7 retired next to Hall’s No. 11, are two former prolific scorers with the Jets who will participate in the event. So will former Chiefs coach Frank Anzalone.

The doors at Planet Ice will open at 6 p.m. on June 5. For more information, call 262-RINK or visit www.ziggysfundraiser.org.

Photo: Don Hall 1959

Doug McMurdy - New Haven Blades 1958-59

Photo: Doug McMurdy in white AHL Syracuse Warriors jersey is stopped by Providence back line.

Springfield hockey legend Doug McMurdy passes
http://www.examiner.com/x-43445-Springfield-Falcons-Examiner~y2010m5d26-Springfield-hockey-legend-Doug-McMurdy-passes

The hockey community lost an ambasador for the game this week with the passing of Doug McMurdy.

McMurdy, a member of the Springfield Hockey Hall of Fame, played for six seasons with the Springfield Indians in the American Hockey League, Eastern Hockey League and the Quebec Hockey League.

He started his time in Springfield in 1948 through 1951. After spending a year in Syracuse, he returned to the City of Homes, where he played until 1957. He spent the 1952-53 season as the player-coach, accumulating a 39-19-2 record.

In Springfield, he played in 286 games, tallying 267 points - 85 goals, 182 assists. In his professional career, which included stops in Springfield, Pittsburgh (AHL), Tulsa (USHL), Syracuse (AHL), Trois Rivieres (QHL) and New Haven (EHL), he had 664 points, including 201 goals, according to his obituary.

He was inducted into the Springfield Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000.

He remained in the Springfield area after retiring from hockey, working for distribution companies in Western Massachusetts.

From the Utica Daily Press October 23, 1958 p 15-A:
At the moment the New Haven lineup is a veteran group of holdovers with several key exceptions. Key men in the changeover from last season's third-place finishers is Doug McMurdy long-time Springfield Indian's utility player, who has regained his amateur status and will be in a defense post for the Blades. Together with ex-coach Don Perry and Capt. Ron Telford the trio — all former Springfield players — should give New Haven one of the strongest defense combinations in the league. Ron Rohmer, a mere "wisp" now at 185 pounds, has returned to the playing ranks to be the fourth defender ahead of EHL All-Star goalie Gaetan Dessureault.

Fine Blades, Cancel Game, Utica Daily Press February 24, 1959, p 6
New York (AP) Tom Lockhart, president of the Eastern Hockey League said yesterday the New Haven club has been fined $1000 and its Feb.19th victory over Johnstown has been cancelled. Lockhart said the penalties meted out because New Haven ineligible player in Doug McMurdy. In addition, Lockhart said Clinton has protested its 4-1 defeat by New Haven Saturday for the same reason. Lockhart said the Johnstown-New Haven game either must be replayed or that their Wednesday night contest in New Haven be counted as double. In case of a double, the winner would get four points instead of two. He said McMurdy's status was in the process of being straightened out now. After McMurdy had started the season with New Haven it was discovered that he had not been waived out of the American Hockey League, a pro circuit, and had not been reinstated as an amateur. McMurdy played for Springfield last season. Lockhart. said rules provide for a fine of $1000 if a team uses an ineligible player.

Doug McMurdy at Hockeydb.com:
http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=11167

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.

New Book & Booksigning - Hockey Night in Utica by Jim Mancuso

http://www.romeobserver.com/articles/2010/04/29/sports/doc4bd963c48934e627833464.txt

Clinton, NY hockey recognized and remembered - Rome Observer 04/29/10 CLINTON — A celebration to recognize the important role that Clinton has played in the development and popularity of professional hockey throughout the United States is planned for Monday, May 3 at 7 p.m. at the Clinton Historical Society with the first public release and book signing of “Hockey Night in Utica,” the latest book in a series by internationally recognized hockey historian, James Mancuso. Featuring the history and relationship of the Clinton Comets, the Mohawks and the Stars, Mancuso’s new book is a history about professional hockey in Utica, New York, during the North American Hockey League (NAHL), North Eastern Hockey League/Eastern Hockey League (NEHL/EHL) and Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) years from the 1973-74 to the 1986-87 seasons. There will be several members of the professional Comets team present plus the author will be available to autograph copies. Mancuso has dedicated the book to Bill Horton, who tragically lost his life while awaiting a heart transplant in May of 1988 and has pledged to donate profits from the book to the American Heart Association. Refreshments will be available. The Society is located at No. 1 Fountain Street across from the Village Parking Lot.