1973 Uniform Changes

Three teams made adjustments to their uniforms during the summer of 1973. Although there were no major re-brands, Ottawa, Detroit, and LA all made some updates to their looks.

Ottawa Beavers

The  only major change here is the uniforms. Both jerseys now have two hockey stick - shaped stripes across the waist. A new shoulder patch has also been added featuring the beaver from the primary logo independent of the "O".


Detroit Mustangs

The defending champs have made very minimal changes. The logo shape stays the same but the horse in now white outlined in blue and gold. The only change to the uniforms is a slightly darker shade of blue.

LA Wizards

The Wizards made a fashion statement, adding a third orange jersey to go with their existing purple and white ones. No word yet on when the team plans to wear the new jerseys but it will likely be used on special nights throughout the year. The Wizards are the first PHL team to use three jerseys since the original Vancouver Bighorns used three back in the 1940s.

Dallas, Seattle Awarded PHL Franchises

After many months of debate between PHL president Alan Garcia, the PHL Expansion Committee, and the Profressional Hockey Players' Association, The PHL has officially accepted Seattle, WA, and Dallas, TX, as expansion franchises for the 1974-75 season. Seattle received the most votes from the expansion committee with six, Dallas finished tied with Edmonton for second. In the end, Alan Garcia decided to take a chance on Dallas. "We realize this could go either way." said Garcia. "This is not a market that is familiar with the game and we'll have a lot of work to do but I'm excited and we're all very excited about how far our league has come. There has been a lot of excitement these last few years in LA about the Wizards and I see no reason why that can't happen in Texas as well."

Seattle was a fairly obvious choice from the beginning. While the local PBL team threatened to block a team from playing in the Emerald Forum, potential owner John Dyson and Alan Garcia pushed hard for a lease agreement with the city-owned building, eventually getting approval. When the expansion committee overwhelmingly supported Seattle with their vote, Garcia knew the city would be a perfect fit. "We are also very happy to finally welcome Seattle aboard." Garcia said. "We know they have been trying to acquire a franchise for some time and their hard work has finally paid off."

In Edmonton, the reaction to the league's decision was not a popular one. Almost everywhere fans voiced their displeasure with the announcement. "Dallas? do they even know what ice or skates are in Dallas?" questioned one fan. Garcia calmed the uproar somewhat when he stated that Edmonton is a definite front-runner for expansion 1976, along with Washington DC and Long Island.

The expansion committee will re-convene in the summer of 1974 to vote on applications for the next two franchises, who will begin play in 1976.

1973 Lewis Cup Finals

Heading into the 1973 Lewis Cup Finals, the Detroit Mustangs were the overwhelming favorite. The Mustangs had won the Cup twice at the beginning of the decade and looked as dangerous as ever entering the best-of-seven with the New York Civics, a team that had not been to the final since Skippy Cleveland led them to their last title in 1957. Game one would be fairly lopsided, as the Civics were unable to solve Bobby Cole and the Mustangs won 3-0. Game two was much tighter. Detroit led 1-0 through most of the game before Dave Tobin finally ended New York's goal drought to tie the game. Through five overtime periods, both Bobby Cole - who was stellar throughout the playoffs - and New York's Gil Brady stood on their heads, sometimes literally, turning away shot after shot. Early in the fifth overtime, New York veteran Dave Riley had a golden opportunity but put it off the post. The game officially became the longest in PHL history when it reached a sixth overtime around 3 a.m. the following morning. just 22 seconds into the ninth period of the game, Mustangs defenseman Gary Crawford wired a hard shot from the point that found it's way past Brady to finally end the marathon and give Detroit a 2-0 series lead heading to New York. The win would give Detroit even more momentum while it appeared to take the wind completely out of the Civics' sails as the Mustangs won game three 4-1 to take a commanding 3-0 series lead. Game four would see the Civics lead for the first time all series as rookie Phil Holmes scored one minute into the game. Game four would be a tight one, as the teams exchanged leads throughout. Late in the third period, with the score tied 3-3, Andy Ried, the Mustangs' longtime captain, finally gave Detroit a 4-3 lead. Reid's goal would prove to be the winner as Detroit completed the sweep and took home their third Lewis Cup in five seasons, finally making them a true dynasty. It was fitting that Andy Reid scored the winner, it would be the last goal he would ever score. During the celebration, the 18-year veteran announced his retirement. "I can think of no better way to go out than as a champion." said the 39-year-old. "I feel very fortunate to have played for such a wonderful organization for the last two decades." The Mustangs would later announce that they would immediately retire "Mr Mustang's" number 28 the following season.

1973 Playoffs

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

The 1973 playoffs would prove to be very different from previous years. The new format meant new matchups in the first round not previously possible. One such series was between Detroit and Winnipeg, who had met in the 1970 Western Conference finals, but had never met in a first round series. Nobody gave the Pioneers- a team that had just squeaked into the playoffs- a chance against the powerful Mustangs. Winnipeg played the role of underdogs very well, however, taking a 2-1 series lead and eventually  forcing the series to a full seven games before falling in game seven 2-1. Also in the first round Boston eliminated Ottawa in five games, LA took out Chicago, while New York upset Philadelphia in a four game sweep. The Civics' magic would continue into the second round, where they would take down the Montreal Royale in six games, while Boston pulled off an upset of their own, taking down Nova Scotia in five games. In Calgary, Wranglers fans finally said goodbye to their ageless wonder, Skippy Cleveland. Cleveland scored his final PHL goal in game one against Detroit. A week later, the day after his 50th birthday, Cleveland played his final PHL game, a 2-1 overtime loss in Detroit that resulted in the Wranglers' elimination from the playoffs. Skippy was given a long ovation from the Detroit crowd as he skated off the ice for the last time. Despite their skill, most people did not give the LA Wizards much of a chance against the defending champion and regular season champs the Minnesota Lumberjacks. As the series began, Minnesota appeared to be in command, taking game one 3-2  in a game that was not nearly as close as the score would suggest. However, the Wizards would storm back, stunning the Lumberjacks in the next three straight. Game five in Minneapolis would get quite nasty, as the 'Jacks attempted to intimidate LA's superstar forwards. In the third period, with the Lumberjacks up 3-0, LA tough guy Roy Priest squared off with Minnesota's Doug Williams in a heavyweight tilt for the ages. LA responed with two goals in the third, not quite enough to win the game, but enough to spark the Wizards to a 4-3 overtime victory in game six on a goal from veteran Gilbert Girouix to finally put the defending champs to bed. In the Western Conference final, the Wizards put up a valiant effort against the Detroit Mustangs, even erasing a 3-1 series deficit to force game seven. The Mustangs would prove to be too much, however. Former Toronto Racer Bobby Kitchen enjoyed a two goal night in game seven as the Mustangs returned to the Lewis Cup Finals. Detroit's opponent in the championship round would be the cinderella New York Civics, a club that had not even reach the playoffs the previous year. Coming off a tough six game tilt with Boston, the Civics were eager to prove they belonged in the final. They would face an uphill battle, however, taking on a powerful Detroit team who was equally determined to prove their best days were not behind them.

One of the biggest stories entering the 1972-73 season was when Skippy Cleveland, arguably the greatest player in PHL history, anounced that he would retire at season's end. Cleveland set records for longevity, playing more seasons than anyone else (27) and becoming the oldest player in league history at age 49. The Wranglers were determined to give Cleveland a proper sendoff. Young forward Warren Jensen enjoyed a breakout season, scoring 56 goals, while goaltender Jimmy Underwood also enjoyed an incredible season in net. Calgary finished the season first place in the Pacific Division. The Vancouver Bighorns, demoralized by the loss of Jim Cobb the previous year, dropped to last pace in the division. Things came right down to the wire in the race between LA and Calgary for first place, LA had an opportunity to take the division for the second straight year, but ultimately lost the last game of the season to Minnesota to drop to second. Speaking of the Lumberjacks, they enjoyed their best season in franchise history, winning 53 games on the strength of a 59 goal effort from Guy Dupont. Detroit finished with 52 wins for second in the division. In the East, only two teams made the playoffs in the Northeast Division under the new playoff format. Montreal took first place while Ottawa finished second. Toronto continued their rebuild, winning only 30 games. The Atlantic Division turned out to be a war, figuratively and literally. The feisty Nova Scotia Clayomores took first place while Boston and Philadelphia battled it out all season for second place. Things came to a head on February 22, 1973 in Boston when the Bulldogs' Jeff Coleman jumped Philadelphia's Frank McDermit. The attack was a response to McDermit's hit on Boston goaltender Ricky Spooner the previous year. The benches cleared and the brawl went on for nearly 30 minutes, eventually spilling into the stands. Officials and police attempted to break up the melee but were eventually forced to call the game a draw. The decision launched a major controversy, however, as the officials were accused of robbing the Redshirts of a win (they led 4-0 at the time) for fear of the Boston fans. However, the league backed the officials stating that they had done the best that they could to restrain the teams and ultimately the Redshirts had to be made accountable for their actions in the brawl as well. Despite missing out on those two points, Philadelphia finished the season strong, taking second place, while Boston settled for third. The fourth-place New York Civics returned to the post-season thanks partly to the return of franchise defenseman Freddie Huff as well as the new playoff format which allowed them into the Northeast Division playoff. Heading into the 1973 playoffs, Minnesota, Detroit, and Montreal all looked like the teams to beat once again. 

Philadelphia and Boston engage in a brawl, February 22, 1973.

1972 Off-Season

1972 Off-season

Draft

The 1972 entry draft was not an overly strong one. Although there was no shortage of talent available, the draft seemed to lack that franchise player, such as a Stuart Holly or a Freddie Huff. With the first pick, California took speedy winger Dennis Yates, who was coming off a big year in the Canadian junior circuit in which he scored 42 goals. Hamilton selected center George Little from Oshawa, ON, while Denver selected Guy Fisset, a big center from Shawinigan, QC, to round out the top three. Rudy Hunter of St. Catharines, ON, was the first defenseman selected, chosen by Vancouver, while Chicago was the only team to select a goaltender, taking Tim Massey 12^th overall. LA made a splash selecting 6’3”, 223-pound winger Roy Priest with the 17^th pick. Although a weak skater, Priest had earned a reputation as one of junior hockey’s most feared fighters and the Wizards hoped he would make other teams think twice about taking shots at their young stars.

Here are the other picks from the draft:

1.       California – Dennis Yates, F

2.       Hamilton – George Little, F

3.       Denver – Guy Fisset, F

4.       Toronto – Charlie Fisher, F

5.       Vancouver – Rudy Hunter, D

6.       Pittsburgh – Kenny Sharp, F

7.       St. Louis – Terry Wolfe, D

8.       New York – Phil Holmes, F

9.       Ottawa – Tony Knight, D

10.   Winnipeg – Eric Barton, F

11.   Calgary – Sven Larsson, F

12.   Chicago – Tim Massey, G

13.   Philadelphia – Bobby Ford, F

14.   Quebec – Bruce Park, D

15.   Boston – Tim Beck, F

16.   Detroit – Ken Gilbert, F

17.   LA – Roy Priest, F

18.   Nova Scotia – Rick Snyder, D

19.   Montreal – Ray Rogers, D

20.   Minnesota – Roland Webb, F

Off-Season News

The league announced a few significant rule changes entering the 1972-73 season. Perhaps the biggest one would be the way the standings would work. Rather than determining standings by wins first, the league would use a point system. Two points would be awarded for a win, while one would be awarded to each team involved in a tie game. The league also made an adjustment to the playoff format. Going forward, a “wildcard” system would be implemented. The top teams from each division would automatically advance to the second round of the playoffs. The remaining teams would be ranked according to conference standing. This would cut back on situations where a team might get into the playoffs simply due to weak competition in their division.

There would be no major logo or uniform changes for PHL teams in 1972, but the league did make one significant change, mandating that all teams wear their white jerseys for home games, and their coloured jerseys on the road. The change was made in an effort to market the game better by displaying each visiting team’s colours. A few teams resisted the idea. Pittsburgh even requested permission to eliminate their white jerseys entirely, arguing that their yellow jerseys provided plenty of contrast against any other uniform in the league. Their request was rejected. Predictably, the Chicago Shamrocks also protested the change. The Shamrocks of course had famously been dragged kicking and screaming into their white sweaters in the first place back in the 1950s, and now owner Frederick Garfield Jr, whose father had famously uttered the line “We wear green” two decades earlier, was refusing to comply with the change. PHL president Alan Garcia eventually agreed that Chicago could wear green at home for ten home games a year provided the visitors were willing to wear white for those games.

One of the biggest debates at the start of the summer concerned player safety. In the wake of the Jim Cobb incident, team owners began pushing the league to mandate helmets for all players. The Players Union opposed the mandate for 1972, but agreed to discuss it further with the league. As a result, the PHL formed the Player Safety Committee to research developments in equipment as well as the legal advantages of mandatory helmets.

The biggest news of the off-season came in August, 1972, when Alan Garcia announced that the PHL would add four new franchises beginning in the 1974-75 season. The first two would begin play in the fall of 1974, while the next two would start in 1976. There would be two western teams and two eastern teams added. Immediately, bids began pouring in from different cities. The strongest bids came from Seattle, Edmonton, New York for a second franchise, Washington, Dallas, Atlanta, and Cleveland. Garcia also announced that for the first time in PHL history, he would form an Expansion Committee, a group of advisors from around the game and other sports as well.

Retirements

Eugene Herbert, F, Head Coach, Montreal, 1921-1972

If there was one man who was the face of his franchise throughout the history of the PHL, it was Eugene Herbert. Herbert played center for the Royale in the Quebec Hockey League from 1921 to 1936, where he dazzled the Montreal fans and fans around Quebec with his smooth skating and puck skills. In 1936, when a bad knee forced Herbert to retire at age 33, he took on the role of head coach in Montreal, where three years later, the Royale became a charter member of the PHL. Herbert coached the Royale to eight appearances in the finals, winning two Lewis Cups in 1966 and ’68. Herbert retired at the conclusion of the 1971-72 season at age 69, having coached more games than anyone in PHL history.

David Zimmer, G, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Quebec, San Francisco (GHL), 1951-1972

David Zimmer is widely regarded as the greatest goaltender in PHL history. Joining Philadelphia in 1951, Zimmer played 12 seasons with the Redshirts, taking them – often single handedly – to the Lewis Cup final three times during the 1950s. In 1963, Zimmer was traded to the Buffalo Bulls, where he led them to a second-place finish in 1965. That summer, Zimmer signed with the San Francisco Nuggets of the new Global Hockey League. He would play for the Nuggets right up until the GHL merged with the PHL in 1969, when he was traded to the Quebec Nationale. After leading the Nationale to a miraculous run to the final in 1970, Zimmer’s play began to deteriorate in 1970-71 and he eventually lost the starters job to young goaltender Andy Poole. After one last season back with Philadelphia, albeit as their backup, Zimmer retired, leaving behind a legacy as perhaps the greatest player to never win the Lewis Cup.

Jeff Miller, D, Hamilton, 1952-1972

Miller played on the Hamilton Blueline for 20 years, winning the Lewis Cup with the Kings in his first two seasons. Toward the end of his career, Miller provided important veteran leadership to young players such as Gilbert Boudreau and Gerry Stokes.

Transactions

Detroit acquires F, Bjorn Rasmussen from Vancouver in exchange for F Doug Porter.

Detroit adds another big name to their powerful lineup while Vancouver adds a much-needed up-and-coming prospect.

LA acquires F Gilbert Girouix from St. Louis in exchange for F Steven Pierce and a 1^st round pick.

LA adds a veteran superstar to mentor their young, talented lineup, while the struggling Spirits manage to dump salary while adding a draft pick and a decent prospect.

1972 Lewis Cup Finals

The 1972 Lewis Cup finals promised to be a very entertaining series. For the first time since 1955, the top two teams in the league would face off for the cup. The teams would split the first two games in Minneapolis in a pair of low-scoring tilts. As the series shifted to Montreal, however, the Royale would jump to a 3-1 series lead with a pair of two-goal victories. The Lumberjacks found themselves facing adversity for the first time all year. The Lewis Cup was in the building for game five back in Minneapolis. Bobby Sorel turned in a spectacular performance as the teams skated to overtime. Just 17 seconds into OT, Jimmy Andrews, already a two-time overtime hero in the playoffs, scored on a breakaway to stave off elimination. Game six would also reach overtime after Minnesota came back in the third period from a 3-1 deficit. Andrews would once again be the hero earning the nickname "Dr. Overtime", forcing a game seven at home. Game seven would prove to be perhaps the most exciting game of the series. The teams exchanged goals throughout the first two periods before Montreal pulled ahead 3-2. With only 2:02 to go in the third, Guy Dupont scored to tie the game. Less than a minute later, with the fans settling in for yet another overtime game, rookie James Cummings jammed a rebaound past Jean-Claude Richard to put the Lumberjacks up 4-3. The Twin Cities Forum erupted as the 'Jacks ran down the clock to their first-ever Lewis Cup title. just six seasons after entering the league as an espansion team, the Minnesota Lumberjacks found themselves at the top of the hockey world.

1972 Playoffs

The 1972 playoffs had a slightly different look form the previous two seasons. LA not only found themselves in the post-season for the first time in franchise history but actually won the Pacific division and earned a first-round bye, while in the Central, Detroit gave up their first-round bye to Minnesota, who finished first overall in the league. In the Western Conference, Detroit made short work of Chicago, sweeping them in four straight, while Skippy Cleveland, in perhaps the last great moment of his career, led Calgary to a six-game victory over Winnipeg. In the East, Ottawa upset Quebec in five games, and in the only seven-game series in the first round, Philadelphia defeated the defending champion Boston Bulldogs in a series that proved to be quite chippy after Redshirts defenseman Frank McDermit ran Boston goaltender Ricky Spooner in game 5. Spooner would not return for the remainder of the series. Bulldogs' coach Bruce Winter blamed the loss on the Spooner injury and the Bulldogs promised revenge on their hated rivals the following season. In the second round, LA managed to overcome some adversity early on against the Calgary Wranglers to defeat them in six games, while Montreal took down Ottawa in five. In one of the most competitive series of the playoffs, Minnesota took on the Detroit Mustangs in the Central Division final. After the teams split the first four games, Minnesota eeked out a 1-0 win in game five thanks to a big overtime goal from Jimmy Andrews. After Detroit forced game seven with a 3-1 win, the teams then played an epic game seven where both Bobby Sorel and Bobby Cole both stood on their heads as the game went to triple overtime, once again at 0-0. At 12:32 of the third overtime, Jimmy Andrews once again proved to be the hero for the 'Jacks, flipping the puck over Cole's shoulder to propell Minnesota to the Western final. In the Atlantic Division, Nova Scotia met the Cinderella Redshirts in another thrilling seven-gamer. In this series, Philly found themselves up 3-1 after the first four games. But Nova Scotia roared back, winning two overtime games in a row before clinging to a 4-3 third-period lead in a nerve-racking game seven to advance. In the Western Conference final, the LA Wizards put up a valiant fight against Minnesota, but ultimately succumbed to the powerful Lumberjacks in six games, while Montreal defeated Nova Scotia in five games to set up a Lewis Cup final between the league's two best teams. 

First Round

Second Round

Third Round

Lewis Cup Preview

 The Lewis Cup finals would pit the Minnesota Lumberjacks, who finished first overall in the Western Conference and in the league, against the Montreal Royale, who finished first overall in the Eastern Conference. On paper, the Lumberjacks appeared to be the favorites. Their "SAW" line of Jimmy Andrews, Guy Dupont and Doug Williams was on fire throughout the playoffs, while goaltender Bobby Sorel was quickly establishing himself as the best goaltender in the game. Montreal would rely on their shutdown defensive pairing of Martin Gilbert and Pierre Gervais against Minnesota's speedy forwards. veteran goaltender Jean-Claude Richard was playing at the top of his game at age 33 and would also be relied on heavily. Game one would take place in Minneapolis, where fans camped out for tickets to what promised to be a thrilling Lewis Cup Final.

1971-72 Regular Season

The 1971-72 season would prove to be an interesting one specifically in the Pacific Division, Where for the first time, a former GHL franchise won their Division. The LA Wizards, led by the young dynamic duo of Stuart Holly and Ray Fowler, managed to take the Division, while Calgary, Winnipeg, and Vancouver engaged in a battle for the last two playoff spots that came right down to the final day of the season. Holly and Fowler quickly put the Wizards on the sporting map in LA. In a market crowded with successful PBL and PFL franchises, suddenly attending a Wizards' game became the cool thing to do, as the South Los Angeles Colosseum became the place to be for some of Hollywood's biggest stars.
Meanwhile, it was a tough season in Toronto, where the aging Racers missed the playoffs for the first time since 1954. Young goaltender Ralph Morello showed some signs of promise, but ultimately seemed unprepared for the challenge of leading a team to the playoffs. Montreal would win the Northeast Division, while Quebec, projected to miss the playoffs again, enjoyed a surprisingly strong season, finishing second with 41 wins, while Ottawa managed to squeak past Toronto into the post-season. In the Central, Detroit and Minnesota battled it out all year for the Division title, which ultimately went to the Lumberjacks, who enjoyed a stellar performance from their superstar goaltender Bobby Sorel. The newly relocated Denver Bulls showed slight improvement, winning 30 games. However, it was not enough to pull them out of last place in the division.In the Atlantic Division, the defending champion Boston Bulldogs struggled through several key injuries but still managed to finish second in the division, while Nova Scotia once again took the division title. In the meantime, it proved to be a very tough season in New York, where the Civics lost star defenseman Freddie Huff as well as goaltender Gil Brady to long-term injuries. While Brady missed the remainder of the season, Huff was able to return for the final few games, however, it was too late as the Civics slipped out of the playoffs, allowing Philadelphia back into the postseason for the first time since the merger.

One of the biggest stories of the season took place in Vancouver, where the Bighorns managed to stay afloat most of the season. Tragedy struck on February 15, 1972, however. The Bighorns were on the road against the California Nuggets when Vancouver captain Jim Cobb attempted to throw a big hit along the boards. Cobb missed his man, striking his head against the glass, then the ice, severely  fracturing his skull. Cobb was in a coma for three weeks as doctors worked around the clock, trying to save his life. Cobb survived, but suffered severe spinal and brain damage, his career was over and doctor's wondered if he would even walk again. . The incident immediately sparked furious debates about player safety that would carry on into the off-season as team owners discussed everything from mandatory helmets to safer glass and boards, while the Bighorns created the James Cobb Award, which would be awarded to the team MVP each year. As the 1972 playoffs approached, Vancouver still looked like they could reach the post-season. The team wore a patch on their jerseys for their last few games as a tribute to their captain and were determined to make him proud. Entering the final game of the season against Calgary, Vancouver needed to win, while Winnipeg only needed a tie in their game against LA. The Bighorns managed to send a tough game against the Wranglers to overtime, but discovered in the intermission the devastating news that Winnipeg had beaten LA in the third period when the playoff-bound Wizards decided to rest their stars. Vancouver's post-season hopes were dashed. However, just before overtime began, Jim Cobb paid the team a visit in the dressing room. sparked by Cobb's presence, the Bighorns scored 21 seconds into OT to finish their tough season with an emotional win. Heading into the postseason, Minnesota looked like the runaway favorites to win the Lewis Cup, with Montreal, Detroit, and Nova Scotia all looking very strong as well. Other dark horses included LA, Boston, and Quebec, who finished the regular season with a 9-game win streak. Meanwhile, Winnipeg Pioneers' head coach Brian Colson, who's team had dropped from the top of their division to the final playoff spot, vowed to prove his team belonged with the elite when the playoffs got underway.