Washington Generals Unveil Logos, Uniforms

The Washington Generals unveiled their new look for the upcoming 1974-75 season on August 4, 1974. The primary mark is meant to resemble the logo appearing on US Army vehicles while the alternate logo features five stars to represent a five-star generals badge, and a pentagon shape in the center of the stars to represent the Pentagon, the US Military headquarters. Within the pentagon is a stylized "W" which pays homage to several Washington landmarks including the White House and the Washington Monument. The colors are Olive Green and Gold. "We really wanted to pay tribute to our brave soldiers who fought and continue to fight for our freedom." said owner John Byford, himself a Korean war veteran. The Generals relocated to Washington at the conclusion of the 1973-74 season after 35 years in Hamilton Ont.

1974 Off-Season

1974 Entry Draft

Perhaps the strongest draft in PHL history took place in June, 1974. It began when St. Louis set their future in place by selecting phenom David Appleby first overall. In two seasons in the Ontario junior league, Appleby shattered nearly every one of the league’s scoring records, leading the Waterloo Warriors to two consecutive league titles. Mentioned in the same breath as legends such as Skippy Cleveland and Tommy Cooper, as well as current stars like Stuart Holly and Gilbert Giroux, Appleby was projected by some- including Skippy himself- to someday become the greatest scorer of all time. Seattle and Dallas were both able to select top notch prospects as cornerstones for their franchises, with the Grey Wolves taking sniper Pete Holloway and the Metros selecting big power forward Mike Fleming. Washington took the top defenseman in the draft, Joe Kelly, who the Generals figured would fit nicely playing alongside star defenseman Craig Tucker, while Pittsburgh rounded out the top five selecting Dave Breedon, a sniper projected to be a top scorer but often passed over due to weak skating ability.

1.      St. Louis – David Appleby, F

2.      Seattle – Pete Holloway, F

3.      Dallas – Mike Fleming, F

4.      Washington – Joe Kelly, D

5.      Pittsburgh – Dave Breedon, F

6.      Vancouver – Marcus Renberg, D

7.      Quebec – Ron Plunkett, F

8.      Toronto – Joe Dowling, F

9.      Calgary – Brian Trask, D

10.   Denver – Willy Rowe, D

11.   Winnipeg – Donny McMillen, F

12.   California – Yvon Tremblay, G

13.   Nova Scotia – Ken Butler, F

14.   New York – Dennis Aguilar, F

15.   Boston – Colin Fleming, F

16.   Chicago – Emmett Blake, D

17.   Philadelphia – Pierre-Claude Boutin, F

18.   Ottawa – Randy McCracken, F

19.   Montreal – Benoit Gervais, F

20.   LA – Todd Clinton, D

21.   Minnesota – Kevin Jewett, F

22.   Detroit – Dan Overton, F

Rule Changes:

In July, 1974, Alan Garcia announced that the playoff format would be expanded to 16 teams beginning in the 1975-76 season.

Retirements:

Will Pratt, D, Hamilton, Calgary, 1961-1974

Will Pratt was one of the only bright spots during the Hamilton Kings last decade in Hamilton, anchoring the blue line there for seven years before jumping to the GHL with Calgary in time for the league’s final season in 1968. Pratt would help lead Calgary to a GHL title that year before returning to the PHL with the Wranglers the next season, where he would remain for the following five years.

Randy Kane, D, Nova Scotia, 1959-1974

One of the last original Claymores, Randy Kane provided a solid presence on the Nova Scotia blueline for all 15 seasons of the teams existence, winning a Lewis Cup with them in 1967. Later in his career, Kane became a valuable mentor to young players.

Transactions

Nova Scotia acquires G Tim Underwood from Calgary in exchange for F Bruce Ricketts.

The Claymores find a more than adequate replacement in net for expansion draft victim James Steger, while Calgary strengthens their crop of young forwards.

News

On August 1, 1974, Alan Garcia called a press conference to make a couple of big announcements. First, Garcia caught everyone off guard when he announced that Long Island, NY had been awarded an expansion franchise to begin play in 1976. This was a curious move, as the expansion committee had clearly been left out of the decision. “This is the best move for the league.” Said Garcia. “The expansion committee will reconvene in the next few weeks to determine the second franchise to begin play in 1976. We simply could not turn down the opportunity that Long Island gave us. A 21,000 seat arena is being built in the area that will be exclusively owned by the club, we could not very well say no to that.”

After addressing expansion, Garcia then made the exciting announcement that the PHL would participate in the first-ever World Hockey Challenge in the fall of 1976. The World Hockey Challenge will be a six-nation international tournament to be held every four years featuring the best players from around the world. Canada, USA, and the Soviet Union are expected to be the top contenders in the tournament.

League Realignment

With the addition of Seattle and Dallas in 1974, as well as Hamilton's relocation to Washington, the conferences and divisions were realigned to accommodate the new clubs. Perhaps the biggest change was the defending champion Detroit Mustangs moving to the Eastern Conference in the Atlantic Division. The newly relocated Washington Generals also moved to the Atlantic with Nova Scotia moving to the Northeast. The idea was to minimize boarder crossings by placing all the Canadian teams in one division and all the American teams in the other. Out west, Seattle was placed in the Pacific Division while Dallas was placed in the Central.

1974 Expansion Draft Results

The PHL held it's second-ever expansion draft of June 10, 1974, to fill the rosters for the Seattle Grey Wolves and Dallas Metros. Each team selected one goalie, four defensemen, and eight forwards. The most notable selections for Seattle were Bruce Walker, a 15-year PHL and GHL veteran coming off his first Lewis Cup victory with Detroit, goaltender Bruce Wallace, who played 16 years between Chicago and St. Louis, and Allan Fox, a steady forward who had been very popular with the Nova Scotia Claymores. Among Dallas' most notable selections were James Steger, Nova Scotia's number one goalie throughout most of their existence, Jeff Nichols, a young, up-and-coming defenseman who had only four years under his belt with the Chicago Shamrocks, and former New York Civics legend David Riley, who had played alongside Skippy Cleveland and Bernie Bassen during the Civics' back-to-back title runs in the 1950s. The Metros took a major risk selecting Riley, who had hinted that he might retire before the 1974-75 season. Here are the rest of the selections;

POS - Name - Previous Team

Seattle:

G - Bruce Wallace - STL

D - Glen Welton - BOS

D - Pat Lawson - CGY

D - Kerry Floyd - QUE

D - Mike Peters - LA

F - Bruce Walker - DET

F- Jeff Morris - MIN

F - Brian Hardy - CAL

F - Allan Fox - NSC

F - David Strickland - VAN

F - Cliff Bates - PHI

F - Jeff Ryan - WPG

F - Chase Watts - OTT

Dallas:

G - James Steger - NSC

D - Jeff Nichols - CHI

D - Glen Park - STL

D - Gilbert Tucker - NYC

D - Bobby Fisher - DET

F - Jeff Perry - BOS

F - Jake Fowler - OTT

F - Ervin Cole - MTL

F - Dave Roberts - PHI

F - Freddy Brown - QUE

F - Dave Riley - NYC

F - Greg Tyler - MIN

F - Ross Becker - PIT

Seattle, Dallas Unveil Logos & Uniforms

On June 1, 1974, the PHL’s two newest franchises, the Seattle Grey Wolves and the Dallas Metros, finally unveiled their logos, colors, and uniforms.

The Grey Wolves logo features a Grey wolf howling at the moon over a forest green backdrop inside a circle. The home jersey is white with forest green and grey trim and the road jersey is grey with forest green and white trim.

 

The Metros logo is the word “Dallas” stylized to look like the Dallas skyline (1974, pre reunion tower) with a red, orange, and yellow sun setting behind it. The home jersey is white with black, red, orange, and yellow trim, while the road jersey features the same colors with black as the primary color.

 

In other news, the newly relocated Washington team will be called the Washington Generals and will feature a color scheme of olive green, gold, and white. The team will unveil its logo prior to the start of the 1974-75 season.

1974 Lewis Cup Finals

The 1974 Lewis Cup Finals would pit the Detroit Mustangs, winners of 3 of the last 5 Lewis Cups, against the Philadelphia Redshirts, the only charter member of the PHL that had yet to win a championship during the league's existence. Heavily favored to win it all once again, the Mustangs found themselves stunned in the first two games at home, losing both contests by 2 goals. treating game 3 in Philly like a must-win, Detroit kept things close throughout the game before finally pulling ahead to win the game in the third period on a goal from Bjorn Rasmussen. Despite still being down 2-1 in the series, it appeared that the Mustangs were now in control. Game 4 would go to overtime, where Detroit dominated, forcing Redshirts goaltender Micheal McArdle to make 13 saves in OT alone. Late in the extra period Philadelphia winger Bobby Ford blocked a Cliff Lyle shot, putting center David Johnson on a breakaway. Johnson beat Bobby Cole for the winner, giving Philly a commanding 3-1 series lead. The city of Detroit was in shock, while Philadelphia celebrated. It appeared that the Redshirts drought, as well as Detroit's reign were finally over. In game 5, with the Lewis Cup in the building, Bobby Cole made 46 saves for the shutout as Detroit won 2-0. Game six would go into double overtime. Both teams had several big scoring chances but both goaltenders refused to yield. Finally, early in the second overtime, Don Banks scored for Detroit to force game 7. The Redshirts, determined not to let their disappointment get the better of them in game 7, played their hearts out, keeping the game scoreless until almost the end of the second period despite a barrage of Detroit shots. Banks would finally find the back of the net, however, with just 1:36 to go in the second and Philadelphia found themselves desperately trying to tie it throughout the third. In the end, Bobby Cole, playing in his final game, proved to be too much for Philly in game 7. The heartbroken Redshirts skated off the ice as Detroit, now one of the PHL's all-time greatest dynasties, celebrated their 4th Lewis Cup in only 6 seasons.

1974 Playoffs

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Heading into their first playoff series in 9 seasons, the Denver Bulls had fairly modest expectations. Ultimately they were just happy to finally be there. Most did not expect them to get very far especially facing the powerhouse Minnesota Lumberjacks, who had finished 28 points ahead of Denver in the standings. To everyone's shock, however, it was the Lumberjacks who found themselves down 2-0 in the series, blanked in each of the first 2 games, and trying to find a way to solve Bulls goaltender Jeff Muskew heading to Denver for game 3. The Bulls had managed to stun Minnesota on strong team play and good puck movement from all four lines while Muskew managed to outplay Minnesota's superstar goaltender Bobby Sorel on both nights, earning shutouts on both outings. You could cut the tension with a knife in game 3 as the two teams skated to double overtime at 1-1 before Minnesota's Roland Webb finally won the game with just two minutes left in the second OT. By game 4, Minnesota had found their game again, routing the Bulls 6-2 as captain Guy Dupont scored a hat-trick. After Sorel earned a shutout in game 5, it appeared the Lumberjacks had the series. However, Denver managed to stave off elimination in game 6 with a 3-2 overtime win, then jumped to an early 2-0 lead in game 7. The Lumberjacks roared back in the second period, scoring three quick goals to re-take the lead, only to have Brian Hunt tie it for Denver with just 23 seconds left. Halfway through overtime, however, former Buffalo Bull Doug Williams finally scored to give Minnesota a hard-fought victory. Although Denver came up short in their bid for an upset, the California Nuggets had a little more success against the Chicago Shamrocks. After erasing a 3-2 series deficit, the Nuggets turned in a gutsy performance in game 6 to force a deciding game in Chicago. In game 7, Dennis Yates scored the winner in the third period while Bruce Dickenson sealed it with an empty netter as California completed the upset. In the east, Boston and New York went back and forth for 6 hard-fought games before the Bulldogs finally salvaged the series win in game 7, while in the only series not to go the full 7, Ottawa took out Nova Scotia in 5. In round two, Minnesota found themselves in another tough battle with the LA Wizards. After earning a 1-1 split in LA, the Lumberjacks pulled ahead in the series 2-1 in game three. But the Wizards bounced in game 4, tying the series thanks to a hat-trick from Stuart Holly and an overtime goal from Gilbert Giroux. Once again, Minnesota pulled ahead in game 5 before finally sealing it in game 6. This would prove to be the closest series in the second round, as Detroit, Philadelphia, and Montreal soundly defeated California, Ottawa, and Boston in 4-0 sweeps.

 The Western Conference Final would pit the two top teams in the PHL against eachother in Detroit and Minnesota while the East Final would feature the veteran Montreal Royale against the young, up-and-coming Philadelphia Redshirts. Montreal looked tired from the very beginning, as Philly managed to gain a commanding 3-0 series lead. Facing a sweep in game 4, Montreal exploded for 6 goals to force a game 5, which the Royale would win in overtime. Realizing that Montreal would almost certainly win game 7 at home, the Redshirts took care of business in game 6, with Bobby Ford netting the winner in the second period in an eventual 3-1 win to send Philadelphia to the Lewis Cup Finals. In the clash of the titans out west, Minnesota and Detroit engaged in one of the closest series in recent memory. The Mustangs took an early 2-0 series lead at home winning both game in overtime. In Minneapolis for game 3, Roland Webb scored his second overtime goal in the playoffs to give the 'Jacks the win. Minnesota would win game 4 4-1 to te the series before heading back to Detroit. Game 5 would reach overtime once again this time with Detroit's Cliff Lyle scoring on a point shot through traffic to put Detroit up 3-2. In game 6 the teams would exchange leads all game long before Minnesota's Jimmy Andrews tied the game with less than 2 minutes left. The series had seemed destined for 7 games right from the start and Minnesota's resilience seemed to guarantee it as the teams headed to OT for the 5th time in the series. Early in the second overtime, however, Detroit's Bobby Kitchen abruptly put an end to Minnesota's emotional run when he flipped the puck just over Bobby Sorel's glove to win the series for the Mustangs, sending them to the Lewis Cup Finals for the 4th time in 6 years to meet the championship-starved Philadelphia Redshirts.

1974-75 Regular Season

Detroit Defenseman Cliff Lyle

There was no shortage of compelling narratives entering the 1973-74 season. In the league's newest cities, Seattle and Dallas, names were finally unveiled for the new franchises. October 5, 1973, Alan Garcia presented the Seattle Grey Wolves and the Dallas Metros. Seattle's name came from the most populous breed of wolf in the area. "The Grey Wolf represents strength, toughness, and teamwork." said Seattle owner John Dyson. "Wolves hunt in packs, just like our club will be hunting for goals in packs." As for Dallas, Owner Earl Westwood was determined to get away from the "wild west" stereotype and instead focus on Dallas' status as one of America's fastest-growing and most modern cities. "Metros was chosen to represent the people of Dallas" said Westwood. Logos and uniforms for both teams were not revealed, Garcia stated that they would be ready in time for the next season. On the ice, Detroit prepared for their first season without longtime captain Andy Reid. The Mustangs loaded up during the off-season, acquiring veteran Bruce Walker from California and re-acquiring defenseman Doug West from Boston. It was fifth-year defenseman Cliff Lyle, however, who would enjoy a breakout season, racking up 71 points, the most for a defenseman that year as Detroit finished first overall in the league, three points ahead of rival Minnesota. The Lumberjacks enjoyed another very successful season as Bobby Sorel took home the Whyte trophy for the second year in a row in dominant fashion while the one-two punch of Guy Dupont and James Cummings became one of the most feared scoring tandems in the league. In Denver, Brian Hunt finally broke out with 121 points while rookie Brad Hewson enjoyed a spectacular season, scoring 46 goals as the Bulls finally reached the playoffs for the first time since 1965, when the team was still playing in Buffalo.

In the Pacific Division, LA found themselves back on top with 92 points as Stuart Holly scored a record 77 goals. Holly cemented himself as the top player in the game in 1973-74 as he supplemented his goal totals with 69 assists. In the Eastern Conference, Ottawa began to emerge as a power in the Northeast Division, battling with Montreal for first place all season. Eventually, Montreal would get the better of the Beavers in the end, however, taking the division during the final week of the season. In the Atlantic Division, a new team would rise to power. Powered by Gil Parsons, Bobby Ford, and brilliant goaltending from veteran netminder Micheal McArdle, who rediscovered his game in '73-'74, the Philadelphia Redshirts won their division for the first time since 1960. One of the more interesting story-lines in 1973-74 was actually the race for last place. With junior phenom David Appleby available in the upcoming draft, perennial basement-dwellers St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Hamilton found themselves in a dogfight for the first overall pick. All three teams were accused at various points of tanking the season to get the first pick. Meanwhile, Appleby enjoyed another spectacular season in junior, scoring 69 goals. In the end, the St. Louis Spirits finished in last place overall, earning the first overall pick. For Hamilton, it was an unfortunate end for a once proud franchise. A day after the regular season ended, Kings owner John McLennan made a stunning announcement, He had sold the club to John Byford, a millionaire from Washington DC who had led the Washington expansion bid the previous two years. When Byford said he planned to move the team to DC immediately. Alan Garcia admitted he had approved both the deal and the move, albeit reluctantly. Garcia had spent most of the year trying to find an owner who would keep the team in Hamilton. In the end, the best option for the failing franchise was Washington, where Byford had secured plans to build a new 15,000 seat arena in downtown Washington. On April 6, 1974, Byford and Garcia called a press conference where it was officially announced that the Hamilton Kings would relocate to Washington DC in time for the 1974-75 season.

1973 Off-Season

1973 Entry Draft

The 1973 PHL Entry Draft appeared to be much stronger than the previous year. St. Louis held the first overall pick and used it to select talented winger Grant Millen. Pittsburgh finally found their franchise cornerstone on defense, selecting 6’4”, 215 lb Greg Holt second overall. The Vancouver Bighorns also took a defenseman, Shawinigan, QC native Yvan Deschamps to round out the top three. Other interesting picks included California’s Alan Chadwick, whose grandfather, Johnny, played nearly 20 seasons with Detroit from 1923 to 1940, and Clint Allen, son of PHL legend George Allen, who went 20^th to Minnesota. The only trade during the draft took place when Boston sent legendary defenseman Doug West to Detroit in exchange for the Mustangs’ 19^th pick. The Bulldogs used the pick on JP Bissette, a speedy winger from Quebec.

1.      St. Louis – Grant Millen, F

2.      Pittsburgh – Greg Holt, D

3.      Vancouver – Yvan Deschamps, D

4.      Denver – Brad Hewson, F

5.      Hamilton – Billy Little, F

6.      California – Alan Chadwick, F

7.      Toronto – Phil Morrison, D

8.      Quebec – Dwayne Holland, F

9.      Winnipeg – Adam Hanson, D

10.   LA – Shannon Lane, D

11.   Chicago – Mike Parks, F

12.   New York – Kirk White, F

13.   Boston – Richard Sharp, D

14.   Ottawa – Steve Peterson, F

15.   Philadelphia – Jeff Malone, D

16.   Calgary – Don Taylor, F

17.   Nova Scotia – Wayne McBride, D

18.   Montreal – Claude Bordeleau, F

19.   Boston (From Detroit) – JP Bissette, F

20.   Minnesota – Clint Allen, D

1974 Phenom Alert:

David Appleby, age 16, Kitchener, ON

David Appleby began skating at two years old on his parents' farm outside Kitchener. He began playing youth hockey at age 12 and immediately began tearing up the local youth leagues. He is entering his second season in the Ontario junior league where he scored a whopping 79 goals in 1972-73. Appleby is already being mentioned in the same breath as PHL greats such as Skippy Cleveland, Gilbert Giroux, and current star Stuart Holly.

Rule Changes:

In the wake of the Jim Cobb incident in 1972, the league spent the 1972-73 season researching player safety. A committee was created to discuss possible rule changes and after much discussion between the committee, the league, the players’ union, and the league’s insurance providers, it was finally decided on June 12, 1973, that any player who had yet to sign a pro contract prior to July 1, 1973 would be required to wear a helmet. After Cobb’s injury, the PHL’s insurance providers began to insist that the league mandate helmets. The issue was that the PHPA strongly opposed the mandate, insisting that its senior members –many of whom had never worn a hockey helmet in their entire lives- should be allowed to make the choice. A compromise was finally reached when the league agreed to grandfather the helmet rule in.

Retirements:

Sam “Skippy” Cleveland, F, New York, Calgary. 1939-63, 1969-73

There is little dispute about Skippy Cleveland’s place as the greatest player in PHL history. Cleveland entered the league the year it started – 1939 – joining the New York Civics as a 16-year-old. Right off the bat he was a key player on broadway, but it wasn’t until the Civics acquired superstar George Allen from the folding Windsor Wings that Cleveland’s career really took off. The duo of Allen/Cleveland dominated the PHL scoring race each year throughout the late ‘40s and early ‘50s until Allen was dealt to Detroit in 1955. It would not take long for the Civics to find Allen’s replacement, however. Dave Riley, a speedy forward from northern Michigan, was recruited to play alongside Cleveland and the duo would lead the Civics to back-to-back Lewis cups. Cleveland retired briefly in 1963 but soon found himself back on the ice with the Calgary Wranglers of the new Global Hockey League. Cleveland would lead the Wranglers to two GHL titles before a merger brought Cleveland back into the PHL in 1969. He would play four more seasons with Calgary, retiring in 1973 as the all-time leader in seasons played (27), games played (1749), goals (972) and points (1806)

Andy Reid, F, Detroit, 1955-73

Andy Reid retired in the summer of 1973 as perhaps the greatest player ever to play for the Detroit Mustangs. “Mr Mustang” as he was nicknamed played 1350 games over 18 seasons with Detroit, winning the Lewis Cup with them four times in 1963, ’69, ’70, and ’73. Reid also leads the Mustangs in almost every offensive category.

Stuart Keplar, D, Nova Scotia, 1959-73

Stuart Keplar was initially recruited by Boston in 1953, but was never able to crack the lineup. In 1959, Keplar finally got his big break when the expansion Nova Scotia Claymores picked him up. Keplar played his entire 14-year career with the Claymores, winning the Lewis Cup with them in 1967.

Transactions:

Detroit acquires F Bruce Walker from California in exchange for F Ken Gilbert.

The Mustangs acquire another veteran superstar forward to replace Andy Reid, while California gets a young star who will be key in their rebuild.

Detroit acquires D Doug West from Boston in exchange for 1^st round draft pick.

Doug West returns to the Mustangs, where he played the first 12 seasons of his career, Boston uses the pick to select JP Bissette.