1971 Off-Season

In the summer of 1971, the Toronto Racers became the latest team to update their uniforms. The logo would stay the same, but the uniforms would feature a more "modern" look. The striping of the jerseys is now mostly vertical and the pants are now powder blue to match the home jersey. These details create a more "streamlined" effect.This is the first uniform change for Toronto since 1958.

Draft Results:

Although the 1971 draft was not as strong as past drafts, there were certainly some gems. Denver decided to forgo top prospect Archie Stone to address their desperate need on defense and select defenseman Paul Pittman. Stone ended up going to Vancouver, a club hoping to find a winger to compliment star center Jim Cobb. Pittsburgh selected junior star Nate Carroll, while Hamilton took Gilbert Boudreau. LA selected American winger Ray Fowler to round out the top five. Fowler, a Boston native, became the highest American ever chosen in the draft. The only trade in the draft came at the end of the first round, when Detroit traded their pick to Toronto for Racers veteran center Bobby Kitchen. Toronto then used the pick to select goaltender Ralph Morello.

Denver - Paul Pittman, D
Vancouver - Archie Stone, F
Pittsburgh - Nate Carroll, F
Hamilton - Gilbert Boudreau, F
Los Angeles - Ray Fowler, F
Quebec - Dennis Lambert, F
St. Louis - Toby Griffin, D
Philadelphia - Kurt Hopkins, F
California - Brian Hardy, F
New York - Glen Reed, F
Ottawa - Derrick Rowe, F
Chicago - Gary Johnson, D
Calgary - Pete Powell, F
Boston - Brad Bush, F
Toronto - Alan Knight, F
Minnesota - James Cummings, F
Winnipeg - Kent Collier, D
Montreal - Bobby Roland, D
Nova Scotia - Tim Burgess, F
Toronto (From Detroit) - Ralph Morello, G


Retirements:

Ted McLean, G, Quebec, Winnipeg 1954-1971

PEI native Ted McLean backstopped the Quebec dynasty through the early '60s, winning four Lewis Cups with the Nationale in 1960, '61, '62, and '65. In 1966, McLean was selected in the expansion draft by the Winnipeg Pioneers, where he led them to two consecutive division titles in 1970 and '71.


Tommy Cooper, D, Boston, Montreal, St. Louis 1949-1971

22-year veteran Tommy Cooper never played for Winnipeg, and yet he was one of the most important pioneers in the game's history. In 1949, Cooper became the first black player in PHL history. Cooper made his presence felt immediately, scoring 41 goals in his rookie season with Boston. Cooper would go on to play 22 years between the PHL and Global Hockey League, winning two Lewis Cups in 1959 with Boston and 1966 with Montreal.


David Stairs, F, Toronto, Minnesota, Buffalo 1954-1971

Stairs played a key role in Toronto's two championships in 1958 and '64. He was taken in the expansion draft in 1966 by Minnesota but demanded a trade halfway through the season. He was eventually dealt to Buffalo. When it was announced that the Bulls would be moving to Denver for the 1971-72 season, Stairs decided to retire rather than make the move west.


Jeff Saxton, D, Toronto, 1955-1971

Saxton played 16 seasons, all with Toronto. He won two Lewis Cups with the Racers in 1958 and 1964.



Transactions:


Toronto trades F Bobby Kitchen to Detroit in exchange for Detroit's first round pick.

Detroit gets yet another star forward hungry for another championship while Toronto uses the pick to address their need in net, selecting Ralph Morello.


Winnipeg trades F Cliff Bates to Philadelphia in exchange for G Scott Watson.

Ted McLean's retirement left the Pioneers without a goalie. Scott Watson will fill in for a season or two. In Bates, the Redshirts get a young player not projected to be much more than a depth player.


Philadelphia trades F Adam Turner to Quebec in exchange for G David Zimmer.


Despite the big name involved, this is not a very consequential trade. Zimmer's play deteriorated dramatically in 1970-71. He will likely retire at season's end and wanted to finish his career with the team he played 14 seasons with

1970-71

Season Summary:

As the 1970-71 season began, The Boston Bulldogs were determined this would be their year. Twelve seasons removed from their last Lewis Cup in 1959, and after several playoff failures throughout the 1960s, the Bulldogs loaded up their roster in an attempt to finally excersise their post-season demons. Among the additions was future hall-of-fame defenseman Doug West, who came over from Winnipeg in exchange for prospect Rick Chandler. Boston initially got off to a big start, winning 19 of their first 22 games. The team continued to dominate the Atlantic division until mid-February, when a 13-game losing streak dropped them to second place, behind Nova Scotia. Meanwhile, in year 2 in Calgary, The Wranglers found themselves in a playoff position, thanks to a big rookie year from Warren Jensen, who scored 44 goals and 92 points. Skippy Cleveland continued to be effective at age 47, scoring 32 goals as Calgary managed to finish just two oints out of first place in the Pacific Division. In the Northeast Division, Ottawa returned to the post-season, while Quebec failed to repeat their magical 1969-70 season, falling out of playoff contention. In Buffalo, it was a season of goodbyes for the few remaining fans. On March 28, 1971, the Bulls played their final game in Buffalo, a 2-1 win against the Pittsburgh Stingers. In an emotional scene, the players saluted the 7,000 fans in attendance after the win.

In the first round of the playoffs, Calgary took out California in five games, while Toronto made short work of Ottawa in four straight. The Minnesota Lumberjacks managed to win a very tough seven-game rematch with the Chicago Shamrocks. It appeared that the Boston Bulldogs off-season efforts might go to waste when they found themselves down 2-1 to the New York Civics. However, after a spirited 3-2 win in overtime in game 4, the Bulldogs rode the momentum all the way to game seven, where they eeked out another overtime win thanks to a big goal from Jeff Coleman. In round two against Nova Scotia, the Bulldogs once again had to climb out of a 2-1 hole, this time, Boston never looked back after winning game 4, taking the next two games to take the series in six. The Bulldogs knew all along that they would likely face the powerful Detroit Mustangs in a showdown for the Cup. However, in the misdst of their adversity, the Bulldogs were completely unaware that the Mustangs had been upset in their second round tilt with the Minnesota Lumberjacks. Suddenly it appeared that Boston would be the teams to beat. Predictably, the Lumberjacks swept their expansion cousins, the Winnipeg Pioneers, in the Western final while the Bulldogs defeated Montreal without too much trouble to set up a final matchup between one of hockey's all-time greatest franchises versus an up-and-coming club loaded with young talent. After the teams split the first two games however, Boston once again found the resilience that had eluded them for the last 12 years and the form that had gotten them off to such a big start and pulled them out of two series deficits. Johnny Bedford put the team on his back, scoring 4 goals and earning 7 points in only five games as the Boston Bulldogs finally took the Lewis Cup for the seventh time in their history.

Standings:

Round 1:

Round 2

Round 3

Lewis Cup Finals

1970 Off-Season

As the 1969-70 season approached, the Nova Scotia Claymores had wanted to enter the new decade and new era for the league with a brand new look. However, due to numerous changes to the PHL's structure and image in the summer/fall if 1969, the league requested that all teams wait until 1970-71 to unveil new logos and uniforms. Finally, in June, 1970, the Claymores unveiled their new look.

The new primary logo features a hockey-gloved arm wielding a claymore sword inside a wave forming a "C". The uniforms feature the same colours as before, but with the addition of Blue. The stripes are meant to invoke a Scottish tartan pattern.

Also in the summer of 1970, the New York Civics unveiled new uniforms in time for the 1970-71 season.

No radical changes in New York. Just updates to the striping and a new arched wordmark along with drop shadows on all numbers and letters.

Draft Results:

The 1970 PHL draft featured was unusually strong with several projected future stars. following their painful 18-win season, the Pittsburgh Stingers held the first overall pick and used it to select 18-year-old Phenom Danny Stevenson. Stevenson had been a big star in the Southern Ontario Hockey League, scoring 77 goals in the 1969-70 season. The Stingers counted on Stevenson to become their franchise player. The top defenseman in the draft, Craig Tucker, went to Hamilton, while power forwards Dave McCarthy and Warren Jensen were selected third and fourth by Buffalo and Calgary respectively. LA selected small forward Stuart Holly fifth. Holly, a Saskatchewan native, had scored 64 goals in the Prairie Hockey League in 1969-70, but slipped in the draft rankings because of his small size, standing at 5'7". The first and only trade occurred when Pittsburgh dealt winger Sam Greer to Chicago for the Shamrocks' 12th pick. The Stingers used the pick to select goaltender Gary Bowen. The rest of the draft results are listed below:

1. Pittsburgh - Danny Stevenson, F
2. Hamilton - Craig Tucker, D
3. Buffalo - Dave McCarthy, F
4. Calgary - Warren Jensen, F
5. LA - Stuart Holly, F
6. St. Louis - Doug Pittman, D
7. Philadelphia - Gary Nichols, F
8. Ottawa - Jeff Grant, F
9. Vancouver - Neil Harper, F
10. Quebec - Carlton Foster, F
11. California - Bobby Murphy, D
12. Pittsburgh (From Chicago) - Gary Bowen, G
13. New York - Don Boyd, F
14. Nova Scotia - Eddie Gibs, F
15. Toronto - Gerald Garner, D
16. Minnesota - Jeff Schneider, F
17. Winnipeg - Cliff Bates, F
18. Montreal - Ken Sharp, F
19. Boston - Daryl Ferguson, D
20. Detroit - Marty Lyons, G

Off-season News:

One of the most intriguing storied in the summer of 1970 was the fate of the troubled Buffalo Bulls franchise. Denver millionaire Mark Kirkpatrick continued to express interest in purchasing the club throughout the 1969-70 season. On June 20, 1970, Kirkpatrick finally got his wish. When the PHL could not find a viable owner for the Bulls in Buffalo, they agreed to sell the team to Kirkpatrick for 3.5 million. When he could not secure an arena lease in Denver for the 1970-71 season, Kirkpatrick was forced to keep the team in Buffalo for one last season. When rumors of the agreement became public, Buffalo fans immediately protested, launching a "save the Bulls" campaign. However, in mid-August, the team secured a 5-year lease at the 15,000 seat Denver Forum, and officialy announced that they would begin playing in Denver in the fall of 1971. As part of the relocation agreement, the Bulls would take the history, name, and colors of the team from Buffalo. The logo could not be changed for at least five years but Kirkpatrick said he would introduce a Colorado-themed secondary logo.

Retirements:

Wayne Jeffereys, G, Toronto, 1954-1970

Jeffereys manned the Toronto goal for all of his 16 seasons in the league, backstopping them to two Lewis Cups in 1958 and 1964.

Don St. Pierre, F, Boston, Minnesota, 1956-1970

Don St. Pierre was a key piece of the Boston Bulldogs' success in the late '50s and early '60s, including their last Lewis Cup title in 1959. In 1966, St. Pierre was selected by Minnesota in the expansion draft, where he provided veteran leadership for the expansion club.

Bruce James, D, Chicago, 1959-1970

Gritty defenseman Bruce James was a key player on the Shamrocks' blueline for 11 seasons. James never won the Lewis Cup with Chicago, but played in the finals with them in 1965.

Transactions:

Pittsburgh trades F Sam Greer to Chicago for 12th overall draft pick.

Chicago gets another young forward with good potential, Pittsburgh uses selection to take a much-needed goaltender in Gary Bowen.

Winnipeg trades D Doug West to Boston for D Rick Chandler.

Boston gets a veteran superstar defenseman on his last legs to assist in their quest for the Cup, while Winnipeg gets a young defenseman loaded with potential.

1969-70

The PHL entered a new era in the 1969-70 season. Six franchises from the former Global League had joined the Professional league in a merger and the entire league was realigned as a result. The new clubs predictably struggled to adjust to their new surroundings. The Chicago Shamrocks, Detroit Mustangs, Minnesota Lumberjacks, and Winnipeg Pioneers joined the new clubs to form the new Western Conference. Due partly to the lack of quality compitition in the conference, Detroit and Minnesota dominated the regular season while Chicago found themselves back in the playoffs. The Pioneers, who had never made the playoffs before, managed to win the very weak Pacific Division in fairly dominant fashion. Winnipeg was the only team in the division that did not come from the GHL while the other two playoff teams in the division, California and Vancouver, would not have made the playoffs in any other division. Calgary, the last champions of the GHL, plummeted to last place in the Pacific as they struggled to compete to superior oposition. The lone bright spot for the Wranglers was the PHL return of 46-year-old Skippy Cleveland. Cleveland, who became the first PHL player to play in five different decades, struggled early on but managed to finish the season with a very respectable 31 goals and 57 points while playing against several players who were born when he had already played up to ten years in the league. Winnipeg's Tim Douglas faced off against Cleveland in the Wranglers' home opener. Douglas was born on the night Cleveland suffered his famous life-threatening head injury in 1949. Minnesota and Chicago became the league's hottest new rivalry in the winter of 1970. After a fight-filled game in Minneapolis one frigid January night, the Shamrocks decided to stop by a local bar on the way to their hotel. Unfortunately, the Lumberjacks had the same idea. It didn't take long for the trash-talk to escalate and soon enough both teams found themselves brawling again right there in the bar. Several Minnesota fans joined in before police showed up and ordered the Chicago players to get out or spend the night in jail. Shamrock veterans Bruce James and Don Sims refused to leave unless the Lumberjack players were bounced as well. As James and Sims were taken away, word got back to owner Fred Garfield Jr about the incedent. Before he could even decide what to do about the rematch in Chicago the following night, his father, Fred Sr, was already on his way to Minnesota to bail out his players. The following night, both James and Sims had points in a 5-2 Chicago win. Boston and Montreal continued their monopoly of the Eastern Conference, both taking first place in their respective divisions. But the big story in the east featured a very tight playoff race between the Quebec Nationale and the Ottawa Beavers. Heading into the final day of the regular season, the teams were slated to play eachother. Ottawa needed a win, Quebec only needed to tie. With 21 seconds left the game was tied. The Beavers pulled goaltender Ron Davidson, desperately hoping to get the win. Sure enough, with 11 seconds to go, Casey Beckett scored to put Ottawa ahead, 3-2. The Beavers piled over the boards in celebration, as if they had won the Lewis Cup. After the officials finally cleared everyone off the ice, the puck was dropped for the final 11 seconds, this time with Quebec's net empty. As the clock wound down, rookie William Baxter jammed the puck past Davidson. This time it was Quebec's turn to celebrate their return to the playoffs, while the Beavers looked on in shock.

As part of the merger agreement, the 1970 playoffs were expanded to include 12 teams, with each of the four division winners recieving a first-round bye. In the first round of the playoffs, Chicago and Minnesota continued their vicious rivalry as the Shamrocks pulled off a huge upset over the heavily favoured Lumberjacks in a five game war. Upsets would be abundant in the first round of the playoffs, as New York shocked Nova Scotia in six games, while Quebec ousted Toronto in five with David Zimmer earning three consecutive shutouts in games 3, 4, and 5, a PHL record. In the second round, most cinderalla runs were abruptly stopped. Chicago, still banged up from the Minnesota series, put up a good fight against the Detroit Mustangs but ultimitely lost in six, while Boston defeated New York in a surprisingly tough six game series. Winnipeg managed to win a tight seven-game tilt with California after giving up the series lead twice, while in the only upset of round two, David Zimmer and the Nationale took out their hated rivals, the Montreal Royale, in six games. Throughout the playoffs, the Winnipeg Pioneers, who had earned a bye in the league's weakest division, where widely labeled as "overated, unproven, and untested." The assessment would prove to be accurate as the Pioneers would lose the Western Conference final to Detroit, their first quality compitition, in a decisive four-game sweep. In the Eastern Conference final, Quebec was at it again. David Zimmer tied his own record from round one with three straight shutouts as the Nationale stunned the Boston Bulldogs, winners of 50 regular season games, in six games to advance to the Lewis Cup Finals for the first time since their 1965 championship.

Heading into the finals, the Mustangs would've been the overwhelming favorite against a team that had won 18 fewer regular season games. But nobody was about to count the scrappy Nationale club out. By game three, Quebec found themselves with the series lead. Detroit roared back, however, winning the next two to lead 3 games to 2. in game 6, with the Lewis Cup in the building, Quebec coach Jean-Pierre Boisvert delivered a rousing pre-game speech to his team. David Zimmer stopped 44 shots, while 15-year vet Ben Williams scored two goals as the Nationale forced a game seven in Detroit. Game seven would be one for the ages. Detroit appeared to have it locked up with a 3-0 lead entering the third period, before Williams and rookie Freddy Brown each scored for Quebec to make it 3-2. In the dying seconds, with David Zimmer on the bench, Williams had a beautiful opportunity to tie it up, but ringed the puck off the crossbar. Quebec's miraculous run ended in heartbreak as Detroit repeated as Lewis Cup champions. David Zimmer became the first player from the losing team to be named playoff MVP. His 9 shutouts where a playoff record.

Standings:

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Lewis Cup Finals

1969 Off-Season

The PHL was entering a new era in the summer of 1969. The merger with the now-defunct GHL would bring six expansion clubs to the league to begin play in the fall. On June 4, 1969, it was announced that the Calgary Wranglers, Vancouver Bighorns, Los Angeles Wizards, St. Louis Spirits, San Francisco Nuggets, and Pittsburgh Stingers would be included in the merger. Some question marks still surrounded the Nuggets' Arena situation just prior to the announcement. However, the day before the announcement, a deal was struck with the city of San Jose to build a new 17,000 seat arena for the Nuggets. Among the conditions, the Nuggets would be required to share the arena with the PBA's California Cruisers, and would be required to change their name to the California Nuggets.

Seeing an opportunity to overhaul the league's aging image, Alan Garcia also announced several cosmetic changes to the league that would take effect immediately. The biggest change would be a league-wide realignment that had originally been planned for the following season. Garcia decided toward the end of the 1968-69 season that it would be in the league's best interest to go through with the realignment right away. The league would now be divided into two conferences, East and West, with two divisions of five teams in each. Gone would be the traditional Canadian/American alignment. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the Buffalo situation and the now very strong possibility of a move to Denver, the Bulls would play the '69-70 season in the East. The Pittsburgh Stingers would play in the West along with the rest of the former GHL clubs. if Buffalo moved in 1970, they would trade places with Pittsburgh. If not, the Stingers would move east at the first opportunity. Here is the alignment for the 1969-70 season.

Western Conference

Pacific Division

Vancouver Bighorns

California Nuggets

Los Angeles Wizards

Calgary Wranglers

Winnipeg Pioneers

Central Division

Chicago Shamrocks

Detroit Mustangs

St. Louis Spirits

Pittsburgh Stingers

Minnesota Lumberjacks

Eastern Conference

Northeast Division

Ottawa Beavers

Toronto Racers

Hamilton Kings

Montreal Royale

Quebec Nationale

Atlantic Division

Boston Bulldogs

New York Civics

Philadelphia Redshirts

Nova Scotia Claymores

Buffalo Bulls

There would be some fairly big changes to the look of the league as well, as Garcia wanted to use the merger as an opportunity to "bring the league into the future". Among these changes, the league would introduce a brand new logo, and all 20 teams would be required to put players' names on the back of their sweaters above the numbers. In order to allow fans to adjust to all the changes, teams were asked to wait a year before introducing new logos and uniforms. The New York Civics and Toronto Racers had planned to make changes to their uniforms, while the Nova Scotia Claymores had planned on a full rebrand. All three would put those plans on hold until 1970. The league introduced it's new logo on July 1, 1969.

Draft Results:

The 1969 Entry Draft began with some controversy when Alan Garcia made the decision to place the former GHL teams at the end of the draft. Garcia did not want to cheat the established PHL clubs by bumping them lower in the draft. This infuriated the new teams, who already felt they were at a severe disadvantage. Nevertheless, Garcia maintained that the new clubs had to "pay their dues", especially in their first season. On draft day, the Hamilton Kings finally addressed their need on the blueline, selecting star defenseman Donald Cox first overall. Buffalo selected winger Brad Oliver second, while the Winnipeg Pioneers added some much-needed toughness up front, selecting power forward Greg Philips. Later in the draft, Detroit traded defenseman Earl Sherman to Ottawa for the Beavers 7th overall pick. The Mustangs took Center Bobby Vail, then replaced Sherman with their 12th pick, selecting defenseman Cliff Lyle.

Boston was able to replace Goaltender Glen Stevenson, who had retired, by selecting Ricky Spooner 13th.

1. Donald Cox, D, Hamilton
2. Brad Oliver, F, Buffalo
3. Greg Philips, F, Winnipeg
4. William Baxter, F, Quebec
5. Ronald Crane, D, Chicago
6. Dave Tobin, F, New York
7. Bobby Vail, F, Detroit (from Ottawa)
8. Steve Talbot, F, Philadelphia
9. Ted Beattie, F, Toronto
10. Todd Winslow, D, Minnesota
11. Bruce Ricketts, F, Nova Scotia
12. Cliff Lyle, D, Detroit
13. Ricky Spooner, G, Boston
14. Bobby Raines, F, Montreal
15. Dennis Carter, G, Los Angeles
16. Bobby Hudson, D, Pittsburgh
17. Joe Wolfe, D, California
18. David Stickland, F, Vancouver
19. Gary Mendoza, F, Calgary
20. Dave Hughes, F, St. Louis

Retirements:

Sam West, D, Detroit, Winnipeg 1952-1969

Sam West patrolled the Detroit blueline alongside his brother, Doug, from 1952 to 1966, leading them to their first Lewis Cup in 1963. In 1966, the West brothers were both selected in the expansion draft by the Winnipeg Pioneers. Although Sam West's production declined in Winnipeg, his leadership skills and veteran experience proved to be very valuable to the new club.

Glen Stevenson, G, Boston, 1954-1969

Stevenson had huge skates to fill from day one, replacing the legendary Max Marchand, who had backstopped the Bulldogs to 5 Lewis Cups. Although Stevenson would never enjoy quite the same success as Marchand, he would manage to carve out quite a successful career of his own, winning the Lewis Cup in 1959.

Ritchie Moore, Philadelphia, Winnipeg, 1951-1969

Moore was a star and a fan-favorite on the Philadelphia wing for 15 years. He was selected by the Pioneers in the 1966 expansion draft, where he would play his final three seasons.

Transactions:

Detroit trades defenseman Earl Sherman to Ottawa for 1st round draft pick

Quebec trades defenseman Sandy Brayden, and winger Doug Willow to California for Goaltender David Zimmer.

No Uniform or Logo Updates in 1969.

1968-69

The fall of 1968 began with PHL President Alan Garcia announcing the largest expansion in league history. In a year, six teams from the rival Global Hockey League would be joining the PHL, bringing the league to 20 teams. During the 1968-69 season, several teams saw improvement thanks largely to the results of the first-ever amatuer draft. The New York Civics moved up to 5th place in the American Division, just five games out of a playoff position, thanks in large part to 2nd overall pick Freddie Huff. Despite the hype surrounding Buffalo and their new franchise player Brian Hunt, the Bulls barely improved on their 1968 record, once again finishing last in the American Division. On ice failure was becoming the least of the Bulls' concerns, however, as the team's financial issues continued to mount. In February, owner Bill Ryan announced he was selling the team. Speculation immediately began about relocation, especially when well-known Denver Millionaire Mark Kirkpatrick began to show interest in the franchise. Kirkpatrick had been attempting to land a PHL franchise in Denver since the league began expanding to the west and clearly had no intention of keeping the club in western New York. If a better suitor was not found, 1969-70 would likely be the Bulls' final season in Buffalo. Meanwhile, in Chicago, Fred Garfield Jr began to seriously regret ignoring his father's advice concerning goaltender Bobby Sorel. While the young Shamrocks missed the playoffs, Sorel found his game once again, leading the Lumberjacks to a third place finish. In the Canadian Division, Ottawa found themselves back in the playoffs, while the once-powerful Quebec Nationale once again dropped out of the playoffs as age continued to catch up to them. Nova Scotia enjoyed their best regular season yet, finishing second in the Division.

Entering the post-season, the obvious Lewis Cup favorite was the defending champion Montreal Royale, who had finished 1st overall in the league. The Royale would face the Ottawa Beavers, who barely reached the playoffs. Ottawa stunned Montreal, however, winning the first two games in Montreal. The Royale responded with a win in Ottawa in game 3, but found themselves unbelievably facing elimination after losing game 4. After winning a face-saver in game 5, the Royale gave up a two goal lead in game 6 as the Beavers completed one of the biggest upsets in history. In other first-round action, Nova Scotia avenged their loss to Toronto the previous year, defeating the Racers in 6 games, the Boston Bulldogs made fairly short work of the their aging arch-rivals, the Philadelphia Redshirts, while it took 7 games for the Detroit Mustangs to put away Bobby Sorel and the emerging powerhouse Minnesota Lumberjacks. In the second round, Detroit rode the momentum of their victory over Minnesota to a 4-1 upset over Boston, while Nova Scotia skated to a fairly easy 5 game victory over Ottawa in the battle of '59 expansion clubs to advance to the Lewis Cup finals for the second time in franchise history. In the finals, it appeared the Claymores would win their second title after winning game one 3-0. The Mustangs found their game in game 2 however and never looked back, winning the series and claiming their second cup in 5 games.

Standings:

Round 1

Round 2

Lewis Cup Finals

1968 Off-Season

Draft Results:

The PHL held it's first-ever amateur entry draft on June 1, 1968. Most of the draft was fairly predictable but there were some surprises. Buffalo took phenom Brian Hunt 1st overall, while New York went off the board to take defenseman Freddie Huff 2nd. One of the biggest moments came halfway through the 1st round when Chicago traded young goalie Bobby Sorel to Minnesota for the Lumberjacks' 8th overall pick, which the Shamrocks used to take winger Theo Howell. Chicago owner Fred Garfield Jr. made the move - against the advice of his father - with the belief that Sorel had peaked during his spectacular rookie season and that Howell would someday be a star worth trading up for. Here is a summary of the first round of the draft:

1. Brian Hunt, F, BUF
2. Freddie Huff, D, NY
3. Gerry Stokes, F, HAM
4. Tim Douglas, F, WPG
5. Craig Burton, D, OTT
6. Don Newman, F, CHI
7. Tom Davis, F, QUE
8. Theo Howell, F, CHI (From MIN)
9. Russell Buchanan, F, NS
10. Allan Copeland, D, PHI
11. David Farber, D, TOR
12. Kirk Saunders, F, DET
13. Emmett Hudson, F, MTL
14. Rick Chandler, D, BOS

Retirements:

Jean Lerouix, D, PHI, MTL, 1952-1968

Lerouix played quite a large role in Montreal's Lewis Cup victories in 1966 and '68. First recruited by the by the Royale in 1947 at the age of 16, Lerouix chose to attend McGill university in Montreal before turning pro. He finally began his PHL career in 1951 with Montreal. In 1955, Lerouix was traded to the Philadelphia Redshirts, where he would spend the next decade before returning to Montreal in 1965, where he would finish his career.

Billy Jefferey, NY, 1951-1968

Jefferey played his entire 17-year career with the Civics, backstopping them to consecutive Lewis Cups in 1956 and '57.

James Green, G, CHI, 1954-1968

Green manned the Chicago net for all of his 14 seasons in the PHL. After winning a title as the Shamrocks' starter in his rookie season, Green never found the same form, eventually losing the starting job and spending much of the 1960s as Chicago's backup.

Transactions:

Minnesota trades 1st round draft pick to Chicago in exchange for G Bobby Sorel.

Minnesota trades F David Stairs to Buffalo in exchange for F Doug Williams.

No Uniform or Logo Updates in 1968.

1967-68

Uniforms:

Standings:

1967-68 began the way way most PHL seasons began in the late 60s, with several teams lamenting the loss of star players to the rival GHL. Bruce Walker left Ottawa to sign with the San Francisco Nuggets while the Chicago Shamrocks were dealt a devestating blow when Bjorn Rasmussen left to join the Vancouver Bighorns. Rasmussen's departure was only a small factor in a season full of change in Chicago. 76-year-old owner Fred Garfield officially handed the reins over to his son, Fred Jr. In the Chicago net, Bobby Sorel suffered from the sophomore curse, losing 34 of his 51 starts before being benched in February as the Shamrocks dropped out of the playoff picture. Minnesota's second season was a huge success. The Lumberjacks managed to win 41 games, good enough to secure their first-ever playoff berth in only their second season. In Boston, defenseman Johnny Bedford had a major breakout year, finishing number 1 among defensemen and 5th overall in the scoring race as Boston took first place. Montreal enjoyed a big year from Gilbert Houle as the Royale finished first in the Canadian Division, while Hamilton once again finished last in the division, missing the playoffs for the eighth straight year, but securing the third overall draft pick. Buffalo finished dead last in the league once again to claim the first pick.

The playoffs proved to be very eventful. In the first round, Toronto blew a 3-1 series lead against Nova Scotia before salvaging the series win in game 7, Philadelphia pulled off a rather surprising upset over Detroit, while Minnesota came very close to upsetting Boston. In the second round, Montreal would take out Toronto in a hard-fought 6-game series, While momentum swung back and forth in a tough series between Philadelphia and Boston before the Redshirts finally completed their second upset of the year thanks to a two goal night from David Johnson. In the finals, the home team won every game as Montreal took the Lewis Cup in 7 games thanks in large part to 5 goals in the series from Gilbert Houle.

Playoffs:

Round 1:

Round 2:

Lewis Cup Finals: