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.