1975 Lewis Cup Finals

The much-anticipated 1975 Lewis Cup Finals got underway in Los Angeles on May 15, 1975. Game one was the first-ever Lewis Cup Finals game to be played in the US sunbelt, where the Wizards were backed by a sellout crowd at Inglewood Colosseum. It seemed to help, as the Wizard skated to a pair of two-goal victories before heading to New York. It appeared that LA had control over the series, but the Civics managed to win a couple of close games at home to tie the series 2-2. Tragedy struck just hours before game 5 when the announcement came that Skippy Cleveland, arguably the greatest player in PHL history, was killed in a car accident just outside Calgary. The news hit the Civics hard, particularly head coach Frankie White, a close friend of Cleveland's who had played with the superstar for 14 years. In spite of the tragic news, the Civics turned in a valiant effort, keeping the game tied through two periods. As the third period began, New York began to run into penalty trouble. Defenseman Claude Clark was called for a cross-check on Ray Fowler with just 6 minutes remaining in the third. Fowler capitalized on the ensuing powerplay to give the Wizards a 3-2 lead. 4 minutes later, Sheldon Hopkins scored the emtpy-netter to seal the victory and a 3-2 series lead for LA. Back in the Big Apple for game 6, and with the Lewis Cup in the building, the Civics looked to their fallen legend for inspiration. Skippy Cleveland's old sweater was hung up behind the New York bench. Determined to honor Cleveland, the Civics jumped to an early 2-0 lead. Midway through the second period, Stuart Holly scored to bring the Wizards within one. At the end of the period, Gilbert Giroux tied the game. Entering the third period, LA had all the momentum, Gil Brady was forced to stand on his head for the first 6 minutes of the third period. About halfway through the period, Phil Halas engaged Roy Priest in a fight that would shift the momentum in New York's favour. 3 minutes later, Dave Tobin scored a big goal to give the Civics a 3-2 lead. With the clock winding down toward a game 7 back in LA, the New York crowd gave their team a standing ovation as the Civics' lead held up. Game 7 was May 26 in LA. The Civics once again had Skippy Cleveland's sweater behind the bench. LA's Brad Wolfe opened the scoring. Holly scored 3 minutes later to give the Wizards a 2-0 lead. Just 31 seconds later, Freddie Huff skated the puck the length of the ice and beat Dennis Carter glove side. Just 20 seconds into the second period, Phil Holmes tied the game. Huff scored again halfway through the period to give New York the lead before Kirk White potted the insurance marker less than a minute later. Fowler scored with 7 minutes remaining in the game to pull the Wizards within one. LA swarmed the New York net in the final minutes of the game, but Gil Brady met every challenge. Time finally ran out as the Civics poured off the bench and mobbed Brady. Freddie Huff donned Skippy Cleveland's sweater as he accepted the Lewis Cup from Alan Garcia while the New York fans who had made the trip to California joined their heroes on the ice. The Civics were Lewis Cup Champions for the first time in nearly two decades.