1982 Off-Season

1982 Entry Draft

The 1982 PHL Entry Draft was a strong one and a diverse one that saw an increase in the number of American and European players selected. Edmonton held the first pick and selected talented center Chris Blythe from Red Deer, AB first overall. Blythe had led the prairie league in scoring in 1981-82 and it was hoped he would become the Northern Lights’ franchise cornerstone. Seattle also picked up another talented forward to add to their already impressive young forward core, selecting Jason Radford with the second pick. Vancouver took American high school sensation Bruce Blackwell third. Blackwell is committed to the University of Michigan for 1982-83 but the Bighorns hope they can convince him to turn pro early. Long Island got their franchise defenseman in Theo Spruce, while Philadelphia selected Swedish phenom Magnus Swedberg to round out the top five. Other interesting picks included some players selected by their hometown teams including Boston native Ken Peters, selected by the Bulldogs, and Cole Harbour, NS native Brent MacDonald, selected by the Nova Scotia Claymores. Denver and Edmonton made the only trade on draft day, with the Northern Lights sending Paul Murphy to the Bulls for the Bulls’ pick, which became goaltender Wes Simmons.

1.      Edmonton – Chris Blythe, F, CAN

2.      Seattle – Jason Radford, F, CAN

3.      Vancouver – Bruce Blackwell, F, USA

4.      Long Island – Theo Sprouse, D, CAN

5.      Philadelphia – Magnus Swedberg, F, SWE

6.      Dallas – Shayne Boggs, F, CAN

7.      Toronto – Scott Whitmore, F, CAN

8.      Detroit – Justin Brand, D, USA

9.      Calgary – Brett Swift, D, CAN

10.   Winnipeg – Jon Barhart, D, CAN

11.   Boston – Ken Peters, F, USA

12.   Montreal – Kimo Liikanen, D, FIN

13.   New York – Joe Gaines, F, USA

14.   Nova Scotia – Brent MacDonald, G, CAN

15.   Edmonton (From Denver) – Wes Simmons, G, CAN

16.   Quebec – Jeff Noland, D, USA

17.   LA – Greg Nolan, F, CAN

18.   Washington –  Maxime Trepanier, F, CAN

19.   Minnesota – Toivo Nevalainen, F, FIN

20.   Chicago – Graham Boswell, F, CAN

21.   Ottawa – Ken Creighton, D, CAN

22.   Pittsburgh – Jakob Martensson, G, SWE

23.   St. Louis – Josh Davis, F, CAN

24.   California – John Dawson, F, GB

Notable Retirements:

Gil Brady, G, NYC, 1968-1982

Gil Brady backstopped the Civics for 14 seasons, helping them win the Lewis Cup in 1975, as well as a finals appearances in 1973. Brady is considered by many to be the greatest goaltender in New York’s history.

Ted Mulroney, F, PHI, STL, 1963-1962

Ted Mulroney played four years in the PHL for the Redshirts before jumping to the GHL with the St. Louis Spirits. After three years in the GHL including a Griffith Cup title in 1967, Mulroney returned to the PHL with the Spirits as part of the PHL/GHL merger. He would play 13 more years in St. Louis before finally winning the Lewis Cup, even scoring the winning goal, in 1982.

John Duffy, F, NS, 1961-1982

Antigonish, NS native John Duffy joined the Claymores in their third year as a franchise and would play 21 seasons with the team, helping them to a Lewis Cup title in 1967. An underrated offensive talent, Duffy retired in 1982 as the all-time team leader in scoring.

Doug Williams, F, BUF, MIN, 1962-1982

After several tough seasons in Buffalo through the 1960s, Doug Williams was eventually traded to Minnesota, where he helped the Lumberjacks to two Lewis Cups in 1972 and 1979.

Rogier LeFlamme, F, MTL, 1962-1982

Although he played something of a background role to stars like Gilbert Houle and Emmett Hudson, Rogier Leflamme was a steady presence for Montreal throughout the 1960s and ‘70s, winning two Lewis Cups with the Royale in 1966 and ’68.

Transactions

Edmonton trades F Paul Murphy to Denver in exchange for 15^st overall draft pick.

Denver gets a solid veteran player as they make a push for the Lewis Cup, while Edmonton uses the 15^th pick on goaltender Wes Simmons, who they hope will be their franchise goalie someday.

Chicago trades F Richie Smith to Vancouver in exchange for F Rudy Hunter.

Vancouver continues to unload veteran stars while Chicago adds to their stacked lineup with underrated star Hunter. The Bighorns get a top-quality prospect in Smith.

News

The biggest news item of 1982 was the selection of Philadelphia, PA as the host city for the 1984 World Hockey Challenge. The games will be played at the new PhillyDome, a 32,000-seat arena (and the new home of the Redshirts) that will open in the fall of 1983.

In other news, George Allen resigned as Long Island’s head coach. The 61-year-old former star player allegedly had a falling out with team management. “Now they can go get a real coach.” Said a very disgruntled Allen. The Concordes hired rookie coach Cam Norten to take Allen’s place. Denver fired head coach Roy Connolly, replacing him with former Montreal assistant Jacques Fortune.