1990 Off-Season

1990 Entry Draft

The first entry draft of the 1990s was not an overly strong one, but that’s not to say the talent wasn’t there. LA won the draft lottery and therefore held the first pick. The Wizards decided to pass on junior scoring champion Brad Lowry to select talented offensive defenseman Kyle Bennett. Ottawa took American college goaltender Kevin Stroud with the third pick. At number four, Quebec selected Rostislav Stransky, the highest Czech player ever selected. The 20-year-old Stransky already had experience playing against pros in the 1988 World Hockey Classic. Amidst all the uncertainty surrounding the future of communism in Eastern Europe, teams became bolder about selecting Soviet talent. 21-year-old Igor Travkin, another WHC veteran, was selected seventh by Washington, while 18-year-old Soviet phenom Sergei Vetrov was selected 22^nd by Montreal.

1.      LA – Kyle Bennett, D, CAN

2.      MIA – Brad Lowry, F, CAN

3.      OTT – Kevin Stroud, G, USA

4.      QUE – Rostislav Stransky, F, CZE

5.      DEN – Chris Falkner, F, CAN

6.      KC – Brett Delaney, F, CAN

7.      WSH – Igor Travkin, F, USSR

8.      CGY – Brendan Dwyer, D, USA

9.      NYC – Lukas Edstrom, D, SWE

10.   CAL – Alpo Viitanen, F, FIN

11.   WPG – Trevor Nolen, F, CAN

12.   TOR – Tory Partridge, F, CAN

13.   CHI – Jay Peak, F, CHI

14.   DET – Johan Persson, F, SWE

15.   MIN – Christian Grayson, G, USA

16.   PIT – Dwayne Berube, F, CAN

17.   VAN – Corey Glass, D, CAN

18.   NS – Blair Schmitt, F, CAN

19.   BOS – Greg Wilson, F, USA

20.   EDM – Carl Leblanc, D, CAN

21.   PHI – Travis Smith, F, USA

22.   MTL – Sergei Vetrov, F, USSR

23.   MIL – Aki Mikkola, D, FIN

24.   SEA – Chris Clarkson, F, CAN

25.   STL – Brent Rawlings, D, CAN

26.   LI – Steve Millard, D, USA

Notable Retirements:

Danny Stevenson – PIT, 1970-1990

Danny Stevenson served as the face of the Stingers franchise for the first two decades of the team’s PHL existence. Stevenson and the Stingers got off to a slow start, almost annually finishing in the league basement until 1978, when Stevenson scored 91 goals in a breakout year, leading the Stingers to a division championship and a trip to the Lewis Cup Finals, where they lost to the LA Wizards. Stevenson would lead Pittsburgh to the finals twice more in the 1980s before leading the team to their first and only championship in 1985. Danny Stevenson retires as Pittsburgh’s all-time leading scorer and the PHL’s 5^th all-time leading scorer with 1660 career points.

Don Newman – CHI, 1968-1990

In a career that spanned four decades, Don Newman was the unquestioned leader of the Shamrocks franchise. Drafted in the first-ever PHL draft in 1968, Newman began to lead the Shamrocks deeper and deeper into the playoffs until finally, they found themselves in the Lewis Cup Finals, where Newman assisted on what was forever known as “The Goal” scored by rookie Graham Boswell to win the Cup. Newman retires as Chicago’s all-time points leader with 1416 points.

Brian Hunt – DEN, 1968-1990

Brain Hunt bears the distinction of being the first player ever selected in the PHL amateur draft. For the following 22 years, Hunt served as the face of the Bulls franchise. Just three years into his career, the team relocated from Buffalo to Denver. Hunt played a big role in promoting the game in Denver, becoming a fan-favorite with his hard-working play and quiet leadership. Though best known for his years in Colorado, Hunt retires as the final PHL player to have played for the Bulls in Buffalo.

Dennis Yates – CAL, 1972-1990

Dennis Yates played a key role for California for nearly two decades. He was an important piece in the Nuggets’ 1980 Lewis Cup run and retires as the all-time leader in games played for the franchise.

Notable Trades

California trades D Jari Pukki to Boston in exchange for D Ricky Meyer.

Boston adds a star defenseman do strengthen their blueline, while Meyer brings youth to the Nuggets’ blueline.

Edmonton trades F Marshall Jackson to Washington in exchange for F Tommy McGuire.

The Northern Lights acquire a solid veteran in McGuire, Washington continues their rebuild, adding gritty young power forward Marshall Jackson.

Key Free Agents

Vladimir Gaganov signs new 10-year deal with Chicago worth $4 Million/year.

Gaganov’s unprecedented deal makes him the highest paid player in the game and all but ensures he will be a Shamrock right into the new millennium.

Dave Mack signs new 5-year deal with Nova Scotia worth $2 Million/year.

The Claymores lock up their captain until 1995, making him among the league’s richest players.

Dennis Aguilar (PIT) signs 3-year deal with Detroit worth $1.5 Million/year.

Aguilar is on the move again, this time signing with the Mustangs. The 35-year-old brings veteran leadership to a relatively young Mustangs team.

Roland Webb (EDM) signs 3-year deal with Denver worth $.5 Million/year.

Webb will likely finish his career in Denver, where the Bulls hope he can be a valuable mentor to their young core.

Doug Lyons (NS) signs 4-year deal with Long Island worth $1.2 Million/year.

The Claymores could not afford to bring back Lyons after signing the Mack deal, so Lyons now joins the defending Lewis Cup champions, hoping to help strengthen their defense.

News

On June 1, 1990, Darryl Byrd officially became the second commissioner in PHL history, and it’s fourth leader as long time President/commissioner Alan Garcia retired. Byrd’s first act as commissioner was to address the ownership situation in California. Byrd worked closely with owner James Coleman to find an owner who would keep the team in the San Francisco bay area. On September 2, Byrd and Coleman were finally successful. Two wealthy investors, Neal Gantt and Bill Pike, agreed to buy the team and keep them in San Francisco.

The Nuggets were secure, but the same could not be said for the Nova Scotia Claymores. The Claymores’ lease at the old Barrington Arena would be up in 1994 and the new commissioner insisted the team secure a new building by 1994. “To be frank, buildings like the one in Halifax are simply no longer suitable for PHL hockey moving forward” said Byrd. In an address to the league in July, Byrd named Nova Scotia, Denver, Boston, Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Quebec as teams in need of new buildings. New York and Chicago already had new arenas on the way, and two days after the address, the Bulls announced a new downtown Denver arena would be completed by the fall of 1993. “Preferably, I would like to see new buildings in these Cities by the year 2000” said Byrd.

Byrd also continued talks about expansion with potential owners who were interested in acquiring franchises. Billionaire Clint Love continued to push for a new franchise in Dallas. Love had briefly courted the league about purchasing the Nuggets, but was turned away due to his admitted intent to relocate the team to Dallas.

In August, Winnipeg was announced as the host for the 1992 Word Hockey Challenge. It will be the first time the tournament is played in Canada since the first event in 1976.