1993 Off-Season

1993 Entry Draft

Unlike the previous few drafts, the 1993 entry draft was lighter on European talent. Goaltender Luke Morrison became the second goalie in PHL history to go number one in the draft when he was taken by the Winnipeg Pioneers. Seattle continued their rebuild with the selection of Drake Klausen, a 50-goal scorer in junior. Big defenseman Brad Banks was the first American selected when Pittsburgh selected him at number four. Banks, a late 1974 birthday, was considered the most mature player in the draft, already having a year of NCAA hockey under his belt. The first European player selected was Oleg Markov, picked sixth by the Denver Bulls. Three players with PHL bloodlines were selected in 1993. Calgary selected Ben Parsons, son of former Redshirts captain Gil Parsons, 14^th overall, Chicago picked Chris Brewer, son of former Vancouver Bighorn Rick Brewer, at 26^th, while Philadelphia picked Martin Benoit, son of former Quebec star Guy Benoit, 24^th.

1.      WPG -  Luke Morrison, G, CAN

2.      SEA – Drake Klausen, F, CAN

3.      NS – Greg Cote, D, CAN

4.      PIT – Brad Banks, D, USA

5.      OTT – Gus Avery, F, USA

6.      DEN – Oleg Markov, F, RUS

7.      CAL – Ali Leino, D, FIN

8.      MIA – Eric Moon, F, CAN

9.      KC – Sergei Popov, D, RUS

10.   NYC – Eric Thorn, F, CAN

11.   STL - Martin Novak, F, CZE

12.   WSH – Brendan O’Connor, D, CAN

13.   LI – Bruce Evans, F, UK

14.   CGY – Ben Parsons, D, USA

15.   LA – Geoff Johns, F, CAN

16.   MIL – Patrice Goulet, F, CAN

17.   MIN - Victor Dahlman, D, SWE

18.   QUE – Brent White, F, CAN

19.   VAN – Ryan Kent, D, USA

20.   TOR – Sami Soro, D, FIN

21.   DET – Jari Toivanen, G, FIN

22.   BOS – Mike Wilke, F, CAN

23.   EDM – Kim Russell, F, CAN

24.   PHI – Martin Benoit, D, CAN

25.   MTL – Jean-Pierre Roy, D, CAN

26.   CHI – Chris Brewer, F, CAN

Notable Retirements:

Pete Holloway – SEA, MIL, 1974-1993

The first players ever drafted by the Seattle Grey Wolves, Holloway was eventually named the team’s captain. Together with Jake Fairbanks, Holloway helped formed one of the most dynamic duos in hockey as the Wolves reached the Lewis Cup Finals in 1985. Unfortunately, Seattle lost to Pittsburgh and Holloway, who played his final two years in Milwaukee, retires as one of the best players to never win the Lewis Cup.

Colin Fleming – BOS, 1974-1993

In one of the most emotional and dramatic career finales in PHL history, Colin Fleming finally hoisted the Lewis Cup for the first time after 19 seasons, all with Boston. Fleming joined the Bulldogs in 1974 and almost immediately became a fan-favorite with an incredible combination of skill and toughness. Fleming retires as one of the most popular Bulldogs of all time.

Brad Hewson – DEN, 1973-1993

Making his debut in 1973, Brad Hewson almost single-handedly led the then newly-relocated Denver Bulls to their first post-season berth in eight years. Playing alongside captain Brian Hunt, Hewson finished his career with 590 goals, second only to Hunt in franchise history.

Craig Davidson – LI, 1976-1993

Davidson was the Concordes first draft pick in franchise history and went on to play his entire 16-year career on Long Island, helping lead them to a Lewis Cup in 1990.

Notable Trades

New York trades F Ryan Cobb to Winnipeg in exchange for F Dennis Aguilar.

Aguilar returns to the Big Apple for what will be his 20^th and final PHL season as the Civics hope to return to playoff contention. The Pioneers get a solid young player in Cobb.

Calgary trades F Owen Betts to Philadelphia in exchange for G Darren Beauport and F Brad Welsh.

The Wranglers acquire a solid backup goaltender in Beauport as well as a decent prospect in Welsh, while the Redshirts add some toughness in enforcer Betts.

Key Free Agents

Magnus Swedberg (PHI) signs 5-year deal with Toronto worth $3.5 Million.

Superstar Swedberg becomes the second-highest paid player in hockey as the Racers become the new

favorites in the east to win the Lewis Cup. No less than 13 teams courted Swedberg before he decided on Toronto.

Terry Hawkins (MIL) signs 4-year deal with Boston worth $2 Million/year.

The defending champions get another star player in Hawkins. Though he is past his prime, Hawkins will provide valuable depth and experience in Boston.

 

Harry Hayes (NS) signs 5-year deal with Milwaukee worth $2 Million.

Amidst speculation of a Claymores relocation, Hayes is the latest to jump ship. The Choppers signed him to replace Terry Hawkins.

Grant Millen signs 1-year deal with Calgary worth $600,000.

In perhaps the most stunning development of the off-season, 40-year-old Millen comes out of retirement to join his hometown team as they chase a title.

News

The summer of 1993 was the calm before the storm. Two expansion teams were set to begin play in the fall of 1994 and in June, 1993, both the newly named Cleveland Cosmos and Dallas Desperados unveiled their wordmark logos and color schemes. Cleveland’s colors will be black, purple, and silver, while Dallas will wear black, gold, and orange in a small nod to Dalllas’ previous franchise, the Dallas Metros. Both teams will unveil their logos and uniforms in the spring of 1994. The teams also hired their first staff members. Former PHL goaltender Bill Kelly was hired as GM of the Cosmos, while the Desperados hired former Dallas Metros winger Ross Becker as their GM. The Desperados hoped Becker’s experience in the Dallas market would be a valuable asset as the franchise tried to win over a city that had already lost a team before.

The Nova Scotia Claymores’ situation went from bad to worse, as their lease at Barrington Arena was set to expire. Without the resources to build a new arena, the team was counting on both the municipal and provincial government to fund the facility. In May, 1993, negotiations with the city fell apart. Unable to find a buyer in the Maritimes, Jim McDonald was forced to sell the team to the league in June. It was essentially a death sentence for PHL hockey in Halifax, as Darryl Byrd had almost no interest in continuing in Nova Scotia. Byrd angered many Canadians when he declared Halifax as a “Minor League Town” and suggested that the league was outgrowing small Canadian markets. Meanwhile, rallies were held all summer in an attempt to save the team. In September, New Orleans-based entrepreneur Sam Bendt purchased the team. Bendt had begun construction on a new arena during the summer of 1992 and hoped it would be completed by the fall of 1994. It appeared that the 1993-94 season would be the last for the Claymores in Halifax. “We saw it coming for a few years now, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less” said 58-year-old Don McKay, a fan since the first season in 1959. “It’s truly devastating, I don’t even know if I’ll follow the PHL much anymore to be honest.”

Finally the host city for the 1996 World Hockey Challenge was selected. The tournament would be played in Moscow, marking the first time ever that it would be played in Russia. After the announcement, Russian superstar Vladimir Gaganov said he would play for Russia in the tournament for the first time since 1976.