2004-05 Regular Season

October 8, 2004, seven Months after being traded for the first time, Brad McNair began his first full season in Milwaukee. McNair gave Choppers fans a lot to be excited about right away when he lit up the Chicago Shamrocks in the home opener, scoring four goals in a 6-3 win. The native of Cornerbrook, Newfoundland enjoyed a career season in 2004-05, winning the Cleveland Cup with 109 points including 52 goals. McNair switched from center to right wing, where he flourished playing alongside team captain Brent Zahorsky and Milwaukee finished first place in the Western Conference. After spending nearly five seasons in a very messy situation in New Orleans, McNair finally found himself on a contending team. “It’s been a lot of fun this year” said McNair. “I really believe this team has what it takes to win right now.”

The Choppers barely edged out the Dallas Desperados for first place. Dallas held the top spot heading into the final week of the year, before Milwaukee won the last two games of the season to tie the Desperados in points, giving the Choppers the title as they had more wins. It was a disappointment for the Desperados, who had enjoyed a strong year despite some injuries to key players.

The Western Conference was a tight race, with Seattle, Minnesota, Edmonton, and Kansas City all fighting for home ice advantage in the playoffs. But one of the most surprising stories of the year was the Denver Bulls, who climbed back in to post-season for the first time since 1996. The Bulls return to the playoffs was largely due to the spectacular play of Martin Barker in net. Barker was a finalist for the Whyte Trophy with six shutouts, while Justin Pratt contributed with 86 points. It had been a long time for the franchise, as attendance was beginning to suffer and the team was losing money. But by season’s end, the Western Airlines Center was full every night. “We’ve put a lot of work into this in the six years I’ve been here” said head coach Jacques Colette. “This is a big step. It’s exciting in this building for the first time in a while.”

In the Eastern Conference, the Long Island Concordes hoped to make the jump from emerging threat to true contender. In November, the Concordes made a blockbuster trade, sending longtime star Bruce Evans to the Edmonton Northern Lights in exchange for superstar Ilya Rusakivich. Rusakivich was holding out on the Northern Lights, who did not want to overspend with Kris Nazarenko nearing the end of his contract. Rusakivich immediately inked a massive, ten-year, $100 Million deal with the Concordes. The Concordes did not regret their new acquisition either. Rusakivich played very well on a line with countryman Ilya Severov, scoring 56 goals to lead the league. Long Island finished fourth, earning home-ice advantage for the first time since 1991.

Philadelphia and Toronto ruled the Eastern Conference once again, while the Boston Bulldogs, led by captain Brendan Marlo, broke 100 points to take third place. The Miami Stingrays won the South Division, yet finished in seventh place due to new league rules which guaranteed division winners only a playoff spot. After a decent performance for Canada at the World Hockey Challenge, Eric Moon followed up with his best regular season performance since he won the scoring title in 2001-02. Moon scored 33 goals and added 42 assists for 75 points. In Montreal, the Royale’s 18 year playoff streak finally came to an end. The Royale spent the latter half of the season in a tight race with Detroit, Carolina, and Cleveland but ultimately fell to 11^th place, five points out of the final playoff spot. At the trade deadline, realizing their post-season hopes could be slim, the Royale dealt veteran Aaron Duplacy to the Minnesota Lumberjacks, hoping to give him a chance at one more championship.

The Eastern Conference playoff race would come down to the final day of the season. Detroit face Toronto, needing either a win or a Carolina loss to get in. Carolina beat Miami, meaning it was do or die for the Mustangs. Eric Woods proved to be the hero, scoring twice in a big 4-2 win as Detroit clinched the final playoff spot.

The last day of the season was also special for another reason. Minnesota faced Milwaukee and both teams had already clinched playoff spots, yet the game garnered attention anyway as longtime Lumberjacks captain Jason Crowley entered the game with 699 career goals. Late in the second period, Crowley beat Choppers goaltender Brad O’Donnell to become the seventh player in PHL history - and the first US-born player – to score 700 goals. Crowley was given a 10-minute standing ovation and even the rival Choppers congratulated him for the milestone. “I honestly never imagined doing this. It’s an amazing feeling.” Said Crowley, who had hinted at retirement during the season. “It’s been an honour to play in this league for so long.”