1976 World Hockey Challenge

The inaugural World Hockey Challenge began on September 1, 1976 at the Queen Elizebeth Arena in Toronto. It would be the first-ever best-on-best international hockey competition and after years of losing to the Soviets in amateur competition, the Canadians longed to finally face their rivals with there all-star squad, while the Americans, somewhat lacking in PHL talent compared to the Canadian team, were eager to prove they could not only compete but even win the tournament. The tournament opened with the host team taking on the rival Soviets. Things looked ominous at the beginning when speedy Soviet forward Vladimir Gaganov scored two goals just six minutes in. The Canadians pressed hard all game but could not break Soviet goaltender Valeri Rusanov. Finally, Stuart Holly put Canada on the board halfway through the third period, but it was too late as The Soviets held on to defeat the Canadians 2-1. Also on day 1, Finland defeated their rivals Sweden 2-1, while the Americans took out Norway 4-0. Canada would fare much better on day two, defeating Finland 3-0, while the Soviets also enjoyed a 3-0 victory over Norway. The Americans continued their steady play against Sweden with a 3-1 victory. On day three, The Soviets continued rolling through the tournament thanks to their magical top line of Vladimir Gaganov, Sergei Kreyev, and Alexander Orlov. The trio proved to be as potent as any PHL line as they combined for all three goals in a 3-1 victory over Sweden. In other Day three action, Canada defeated Norway 3-0, while Ray Fowler and Eddie Gibbs each scored for Team USA in a 2-0 win over Finland. It was the second shutout of the tournament for 19-year-old American goaltender Brian Donovan, who was quickly moving up the rankings for the 1977 PHL entry draft.

Norway finally got on the scoresheet against Finland on Day four. Speedy offensive defenseman Selbjorn Osen scored twice as the Norwegians upset the Fins 2-1, while Canada defeated blanked Sweden 2-0, and the Soviets won a rather heated battle with the Americans 4-2 in a match that saw several fights break out. Entering the final day of the Round Robin, the Soviets had all but guaranteed a spot in the best-of-three Championship. After they defeated Finland 6-3 to secure first place and a perfect round-robin record, it came down to Canada vs USA for second place and a place against the Soviets for the championship. The Americans struck first with a goal from Ray Fowler, before Canada tied it just a minute later on a goal from captain Guy Dupont. Each team would score again to make it 2-2 before Brian Hunt broke the deadlock for the Canadians just seconds before the end of the second period. Both goaltenders stood tall throughout the third as Bobby Sorel desperately tried to hold the lead for Canada, while Brian Donovan made a series of huge saves to give the Americans a chance to tie the game, including one huge one one David Appleby. His efforts would finally pay off when Gary Johnson's point shot found the net to send the game to OT. The Toronto crowd went silent. As overtime began, Donovan made another huge save on Gil Parsons, but could not hold off a Canadian push late in the overtime as Sheldon Hopkins finally netted his first of the tournament to send Canada to the Championship Round, where they would face the Soviet Union once again.

Heading into the best-of-three final, the Canadians were eager to exact revenge on the rival Soviets for the tournament opener. Game 1 would be a tight contest, tied 2-2 heading into the third period. Bobby Sorel and Valeri Rusanov both stood tall for their teams as regulation time wound down. Frustration began to boil over towards the end of the third period as several scuffles would break out. With just a minute left, Guy Dupont was ejected from the game after punching Soviet winger Igor Travkin in the head, leading to a line brawl. The punch was a response to an earlier hit from Travkin on Johnny Bedford. With Canada shorthanded to start overtime, Bobby Sorel stood on his head, trying to keep his team alive. Although Canada would kill the penalty, Vladimir Gaganov would score his second of the game just seconds after it ended to give the Soviets a 3-2 victory. Canada would dominate a physical and heated game 2. Rusanov played decent but the Soviets were unable to solve Bobby Sorel at the other end while David Appleby, James Cummings, and Gilbert Houle each scored in a 3-0 Canadian win to send the series to a third and deciding game.

Queen Elizabeth Arena was filled once again to capacity with flag-waving red and white-clad Canadian fans for game 3, while nearly Canadian across the country was glued to the TV. the game was tense from the beginning as the Soviets, who had accused the Canadians throughout the tournament as being "thugs" began to retaliate to the Canadian checking. After Soviet center Dimitri Shvernik took a few extra wacks at Bobby Sorel after Sorel covered the puck, Canadian defenseman Ronald Crane crosschecked Shvernik in the face, knocking out four of his teeth. The Soviets struck first on the scoreboard when Valdimir Gaganov beat Sorel to give the Soviets the lead. Just minutes later, Soviet defenseman Igor Paponov's point shot made it 2-0. Appleby and Gil Parsons each scored just minutes apart at the beginning of the second period to tie the game. With a minute to go in the second, Appleby's second goal of the game put Canada ahead 3-2. Excitement began to fill the arena as Canada tightened up, trying to hold the lead. With only 6 minutes to go, Gaganov scored, tying the game and quieting the crowd. Just 24 seconds later, Alexander Orlov stunned the crowd with the go-ahead goal. The Soviets now led 4-3. Canada tried furiously to tie the game as the clock wound down, but Valeri Rusanov met every challenge. Excitement and anticipation across the country turned to heartbreak for Canada, while the Soviet Union celebrated their first Challenge Cup victory.

1976 Off-Season

1976 Entry Draft

The 1976 PHL draft began with a surprise. The Seattle Grey Wolves, who held the first pick, passed on top-rated forward Glen Childs to select speedy offensive defenseman Jeff Reese. Childs ended up going to the expansion Edmonton Northern Lights, while Edmonton’s expansion cousins, the Long Island Concordes, selected Craig Davidson, an American forward slated to play for team USA in the World Hockey Challenge. Vancouver took defenseman Art Rogers fourth overall to solidify their defense, while Dallas also beefed up their D, taking Ray Decker to round out the top five.

1.      Seattle – Jeff Reese, D

2.      Edmonton – Glen Childs, F

3.      Long Island – Craig Davidson, F

4.      Vancouver – Art Rogers, D

5.      Dallas – Ray Decker, D

6.      Washington – Don Lapin, G

7.      Pittsburgh – Dave Ritter, D

8.      Detroit – Ron Marriott, F

9.      Toronto – Ted Lovell, F

10.   Winnipeg – Brian Leblance, F

11.   Nova Scotia – Randy Flint, D

12.   Quebec – Jacques Boivin, F

13.   Boston – Mike Sweetwater, F

14.   Calgary – Jeff Chapman, F

15.   California – Rod Skelton, F

16.   St. Louis – Paul Needham, D

17.   Montreal – Mark Dawkins, F

18.   Denver – Dirk Bowens, D

19.   Philadelphia – Jason Farrell, D

20.   Chicago – Richie Smith, F

21.   New York – Jimmy MacDonald, F

22.   Ottawa – Doug Sampson, F

23.   LA Wizards – Eric Mosher, F

24.   Minnesota – Denis Poirier, F

Retirements:

Guy Benoit, F, Quebec, 1961-1976

Guy Benoit joined the Quebec Nationale just in time for the third of their three straight Lewis Cups in the early 1960s. Benoit was a valuable playmaker to scoring stars Gilbert Giroux and Ben Williams throughout the 1960s. He won a second Lewis Cup with Quebec in 1965 and reached the final with them again in 1970.

Bruce Wallace, G, Chicago, St. Louis, Seattle, 1959-1976

Having to fill goaltending legend James Green’s skates was a tall order for Bruce Wallace when he joined the Chicago Shamrocks in 1959. But Wallace did an admirable job, leading the Shamrocks to the Lewis Cup Finals in 1965. The following year, Wallace left Chicago to join the GHL’s St. Louis Spirits. When the Spirits joined the PHL in 1969, Wallace was booed heartily by the Chicago crowd, who saw him as a traitor. In 1974, Wallace was selected in the expansion draft by the Seattle Grey Wolves, where he played the final two years of his career.

Transactions

LA trades F Jack Carson and 1^st round pick in 1977 entry draft to Edmonton in exchange for F Theo Howell.

Howell adds valuable depth to LA’s already stacked lineup, while Edmonton acquires an extra pick for next year’s draft in an effort to speed up the building process.

News

After bringing the PHL from 14 teams to 24 in just ten seasons as league president, Alan Garcia immediately dispelled rumours of further expansion. Garcia announced there would be no further expansion for at least a decade. “We need to give our newer franchises an opportunity to get stronger” said Garcia. “We’ve brought the league a long way in these last ten years and it’s time to let the game grow into the markets we have.”

In other news a few coaching changes were made during the 1976 off-season. In a somewhat surprising move Minnesota fired head coach Fred Meloche, replacing him with former Boston coach Bob Truman, who had led the Bulldogs to the Lewis Cup in 1971. “It was a tough decision” said GM Kurt Blanchard. “Fred’s regular season record is incredible, but we simply haven’t been able to get over the hump in the post-season and it’s time for a change.” The expansion Long Island Concordes also made headlines in the head coaching category, hiring former playing legend George Allen as their head coach. To some, the move appeared to be yet another jab at the Concorde’s cross-town rivals and Allen’s former team, the New York Civics, who had already surrendered two players to Long Island in the expansion draft. Finally, the Philadelphia Redshirts announced they would be bringing back the greatest goaltender in franchise history, this time behind the bench, as David Zimmer was hired as head coach of the Redshirts.

1976 Expansion Draft Results

On July 1, 1976, and expansion draft was conducted to stock the PHL's newest franchises in Long Island and Edmonton. Each franchise picked 14 players from the league's other 20 franchises (Dallas and Seattle were exempt). Each team was allowed to protect ten players. Here are the selected players with their positions and former teams.

G - Ross Gilles - NY
G - Mike Gilles - NS
D - Dennis Myers - LA
D - Willy Rowe - DEN
D - Jeff Malone - PHI
D - Darrel Gordon - NS
D - Gerald Garner - TOR
F - Brian Reed - WSH
F - Olivier Lambert - MTL
F - Randy Doyle - DEN
F - Bryan Trask - NY
F - Neil Griffith - WPG
F - Carl Brown - STL
F - Steve Peterson - OTT

G - Bill Kelly - MIN

G - Ted Garrett - CHI

D - Alan Copeland - PHI

D - Buddy Tyler - STL

D - Craig Burton - CAL

D - George Harmon - CGY

D - Daryl Ferguson - BOS

F - Paul Murphy - CAL

F - Irving Lamb - CGY

F - Brad Wolfe - LA

F - Theo Howell - CHI

F - Don Greer - BOS

F - Alan Brooks - CAL

F - Stan Desmond - WSH

World Hockey Challenge Rosters, Uniforms Unveiled

The uniforms for the six countries participating in the upcoming World Hockey Challenge as well as the rosters for Team Canada and Team USA. Canada is the only country whose roster is composed entirely of PHL players. USA is composed of a combination of PHL and NCAA players as well as two players from the Atlantic Hockey Association.

Other PHL players participating in the tournament include Calgary's Sven Larsson and Vancouver's Marcus Renberg from Team Sweden, and St. Louis' Bjorn Rasmussen from Team Norway.

Edmonton, Long Island Reveal Logos, Uniforms

On June 5, 1976 the PHL's latest expansion teams revealed their identities to their fans. The Edmonton franchise chose the name Northern Lights. The name was somewhat controversial among the fans, some of whom felt the name was too abstract. Other fans fully embraced the name. "Northern Lights is a totally groovy name man!" said one fan, who was wearing a headband and a tie-dye shirt. The logo and uniforms would be even more "groovy", featuring neon green and powder blue. The logo featured the initials "ENL" stylized to look like northern lights with a starry sky backdrop. "I think we've come up with a very cutting-edge look, I think the younger crowd will really love it."

The Northern Lights were not the only team to fully embrace the hippie generation with their new look. The Long Island Concordes unveiled their logo and uniforms the same day at a festival in Nassau County. The logo features the shape of a Concorde jet in blue tilted upwards with the name "Concordes" stylized underneath in Orange. The Uniforms were perhaps the most radical in league history. Featuring the team's primary color scheme of Orange and Blue, the striping was made to invoke the stripes on the side of a jet, although some skeptical fans referred to them as "tracksuits". "We wanted to come up with something unique, not seen anywhere else in the league." said Long Island General Manager Garth Simmons. "These uniforms really give the impression of speed, we wanted something that looks streamlined, like our team name.

The expansion draft will be conducted on July 1, 1976.

1976 Lewis Cup Finals

The 1976 Lewis Cup Finals would pit the heavily favored LA Wizards against the cinderella Boston Bulldogs. The Wizards entered the championship series full of confidence after blazing through the playoffs. LA had only lost one game throughout the playoffs, and Stuart Holly had already set a new mark for playoff points with 26 in just 12 games. Boston, meanwhile, relied heavily on their depth and their ability to shut down other teams top players. The Bulldogs did a good job shutting down the Holly/Fowler combo in game one, keeping the two of them off the scoreboard. However Sheldon Hopkins finally scored for LA in the third period and the Wizards hung on for the win. In game two, Boston finally found the scoreboard when Johnny Bedford scored his first goal since the first round with a hard slapshot from the point, giving Boston their first lead of the series. three minutes later, Phil Reid scored to give Boston a 2-0 lead. Early in the second period, Stuart Holly was at it again, deking everyone one the ice before putting the puck between Ricky Spooner's legs to bring the game within 1. Seconds later, Holly connected again with Ray Fowler to tie the game. 94 seconds later, Holly scored again to give LA a 3-2 lead. After allowing three goals within two minutes and watching their lead evaporate, the Bulldogs never found their way back into the game and the Wizards held on to win 3-2. heading back to Boston for games 3 and 4 the Bulldogs were still confident they could compete with the Wizards despite being down 2-0. That confidence would turn into results in game 3, as the 'Dogs did an excellent job shutting down LA's superstars while Ricky Spooner made 38 saves in a 4-1 win. The Bulldogs rode the momentum from game 3 into game 4, with Don Greer scoring halfway into the first period. The Bulldogs brilliantly held the Wizards off the scoreboard throughout the remainder of the game. As the clock wound down, frustration boiled over as for the first time, LA could not find a way to break through.

Heading back to LA tied 2-2, the Wizards confidence was shaky. They could not figure out a way to solve Ricky Spooner or the Bulldogs tight checking. Prior to game 5 in LA, veteran Gilbert Giroux showed the team his Lewis Cup ring he had earned as a member of the Quebec Nationale in 1960, the first of four he would win in the 1960s. Giroux talked about the challenges the Nationale had faced and the perseverance that had ultimately made them a dynasty. Motivated by Giroux's words, the Wizards came out firing, scoring two goals just ten minutes in. Boston quickly responded with two goals of their own to tie the game. The teams remained tied through most of the game before Giroux finally beat Ricky Spooner to give the Wizards the lead. With the Boston net empty, Giroux slid the puck to Stuart Holly who who slipped it in the open net to seal the win as the LA crowd gave their team a standing ovation. Two nights later in Boston, Holly, Giroux, Brad Wolfe each scored while Dave Lindsay and Colin Fleming each scored for Boston as LA held a 3-2 lead with two minutes remaining. With Spooner pulled the Bulldogs tried furiously to tie the game, but Dennis Carter had an answer for every Boston challenge. The clock finally wound down to zero as the Wizards poured off the bench and mobbed Carter. Stuart Holly, who finished the playoffs with 31 points, accepted the Lewis Cup from Alan Garcia. After years of coming up short, the LA Wizards were finally Lewis Cup Champions.

1976 Lewis Cup Playoffs

As the 1976 Lewis Cup playoffs began, the Minnesota Lumberjacks were definitely the odds-on favorite to take the Lewis Cup. After finishing the regular season on a 12-game unbeaten streak, the 'Jacks entered their first round series against Winnipeg with loads of momentum. After taking a 1-0 series lead, Minnesota got off to a quick start in game two, taking an early 2-0 lead before disaster struck. Just one minute into the second period, Pioneers winger Eric Barton blocked a point shot to generate a 2-on-0 on Bobby Sorel. Sorel made the save but pulled a groin in the process. The Pioneers picked backup Bill Kelly apart for 3 goals to take game two 3-2. After the game, it was revealed that Bobby Sorel would miss at least the rest of the series. Demoralized by Sorel's injury, the Lumberjacks came out flat in games three and four as Winnipeg took a commanding 3-1 series lead. In game five, Guy Dupont scored six minutes into the game to give Minnesota their first lead since game 1. Winnipeg would storm back, however, taking the game and the series 4-1. In other Western Conference action, LA swept Calgary 4-0, California pulled off a surprise upset over Chicago, sweeping the Shamrocks 4-0, while Denver spoiled David Appleby's playoff debut, taking out St. Louis in five games.

 In the Eastern Conference, the defending champion New York Civics faced the Nova Scotia Claymores in what was supposed to be a fairly brief series. The Civics took an early 3-0 lead in game one before barely holding on as Nova Scotia scored two goals in the third before ringing one off the post. On the momentum from the failed comeback bid, Nova Scotia came out strong after game one, winning the next three to take a commanding series lead. But New York showed why they were the defending champs in game 5. After the Claymores scored two early, New York responded with a big goal from Phil Holmes to turn the momentum. With Gil Brady pulled in the dying minutes of the game, Dave Tobin managed to knock a loose rebound past Tim Underwood to tie the game. Both Underwood and Brady were spectacular through nearly three full overtime periods before Freddie Huff's point shot found the back of the net to force game six in Halifax. New York went on to win game six 4-2 to force game seven back home. Game seven would also go into overtime after the teams played a tight game throughout. It would not go nearly as long, however, as Civics rookie Bryan Trask scored just six minutes into the first overtime to complete the series comeback and send New York on to the second round. Elsewhere in the East, Ottawa won the battle of Ontario in a five game series where the Toronto Racers only managed to score three goals, while Philadelphia surprisingly took seven games to eliminate Quebec, and Boston pulled off the East's only upset, defeating the Montreal Royale in six games.

 By this point, the scrappy Bulldogs were making a reputation for themselves as a tough, hard-working team that just wouldn't go down easily. Never was this reputation more deserved then when they would face the Ottawa Beavers in the second round. The Beavers had finished first overall in the Eastern Conference, 36 points ahead of Boston, and were eager to remind them of this facing them in the playoffs. After Ottawa jumped to a 3-0 series lead, it appeared the Bulldogs relatively successful season was over. Boston managed to win if only in desperation in game 4, before goaltender of the year Ricky Spooner pitched a shutout in game 5. suddenly the Bulldogs found themselves one win away from forcing game seven. Spooner would turn away 39 Ottawa shots in game 6 while Brad Bush and Don Greer each scored to give Boston a second consecutive 2-0 win. The Bulldogs were just a game seven victory away from completing an unthinkable comeback. Game seven seemed to swing in Ottawa's favor early on, as Jeff Grant scored early for the Beavers before Boston's Glen Welton was called for tripping. Ricky Spooner made 13 saves during the ensuing powerplay, almost single-handedly killing the penalty. With momentum now on their side, the Bulldogs got scoring from Bush, Phil Reed, and Jeff Coleman to take a 3-1 lead. Casey Beckett scored for the Beavers in the third period to bring the score to 3-2, but it was too little too late. The Bulldogs held on to complete the miraculous comeback and move on to the Eastern Conference Finals where they would face the defending champion New York Civics, who had just completed a comeback of their own, overcoming a second consecutive 3-1 deficit, this time against Philadelphia.

 The Western Conference Semifinals were as predictable as they were brief, with LA extending their playoff winning streak to 8 with a 4-0 sweep against Winnipeg, while Denver eliminated California in five games.  In the conference finals, LA never really allowed the Denver Bulls into the series, extending their winning streak to ten consecutive playoff victories, before finally losing for the first time in the playoffs in game three. The win would be all Denver had left in the tank, as the Bulls ultimately succumbed to the Wizards in five games. Stuart Holly led the playoffs in scoring heading into the Lewis Cup Finals with 26 points through 12 games, shattering the PHL record for most points in a playoff year. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the heavily favoured New York Civics once again found themselves down 3 games to 1 against the hated Boston Bulldogs. The defending champs turned in a valiant effort in game five, winning 4-1 on the strength of Phil Holmes' two goals and a 41-save performance from Gil Brady. When Freddie Huff tied game six with just seven seconds left, it appeared that New York was on their way to an unbelievable third straight 1-3 comeback. But the Civics had run out of gas. Boston seemingly never left the New York end throughout overtime as Gil Brady stopped every shot, until finally a Rhett McFarlane slap shot made it's way through Brady's legs to send Boston to an unexpected date with the high-flying LA Wizards for the Lewis Cup.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3