1984-85 Regular Season

The 1984-85 season saw a few power shifts. Thanks to strong performances from Jake Fairbanks and Pete Holloway, the Seattle Grey Wolves managed to win their first division title in franchise history, while the LA Wizards, demoralized by the loss of Ray Fowler, missed the playoffs for the first time since 1971. Vancouver came agonizingly close to the making the playoffs for the first time in fifteen years. The Bighorns had an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot in their final game of the year against Seattle, but blew a two goal lead in the third period to finish just short of the post-season. However, GM Neil Jacobs still felt positive about the direction of the team. “The end was disappointing but we made some huge improvements as a club this year.” One of the keys to Vancouver’s much improved season was the play of rookie defenseman Shane Swanson, who became the first rookie ever to win top defenseman honours. Swanson was also the first defenseman to lead his team in scoring, with 90 points.

St. Louis won the league regular season title again as David Appleby once again won the scoring title with 124 points. Chicago finished just one point behind the spirits for second place while Vladimir Gaganov finished just three points behind Appleby in the scoring race. The Denver Bulls slipped a little in the standings while Winnipeg moved into third place, and Dallas had their most successful season yet despite swirling rumours about the future of the franchise. In the Eastern Conference, Nova Scotia enjoyed another strong season thanks to brilliant goaltending from Brent MacDonald while youngsters Harry Hayes, Owen Kennedy, and Dave Mack proved to be a dangerous trio up front. Detroit climbed to second in the Northeast while Ottawa slipped all the way to the fourth and final playoff spot, edging out Quebec, who was without Jon Gage after Gage suffered a season ending injury, on the final day of the season. Perhaps the biggest turnover was in the Atlantic Division. Bobby Sorel’s play was as solid as ever at age 38. As the Long Island Concordes finished second in the division, mounting a serious challenge to first-place Pittsburgh. Washington slipped all the way from second to fifth, missing the playoffs for the first time since 1976.

1984 World Hockey Challenge

 Standings

The 1984 World Hockey Challenge took place at the new PhillyDome in Philadelphia. The tournament featured a new entry, Norway withdrew from the competition after a winless 1980 tournament and West Germany was added in their place. The Germans did not fare much better than the Norwegians, losing all three games including a horrific 13-0 loss to Canada. The Soviets proved to be the top team in the Round Robin, going a perfect 3-0 with Sergei Krayev and Alexei Yurlov leading the way. The Canadians hoped to finish first in the Round Robin heading into their final game against the United States, but had to settle for a tie. The Medal Round opened with a pair of routes, Canada defeated the British 8-0, while the Soviets beat West Germany 13-0. Finland defeated Czechoslovakia while the host Americans took down Sweden in a dramatic overtime showdown thanks to a big goal from Craig Bush. “Who would’ve thought I’d ever get a standing ovation in Philly” Said the Bulldogs forward.

The Semifinals began with one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history when Finland upset the Soviets 4-3. Adding to the excitement for the Philadelphia crowd, Redshirts goaltender Antero Parvainen turned in a heroic effort for the Fins, making 59 saves. In the other semifinal, Canada faced the United States. The home team got off to a quick start, jumping to an early 2-0 lead, before the Canadians tied the game up 2-2. After a wild third period that saw a pair of goals each from David Appelby and Craig Davidson, the teams entered overtime tied 4-4. Canadian goaltender John Gage made several spectacular saves for the Canadians as the Americans pressed hard early on. Finally, with only a minute to go in the extra frame, Stuart Burns scored on a breakaway, sending the Canadians to their third consecutive Final, where they would face the Fins.

The Championship game was much closer than expected, as the teams took a 3-3 tie into the third period. About six minutes into the third, David Appleby connected Danny Stevenson with a beautiful pass as Stevenson beat Parvainen to put Canada up 4-3. Finland pulled Parvainen in the dying moments of the game in an attempt to tie it but Brian Hunt managed to find the empty net with just under twelve seconds left to seal the victory for Canada. The Canadian players piled off the bench and David Appleby was presented with the World Challenge Cup. Appleby was also named tournament MVP with eight points, while Antero Parvainen was named top goaltender, much to the delight of the Philly crowd.

Medal Round

1984 Off-Season

1984 Entry Draft

The 1984 PHL entry draft was not a particularly strong one, but there were some very good players available. After much speculation about who Toronto would take number 1, the Racers settled on talented winger Patrick Farmer, a London ON native who grew up cheering for the Racers. Edmonton took equally talented center Hugh Patton second while Quebec took American winger Brad Soto third. The Vancouver Bighorns took the first defenseman in the draft, Shane Swanson, while the New York Civics selected the first European player in franchise history, Swedish forward Kjell Dahlman.

1.      Toronto – Patrick Farmer, F, CAN

2.      Edmonton – Hugh Patton, F, CAN

3.      Quebec – Brad Soto, F, USA

4.      Vancouver – Shane Swanson, D, CAN

5.      New York – Kjell Dahlman, F, SWE

6.      Minnesota – Caleb Weaver, D, CAN

7.      Detroit – Jari Vainio, D, FIN

8.      Calgary – Dwayne Brewer, F, USA

9.      Montreal – Gilbert Gagnon, F, CAN

10.   Boston – Kevin Rhodes, F, CAN

11.   Dallas – Jesse Collier, D, CAN

12.   Winnipeg – Mike Fox, F, USA

13.   Seattle – Denis Poirier, F, CAN

14.   Long Island – Thomas Lundberg, F, SWE

15.   California – Bryan Harrington, D, USA

16.   Ottawa – Adam Cox, D, USA;

17.   Philadelphia – Kevin Mitchell, F, USA

18.   Washington – Jeremy Hampton, D, CAN

19.   Denver – Ray Sutton, D, CAN

20.   Chicago – Patrik Blomqvist, D, SWE

21.   LA – Clark Saunders, F, USA

22.   Nova Scotia – Josh Griffith, F, CAN

23.   Pittsburgh – Owen Lindsay, D, CAN

24.   St. Louis – Jake Harrison, G, CAN

Phenom Alert:

Fifteen-year-old Vincent Ducharme of Drummondville, Quebec will not be eligible for the PHL draft until 1986, but he is already making a name for himself as he enters his rookie season in the Quebec Junior league. Ducharme scored an incredible 123 goals in his final season of midget hockey in Quebec. PHL scouts are already labeling him as the “Next One”. Even beyond Ducharme, scouts say the 1986 draft could be the strongest in PHL history.

Notable Retirements:

Ray Fowler, F, LA, 1971-1984

The most stunning news of the 1984 off-season was when LA superstar Ray Fowler announced his retirement. After suffering from severe concussion problems during the latter years of his career, Fowler missed a large part of the 1983-84 season. One of the best playmakers in PHL history, Ray Fowler’s brilliant chemistry with future legend Stuart Holly brought the Wizards three consecutive Lewis Cups in the late 1970s.

Gilbert Houle, F, MTL, 1964-1984

For twenty years, Gilbert Houle was a franchise player in Montreal. Playing alongside legends like Guy Dupont, Rogier Leflamme, and Emmett Hudson, Houle helped lead the Royale to Lewis Cups title in 1966 and ’68. Houle retired as the all-time leading scorer in Royale history.

Gary Crawford, D, DET, 1966-1984

Gary Crawford played a very important depth role on the Mustangs’ blueline during their dynasty in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Crawford won the Lewis Cup with the Mustangs four times in 1969, ’70, ’73, and ’74.

Transactions

Dave Tobin signs with Philadelphia.

After spending 15 seasons in New York, Tobin was released by the Civics on June 6 and signed with the Redshirts a few days later.

LA trades F Roy Priest to Quebec in exchange for 1^st round pick in 1985 entry draft.

LA begins a mini rebuild following Ray Fowler’s retirement, dealing long-time enforcer Priest to the Nationale, who feel they’ve been “pushed around” too much.

News

The drama surrounding the Dallas Metros continued into the summer of 1984 despite their appearance in the playoffs. Finally, on June 20, Del West stated he was growing tired of losing significant amounts of money on the Metros and that he would be actively looking to sell the team. West immediately received an offer from Jerry Drum, a multimillionaire from Milwaukee. “I’m intrigued by the offer but I’ll wait and see if a buyer steps up here in Dallas” said West.

In other news, league president Alan Garcia was approached by a potential ownership group from Kansas City about possible expansion. While Garcia maintained that the league is not currently looking to expand, he did meet with the group and stated that he was “significantly impressed” with their proposal.

1984 Lewis Cup Finals

There was much anticipation heading into the 1984 Lewis Cup Finals. The red-hot St. Louis Spirits prepared to face the Cinderella Long Island Concordes in an aviation-themed showdown. Game one in St. Louis was fairly lopsided as the well-rested Spirits  jumped to an early 4-0 lead. Long Island managed to score one in the third but it was too late as St. Louis took game one and a 1-0 lead. David Appleby scored a hat-trick in game two as the Spirits broke a 2-2 tie late in the third period to win game two 4-2. Heading home for the next two games, Long Island remained confident. “We just need to try to force them to play our game” said Stuart Burns. It was easier said than done. Appleby and the Spirits won game three 3-1, taking a commanding 3-0 series lead.  Just one win away from their second Lewis Cup, St. Louis came roaring out of the gate with Appleby and Grant Millen each scoring as the Spirits jumped to a 2-0 lead. After Bobby Sorel stopped a barrage of St. Louis shots, Brian Reese scored for Long Island to bring the game to 2-1. About six minutes later, Craig Davidson tied the game. With only three minutes remaining in the game, Doug Macintyre scored to put the Concordes ahead 3-2. Sorel stopped twelve shots in the dying minutes but failed to stop everything as Jay Cross amazingly tied it for St. Louis with just 1.4 seconds to go. Overtime did not last long, Niklas Ekberg beat Sorel just 39 seconds into the extra frame to give the Spirits their second Lewis Cup in three seasons. David Appleby was named playoff MVP once again, his 18 points in only twelve playoff games solidifying his status as one of the greatest playoff performers of all time as the Spirits completed one of the most impressive feats in PHL history, winning 14 straight playoff games and losing only one to take home the Lewis Cup.

1984 Playoffs

Coming off one of his better seasons in his career, David Appleby’s domination continued into the post-season, where the St. Louis Spirits faced surprisingly tough competition in the Dallas Metros. The Spirits were even forced to come back from a 3-0 deficit in game one, with Appleby leading the charge with two goals and an assist on Grant Millen’s overtime goal. Dallas put up a valiant effort throughout the remainder of the series, even forcing another overtime in game three, but clearly the blown lead in game one took the wind out of the Metros’ sails as St. Louis completed the sweep thanks in large part to Appleby’s six goals. There were two other sweeps in the first round, as Pittsburgh dispatched Montreal in four straight, while the Winnipeg Pioneers stunned the LA Wizards in a four-game sweep that included two overtime games. Craig Bush put up some of the best numbers of his young career for Boston in their series with Nova Scotia, but it would not be enough as the Bulldogs succumbed to the Claymores in six games. Bobby Sorel found his old form again for his new team as the Concordes defeated the Washington Generals in six games, while Ottawa won a very physical series against Philadelphia also in six games.

The Seattle Grey Wolves gave the defending champion Chicago Shamrocks all they could handle early in their first round series. After Chicago won game one in a 5-0 blowout, The Wolves took a 2-1 series lead after back-to-back overtime victories. Chicago managed to turn the series around after a big 4-1 road win before hanging on for a 4-2 series victory. Denver and California played the only seven-game series of the first round as the lead in the series shifted back and forth all the way to game seven in Denver. Jani Kaaleppi’s two-goal night in game seven gave Denver a 2-1 lead through most of the game while Andy Gray turned away a barrage of California shots in the final minutes before Guy Fisset finally sealed the victory with an empty netter.

Round two saw one of the biggest upsets in league history when Long Island shocked the heavily favored Pittsburgh Stingers in a four game sweep that saw the first three games go into overtime. Stuart Burns played a huge role in the upset, scoring three goals including the winner in game one, while Sorel continued his brick-wall performance in net. St. Louis took down Winnipeg also in a sweep with the dynamic duo of Appleby and Millen continuing to lead the way, while Nova Scotia managed to win a very gritty series with Ottawa in five games.

Perhaps the most underrated rivalry in the PHL was that between the Chicago Shamrocks and the Denver Bulls. Chicago/St. Louis had gotten most of the attention but the Shamrocks and Bulls found themselves facing each other five times since 1977 with three of those series going the full seven games. The two teams would meet again in the second round in 1984 and was an instant classic. Chicago took an early 2-0 series lead before the Bulls tied the series with back-to-back 4-2 wins in Denver. The Bulls then took 3-2 series lead in game five on an overtime goal from Brad Hewson. With an opportunity for Denver to close out the series at home in game six, the teams once again played into overtime, where disaster struck for the Bulls. Denver defenseman Kerry Patton attempted to clear a rebound in front of the net but missed the puck, when he pulled his stick back, he hit the puck directly into the net behind him, giving Chicago the win. The Shamrocks went on to take the series in game seven.

Chicago would ultimately fail to defend their title as they finally ran into David Appleby and the surging-hot St. Louis Spirits. The Spirits swept the Shamrocks in a series that was much closer than the four games would indicate, becoming the first team in PHL history to go undefeated all the way to the Lewis Cup Finals.

Meanwhile, the Nova Scotia Claymores hoped to finally return to the championship round for the first time since 1969. Their chances looked good when they took a 2-0 series lead over the Concordes. Long Island then responded with a 3-1 win at home in game three, and back-to-back overtime wins in games four and five. With a chance to advance to the Finals in game six, the Concordes did not disappoint the sellout crowd of 18200. Bobby Sorel was spectacular once again while Stuart Burns, Theo Sprouse, Craig Davidson and Brian Reese each scored as the Long Island Concordes advanced to the Lewis Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history.

Round One

Round Two

Round Three

1983-84

The Nova Scotia Claymores entered the 1983-84 season determined to prove their success the previous season was no fluke. 22-year-old rookie Harry Hayes led the charge for the Claymores as they once again took top spot in the Northeast Division with 100 points. Second-year goaltender Brent MacDonald also enjoyed a breakout year, setting a new team record with eight shutouts. Meanwhile, the Ottawa Beavers began to decline, finishing second once again with 88 points, while Montreal saw a steep decline, barely reaching the playoffs despite a big performance in goal from Victor Malmsten. The Royale just barely edged out the Detroit Mustangs on the final day of the regular season, finishing ahead of the Mustangs by one point. Quebec fell back out of the post-season picture as John Gage struggled to stay healthy throughout the season while Toronto endured one of the worst seasons in franchise history with only 18 wins.

Pittsburgh won the Atlantic Division again, thanks in large part to a 64-goal effort from Danny Stevenson. The “Battle of Pennsylvania” also finally got started when the teams engaged in a home-and-home series in December that saw a total of 17 fights over two games. The Stingers did struggle through January, losing six straight at one point. In an effort to spark his team and add some depth, GM Sam Greer made a trade with the Boston Bulldogs on January 24, acquiring winger Brad Bush in exchange for goaltender Ron Buckner. Buckner immediately made an impact in Boston, taking them from the basement to a playoff position during the final months of the season.

The blockbuster trade of the season took place at the trade deadline on February 20, when the Minnesota Lumberjacks traded their legendary goaltender Bobby Sorel to the Long Island Concords in exchange for budding star center Jakob Lundholm. The Lumberjacks were on the decline and made the decision to launch a rebuild right away. “It’s hard to believe it’s come to this.” Said a tearful Sorel. “I have so many great memories from Minnesota but I’m also excited about this new opportunity in Long Island.” Sorel stood on his head for the Concords as they won their last nine straight to finish with 83 points and entered the playoffs as the hottest team in the league.

In the Western Conference, Dave Appleby and the St. Louis Spirits once again won the Western Conference and the league regular season title as Appleby won the scoring title with 144 points. Grant Millen also enjoyed a career-high 113 points playing alongside Appleby. The Conference title did not come easily, however, as the Spirits found themselves in a dogfight with their rivals, the Chicago Shamrocks, for first place. The teams were slated to play each other the final week of the season and it was an instant classic. With St. Louis leading with seconds to go, Vladimir Gaganov tied the game with a hard wrist shot. The game went into overtime where Appleby beat Tim Massey to give the Spirits the win and ultimately, the League title. St. Louis’ opponent in the first round of the playoffs would be the Dallas Metros, who despite the off-ice drama surrounding the future of the franchise, improved to 34 wins and made the playoffs for the second time in franchise history.

The Pacific Division proved to be the weakest division once again, sending only three teams to the playoffs. LA led the division with 87 points despite Ray Fowler missing fifteen games with another concussion. Stuart Holly led the team almost single-handedly, scoring 52 goals. It was a tough season in Alberta, meanwhile, as both the Calgary Wranglers and the Edmonton Northern Lights missed the playoffs.

1983 Off-Season

1983 Entry Draft

The 1983 PHL Draft was another strong one thanks to another influx of European talent. Big defenseman Martin Denis was the first pick, going to Edmonton after a brilliant two-year junior career. Vancouver took the first European in the draft, selecting Swedish forward Karl Magnussen, while Detroit followed up with another Swede, Gustav Janssen. For the first time ever, two British players were selected as defenseman Brett Caldwell went to Seattle while forward Harry Hayes went to Nova Scotia. Hayes had been projected to be chosen high in the 1981 draft but temporarily retired from the game that season due to a family crises. Hayes returned to the Great Britain Hockey League for the 1982-83 season and finished third in scoring. California also created a stir selecting Czech goaltender Jaroslav Danek 21^st. The Nuggets hope they can find a way to bring Danek over from Communist Czechoslovakia.

1.      Edmonton – Martin Denis, D, CAN

2.      Dallas – Joe Pickard, F, CAN

3.      Toronto – Jonathan Stafford, F, CAN

4.      Vancouver – Karl Magnussen, F, SWE

5.      Detroit – Gustav Janssen, D, SWE

6.      Winnipeg – Dwayne Gibbons, D, CAN

7.      New York – Darian Higgins, F, USA

8.      Philadelphia – Craig Collins, D, USA

9.      Calgary – Trevor Ramsey, F, CAN

10.   LA (from Quebec) – Kevin Trainor, F, CAN

11.   Boston – Dan Bridges, F, CAN

12.   Long Island – Alex Malmqvist, F, SWE

13.   LA – Ari Hannula, G, FIN

14.   Minnesota – Jimmy Mason, D, USA

15.   Seattle – Brett Caldwell, D, GB

16.   Denver – Mike Loach, F, USA

17.   Montreal – Sylvain Landry, F, CAN

18.   Ottawa – Patrick Bedard, D, CAN

19.   Washington – Patrick Marsh, D, CAN

20.   Vancouver (from St. Louis) – Danny Crawford, D, USA

21.   California - Jaroslav Danek, G, CZE

22.   Nova Scotia – Harry Hayes, F, GB

23.   Pittsburgh – Rick Ball, D, CAN

24.   Chicago – Raymond Barnes, F, CAN

Notable Retirements:

Theo Howell, F, CHI, LA, 1968-1983

After eight mediocre seasons in Chicago, Howell was dealt to the LA Wizards, where he played an important supporting role to the Wizards star-studded core. Howell won two Lewis Cups with LA in 1977 and ’78.

Earl Sherman, D, DET, OTT, 1966-1983

Earl Sherman may have missed out on a dynasty, but in the end it gave him the opportunity to play a much bigger role and solidify himself as one of the all-time greatest defensive defensemen. Sherman won the Lewis Cup with Detroit in 1969, but was traded to Ottawa just weeks later. The Mustangs went on to win three more cups during the ‘70s while Sherman and the Beavers never quite got it done despite reaching the finals in 1977. Sherman was seen as a leader in Ottawa and retired as the all-time franchise leader in plus/minus.

Andy Poole, G, QUE, 1966-1983

Andy Poole retired after 17 PHL seasons, all with Quebec. Despite the Nationale’s struggles during his career, Poole was often the lone bright spot. However he was unable to shake an unfortunate pattern that would define his career, nearly every time Quebec did have success, it was with a different man in net, as David Zimmer led the Nationale to the finals in 1970 while rookie John Gage backstopped Quebec to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1982. Still hungry for the Lewis Cup, Poole plans to pursue a second hockey career either as a coach or GM.

Transactions

Dallas trades F Glenn Hammond to Montreal in exchange for G Scott Daffney.

The Metros hope Daffney will be their franchise goalie someday while Montreal adds some youth to their aging forward core with Hammond.

LA trades G Dennis Carter to Quebec in exchange for tenth overall draft pick.

With Carter’s prime well behind him, the three-time Lewis Cup champion will be a quality backup and mentor to Jon Gage. LA uses the pick to select Kevin Trainor, a junior hockey star who should be able to play immediately.

Vancouver trades D Dennis Beck to St. Louis in exchange for 20^th overall draft pick

Dennis Beck is traded for the second time in less than a year. After coming to Vancouver from Montreal, Beck moves on to St. Louis to strengthen their defensive depth. Vancouver uses the 20^th pick to select big American defenseman Danny Crawford.

News

Dallas Metros owner Del West raised some eyebrows in early June when he declared his struggling team was in deep financial trouble. Both West and PHL president Alan Garcia gave Metros fans an ultimatum that if attendance did not pick up, the team was in danger of relocation. “We have already received much interest from different cities in acquiring the Metros.” Said Garcia. “At this time our focus is on trying to keep the club in Dallas but that may change if we don’t see improvement.” It is rumored that Milwaukee, Kansas City, and Cleveland could be possible destinations should the Metros leave Texas.

In other news, the city of Winnipeg approved plans for a new 18,000 seat arena that will be the new home of the Pioneers beginning in the fall of 1985. The Pioneers have been playing in the Royal Auditorium, built in 1926, since the team was founded.