1987-88 Regular Season

Like its predecessor, the 1987-88 season was about milestones. Danny Stevenson and Stuart Holly both joined the 700-goal club, while David Appleby spent most of the first half of the year chasing Gilbert Giroux for fourth on the all-time points list. Appleby tied Giroux on November 8 just before going into an out-of-character four-game scoring drought. The superstar forward admitted he was starting to feel the pressure. “I just need to break this thing so I’ll stop thinking about it” said Appleby. “I know It’s getting to me and that’s affecting my game, but it’s coming, I know its coming.” It finally came on November 19 against the Denver Bulls when Appleby’s pass to Niklas Ekberg found the back of the net, giving Appleby 1602 career points, good enough for fourth place all-time. Appleby finished with 98 points on the year, just four points shy of scoring champion Vladimir Gaganov as the Spirits once again clinched first overall in the league.

In the wake of their inspiring 1987 playoff run, the Nova Scotia Claymores also enjoyed a big year from Dave Mack, who scored 42 goals, as well as brilliant goaltending once again from Brent MacDonald, who took home the Whyte Trophy while the Claymores finished first in the Eastern Conference and second overall in the league.

After a series of off-season moves, the Long Island Concordes enjoyed the first 100-point season in their history and had many of their fans dreaming of a Lewis Cup parade across Long Island. “It’s taken us just over a decade but I think we finally have all the right pieces in place to get the job done” said head coach Cam Norton. Long Island’s success was mostly attributed to a huge year from captain Stuart Burns, who finished fourth on PHL scoring with 91 points. In their first season under Jacques Corbet, the Pittsburgh Stingers slid just slightly in the standings, finishing third in the Eastern Conference. Danny Stevenson led the team in scoring for the 16^th year in a row, while Nate Carroll, who had changed his mind about retirement, also played some of his best hockey, scoring 74 points. Rookie coach Gary Shantz guided the Bulldogs to a 6^th place finish in his first season in Boston, while his predecessor, Bill Truman, managed to find work as the GM of the new Kansas City franchise. In Quebec, the Nationale found themselves back in the playoffs for the first time since 1983 thanks to a big performance from goaltender John Gage. The battle of Quebec also heated up again on January 8 when the Vincent Ducharme and the Royale visited. With Montreal up 3-0 late in the third period, rugged Nationale winger Troy Dowdy threw Ducharme violently into the boards from behind, sidelining him for ten games. Dowdy was suspended for three games but returned to the lineup in time to face the Royale again on February 16 in Montreal. Dowdy took on Silvain Landry in a spirited second period fight before the main event took place between heavyweights Roy Priest of Quebec and Ron Borden of Montreal. Royale head coach Don Shelburne was quick to slam the Nationale and their head coach, JP Boisvert; “That’s just the kind of gutless play I expect from them, a team that wouldn’t matter anyway if not for their goaltending.” Boisvert was quick to respond; “It’s a little ironic to hear him talk about gutless when he’s built a career on tanking seasons and joining teams that were pre-built for him.” Commentator Ben Williams summed it up best; “Boy I hope these two teams meet in the playoffs.”

In the Western Conference, St. Louis and Seattle once again ruled their divisions, but Milwaukee made a strong push, finishing just six points shy of their first conference title. The “Bulldozer Line” of Bruce Gratton, Travis Curry, and Mike Flemming proved to be one of the deadliest combinations in hockey, combining for 223 points, while Scott Daffney’s effort in net was nothing short of spectacular. Edmonton returned to the post-season while LA dropped back out, and Chicago, despite a record-breaking year from Vladimir Gaganov, dropped down to seventh place in the Western Conference. The Winnipeg Pioneers, with the PHL’s only all-Canadian roster, scratched and clawed their way to fifth place despite losing star goalie Pascal Renaud to Long Island in the off-season. The gritty Pioneers now faced a first-round matchup not for the faint of heart, against the hard-hitting Edmonton Northern Lights. “We’ve been playing that way all year” said Pioneers captain Adam Hanson. “That’s how the game should be played, fast and tough. We can’t wait to get this series going.”

Kansas City, Miami Approved as PHL Franchises

On September 1, 1987, PHL Commissioner Alan Garcia made the announcement everybody was waiting for. Kansas City and Miami would be accepted as expansion franchises for the 1989-90 season, bringing the league to 26 teams. Kansas City had been pursuing a franchise throughout the 1980s, while Miami had been a fairly recent bid, beating out another strong bid from Cleveland. "It's exciting to be able to welcome Kansas City and Miami to our league" said Garcia. "We had some difficult choices to make as there were some very good options out there but we're confident that we made the right decision."

The league assembled a committee to determine the top three expansion bids, before Garcia and the board of governors chose the two winning cities. Kansas City earned the most votes with 11, while Miami and Cleveland tied for second with 9 each. In the end, Miami was chosen over Cleveland in an effort to expand the PHL's footprint into the American southeast and to add a major emerging television market. "A lot of people have been questioning Miami as a hockey market" said deputy commissioner Darryl Byrd. "I say why not? Look at the success LA has had in a non-traditional market. It's obvious, given their success in baseball, that Mr Cruz and his people are committed to building a winning tradition  and I don't believe the hockey team will be any different."

The announcement comes as a disappointment for Cleveland in particular. "It was a tough decision to exclude Cleveland again this time" said Garcia. "The city of Cleveland will be a high priority in the next round of expansion, as well as any possible franchise relocations in the coming seasons."

Ken Milliken said the Kansas City franchise was very close to deciding on a name and would likely have a logo and uniforms by the summer of 1988. Cruz said there is no timetable yet for Miami's identity, but the team hopes to at least have a name chosen by next summer.

1987 Off-Season

1987 Entry Draft

Although the 1987 PHL Entry Draft was not nearly as deep as the ’86 Draft, there was still plenty of talent available. Calgary selected American forward Drew Atwood number one. With a 1968 birthday, Atwood just missed the age cut off in 1986, making him one of the oldest players in the draft. He had already enjoyed a very productive year of college hockey, scoring 45 goals. The rest of the draft was dominated by defensemen. Twelve defensemen were taken in the first round, half of the players selected. Quebec took the top D-man, selecting tough, hard-hitting Scott Harrison, while New York also selected their future franchise defenseman, Ryan Evans. One of the more interesting picks was Milwaukee’s Syong Li, the PHL’s first player of Asian descent. Li’s parents were refugees from Korea during the Korean War living in Montreal, where Li was born in 1969.

1.      Calgary – Drew Atwood, F, USA

2.      Quebec – Scott Harrison, D, CAN

3.      New York – Ryan Evans, D, CAN

4.      Denver – Brett Norris, F, USA

5.      Toronto – Trevor Hudson, D, CAN

6.      California – Marcus Ohlsson, F, SWE

7.      Ottawa – Luke Baker, D, CAN

8.      Edmonton – Brent Caldwell, D, CAN

9.      Montreal – Daniel Herder, F, GER

10.   Detroit – Travis Lindsay, F, USA

11.   Minnesota – Jared Morton, D, USA

12.   Vancouver – Mats Carlsson, D, SWE

13.   Washington – Jarri Kaila, F, FIN

14.   Boston – Nick Boyd, F, CAN

15.   LA – Clifford Dexter, D, USA

16.   Winnipeg – Josh Powell, G, USA

17.   Long Island – Daniel Ostrom, D, SWE

18.   Philadelphia – Kevin Peters, F, CAN

19.   Milwaukee – Syong Li, F, CAN

20.   Chicago – Carl Leblanc, D, CAN

21.   Nova Scotia – Jake Meyer, D, CAN

22.   Seattle – Jeff Poole, D, USA

23.   Pittsburgh – Darryl Goodwin, F, USA

24.   St. Louis – Sheldon Cox, F, CAN

Notable Retirements:

Freddie Huff – D, NYC, 1968 – 1987

For nearly two decades, Freddie Huff served as the heart and soul of the New York Civics. When the Civics drafted Huff second overall in 1968, they were not a playoff team. Huff led the team to the Lewis Cup finals twice in 1973 and ’75, leading them to victory in 1975. Huff retires as one of the highest-scoring defensemen in PHL history.

Kirk Saunders – F, DET, 1968 – 1987

Another superstar from the famously deep inaugural entry draft in 1968, Kirk Saunders made an immediate impact on the Detroit Mustangs, helping them to two consecutive Lewis Cups in his first two seasons. As his career went on, Saunders became a leader in Detroit as the Mustangs became one of the PHL’s most powerful dynasties through the early ‘70s. In the latter half of his career, Saunders became a valuable leader and mentor to Detroit’s younger players.

Denis Carter – G, LA, QUE, 1969-1987

Denis Carter was drafted by the Wizards as they entered the PHL in the 1969 merger with the Global league. Carter eventually became one of the best goaltenders in the league, backstopping the LA dynasty during the late 1970s. Carter finished his career in Quebec, serving in a tandem with talented young goalie John Gage.

Tim Douglas – F, WPG, MTL, 1969 – 1987

The first franchise player the Pioneers ever had, Tim Douglas played a key role in turning Winnipeg from a lowly expansion team in the late ‘60s, to division winners by 1971. Unfortunately, Douglas never managed to win a championship in Winnipeg.  Douglas was traded to Montreal in 1977, where he spent the remainder of his career.

Notable Trades

Seattle trades F Kyle Gray to Toronto in exchange for F Ted Lovell.

The Grey Wolves establish themselves as a primary Lewis Cup contender with the addition of veteran Lovell. Toronto adds a solid prospect in Gray.

Seattle trades F Filip Holmgren to Ottawa in exchange for F Eric Bridges.

The Grey Wolves make room for incoming Ted Lovell by dealing Holmgren to Ottawa. Bridges adds depth for the Wolves while Holmgren gives the Beavers a solid young player.

Long Island trades F Ulf Linden to California in exchange for F Alan Chadwick.

The Nuggets get a potential superstar in Linden, while Long Island gets an established star player in Chadwick as they load up for a run.

Key Free Agents

Pascal Renaud (WPG) signs 4-year deal with Long Island worth $ 1 Million/year.

Renaud becomes only the second millionaire goaltender in PHL history.

Dennis Aguilar (NYC) signs 3-year deal with Pittsburgh worth $700,000/year.

Pittsburgh adds veteran depth in an attempt to make one more run.

Ron Borden (CGY) signs 3-year deal with Montreal worth $400,000/year.

Montreal adds a much-needed enforcer to protect Vincent Ducharme.

News

Bids were formally submitted for expansion beginning in January, 1987. By June, the league had received official bids from eight cities including Kansas City, Miami, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Houston, Atlanta, Portland, and Oakland. The city of Hamilton had also been pursuing a franchise, but without a prospective owner to front the bid, they were forced to back out. Deputy Commissioner Darryl Byrd would oversee the expansion committee beginning on July 1, 1987.

Former Montreal Royale head coach Jacques Corbet finally found a new job after two years of unemployment, signing with the Pittsburgh Stingers following Bob King’s retirement. After a disappointingly slow rebuild, Boston fired coach/GM Bill Truman, replacing him with former college coach Gary Shantz and GM Bob Canton.

In Halifax, Claymores owner Jim MacDonald made an official request to the city of Halifax and the province of Nova Scotia for funding for a new arena. The Claymores have played in the 13,000-seat Barrington Arena since their inception in 1959. At the start of the summer, Commissioner Alan Garcia stated that several PHL teams would need new arenas in the very near future.

PHL Logo Update

Just two weeks after the 1987 Finals, The PHL unveiled an updated logo. The logo carries over elements from the one used since 1969, but has been simplified. "We feel that this is an exciting time for this league." said deputy commissioner Darryl Byrd, the man behind the redesign. "We're about to celebrate our 50th anniversary, we're about to add two new franchises, and we've had an influx of very talented athletes join the league in the last few years. The new logo is representative of all of that."

To go with the new logo, the league also updated it's all-star uniforms. The new logo is front and center on the jerseys with stars running up the sleeves and across the waist on both uniforms. The league will continue with the East vs West format it has used since the 1969 merger.

1987 Lewis Cup Finals

The 1987 Lewis Cup Finals would pit the St. Louis Spirits, a team looking for their fourth title in six seasons, against the Nova Scotia Claymores, a team looking for their first title in twenty years. The Claymores run to the finals further established their cult-like following across Canada’s east coast as devout fans from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia to St. John’s, Newfoundland and everywhere in between made the journey to Halifax throughout the playoffs to watch “Atlantic Canada’s Team”.

Nova Scotia even had fans across the continent as the finals began, as fans became tired of St. Louis’ domination. This did not bother the Spirits, however, who willingly embraced the “villain” role. “We really couldn’t care less what other fans are saying.” Said Grant Millen the morning of Game one. “The way I see it, if fans outside our city hate us, we’re doing something right. It’s going to be quite a series.”

 The Spirits set the tone for the series early on, winning games one and two at home with David Appleby and Grant Millen continuing to carry the team. Back in Halifax for game three, the teams were welcomed by an enormous “Let’s Go Claymores!” banner hanging from the McDonald Bridge. The Barrington Arena nearly shook itself to pieces with the deafening crowd noise throughout the game as Harry Hayes scored twice, while Dave Mack, Jim McCarthy, and Doug Lyons each scored as well in a 5-3 Nova Scotia win. Game two would go into overtime as Brent MacDonald and Jaroslav Danek both stood on their heads in the nets, keeping their teams alive. Halfway through overtime number two, The Halifax crowd reached a whole new level of loud when longtime captain and fan-favorite Russell Buchanan ended the game with a breakaway goal. The series was now a best-of-three.

Heading back home for game five, St. Louis knew they needed a big performance from their dynamic duo to regain control of the series. David Appleby was held to just one goal in Halifax as the Claymores checkers did a brilliant job shutting him down while Grant Millen was held to just one assist. It was Millen who stepped up for the Spirits in game five, scoring twice and adding an assist on a Niklas Ekberg goal as St. Louis regained the series lead with a 4-2 victory. The St. Louis crowd game their team a standing ovation in the hopes that the Spirits would return from Nova Scotia with their fourth Lewis Cup.

Game six was another tight one, with St. Louis opening the scoring on a goal from Ekberg before Mack tied it up for the Claymores. Toward the end of the second period, Owen Kennedy gave Nova Scotia the lead on a tipped point shot. The Crowd was deafening throughout the third period as the Claymores nursed their fragile 2-1 lead. With under seven minutes to go, Millen suddenly tied the game with a goal from an impossible angle on the goal line. Seconds later, Appleby was sprung on a breakaway. The crowd held its breath as MacDonald made a spectacular save to keep Nova Scotia alive. With 2:20 to go in regulation, it looked the game was headed to overtime once again, until former Washington General James Russell knocked in a bouncing puck to give the Claymores the lead. St. Louis pressed for the tying goal but simply could not solve MacDonald nor overcome the emotion in the once again shaking arena. Dave Mack slid the puck into the empty net to seal the 4-2 victory and send the series to game seven in St. Louis.

Game seven started out as the epic showdown it was supposed to be, with the teams skating to an intense scoreless tie through the first half of the game. Halfway through the second period, Grant Millen came up big once again, giving St. Louis the lead before Appleby made it 2-0 three minutes later. By the third period, Nova Scotia had run out of gas. Adam Lawless and Doug Pittman each scored for the Spirits in a convincing 4-0 win. The Spirits were Lewis Cup Champions for the fourth time in franchise history. Grant Millen was named playoff MVP, marking the first Spirits victory where someone besides Appleby claimed the honour. For Nova Scotia, it was a disappointing end to a fantastic run. One week after the loss, the city of Halifax held a parade for the Claymores to celebrate their successful season where Russell Buchanan promised the crowd another parade in the future, this time with the Lewis Cup.

1987 Playoffs

 The first round of the 1987 Lewis Cup Playoffs was uneventful and predictable. No series in the Western Conference went more than five games with the favoured team winning each one. St. Louis swept the young Minnesota Lumberjacks in four straight, Seattle defeated their Pacific Northwest rivals Vancouver in five, Chicago took down Stuart Holly and the Wizards in five, and the Milwaukee Choppers ousted Winnipeg also in five games.

In the East, Vincent Ducharme’s post-season debut was short-lived, as the Royale succumbed to the Pittsburgh Stingers in a sweep. Boston also stunned the Long Island Concordes in a sweep, the only real upset in the first round.

Not every series was so lopsided, however. In a repeat of 1986, Nova Scotia defeated Detroit in six games with goaltender Brent MacDonald turning in an incredible performance. Philadelphia and Washington played a very close, hard-fought series with the Generals jumping to a 3-2 series lead. The Redshirts then stormed back, winning game six 5-3. Antero Parvainen played brilliantly while Gary Johnson scored twice in game seven as the Redshirts took the series with a 7-2 victory.

Philadelphia advanced to face the Claymores in the second round. They put up a good fight, winning games two and five, but ultimately could not solve MacDonald as Nova Scotia advanced in six games. Elsewhere in the East, the Pittsburgh Stingers faced the Boston Bulldogs in a classic six-game series. Four of the six games went into overtime. Boston appeared to be on their way to a second upset after taking a 2-1 series lead, before Danny Stevenson and Dave Breedon put the Stingers on their backs, scoring ten goals between the two of them and carrying the team to an intense six game series victory.

In the West, Chicago and Seattle found themselves locked in a 2-2 tie after the first four games. Seattle’s Jake Fairbanks had been injured in game one, but returned to score the overtime winner in game five to give the Wolves a 3-2 series lead. Thanks to a hat-trick from Vladimir Gaganov, Chicago won game six 4-3 to force a game seven in Seattle. Game seven proved to be a triple-overtime epic. Goaltenders Gary Blakeburn for Chicago and Brian Westin for Seattle turned away shot after shot as the game extended into the early morning hours. Finally, with two minutes left in the third OT, Grey Wolves captain Pete Holloway beat Blakeburn in a scramble in front of the net to end the game and the series in Seattle’s favour.

In a rematch of the 1986 Western Conference Final, The St. Louis Spirits met the Milwaukee Choppers in what was projected by many to be a classic matchup. Milwaukee stunned the favoured Spirits in game one with a 6-4 win. In game two, Grant Millen proved to be the hero as St. Louis prevailed 5-4 in overtime. The Spirits never looked back after that. David Appleby and Grant Millen carried St. Louis through three more one-goal games as the Spirits advanced to the Western Conference Final in a hard-fought five-game victory.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, The Nova Scotia Claymores faced the powerful Pittsburgh Stingers. The Stingers were on a mission with both head coach Bob King and star forward Nate Carroll saying they would retire at the conclusion of the playoffs. After the first four games, the teams were tied at two games apiece. In game five, the teams battled through a tough 2-2 tie into the third period before Carroll jammed the puck past Brent MacDonald to give the Stingers a 3-2 victory on home ice. When the game ended, the Pittsburgh crowd gave Carroll a standing ovation. The Stingers were determined to close out the series in Halifax in game six, while the Claymores were equally determined to extend their season. “We just have to dig deep and find a way to get this done” said Claymores captain Russell Buchanan, who was about to retire himself after 19 seasons. Game six belonged to Pittsburgh early on when Dave Breedon and Danny Stevenson each scored to give the Stingers a 2-0 lead. The Claymores scored again but were quickly answered, making the score 3-1. In the third period, Dave Mack scored a big goal early to bring the Stingers’ lead to one. Then, with ten minutes to go in the game, defenseman Doug Lyons tied it up with a hard shot from the point. As the clock wound down, Owen Kennedy stunned Jakob Martensson with a hard wrist shot to give Nova Scotia the lead with less than three minutes left. Pittsburgh pulled Martensson only to have Mack score on the empty net to seal the victory. Game seven in Pittsburgh was another close game, going to overtime with the teams tied 4-4. Just four minutes into the extra frame, Mack took a beautiful pass in front of the net from James Russell and flipped it past Martensson to end the game and send Nova Scotia to the Lewis Cup Finals. “This is a tough one to take.” Said an emotional Nate Carroll. “It’s just not the way I wanted it to end.” Dave Mack’s goal became the most important moment in Nova Scotian sports history, with a photo of the goal appearing on Nova Scotian postcards almost immediately.

In the West, St. Louis found themselves in a tight spot as the Seattle Grey Wolves jumped to a 3-1 series lead. Surprisingly, it was not David Appleby but Grant Millen who responded with a huge performance in game five, scoring four goals in an 8-4 Spirits win. Both Appleby and Millen turned in a huge performance in game six, each scoring twice in a 5-3 win. Game seven in St. Louis was not even close. Appleby and Kevin Cummins scored the first two goals before Millen scored his second hat-trick of the series as the Spirits skated to a 5-2 win to advance to the Lewis Cup Finals for the fourth time in six seasons.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

1986-87 Regular Season

At the conclusion of the 1985-86 season, Stuart Holly stood just 32 points away from catching former teammate Gilbert Giroux for third in the all-time PHL scoring race. Holly’s production had declined dramatically in recent years, especially since former linemate Ray Fowler suddenly announced his retirement. However, as the 1986-87 season began, Holly seemed to find his game again. The 36-year-old wasted no time passing Giroux, scoring the game-winner at home against Seattle to reach 1602 career points, good enough for third all-time. Later in the year, Holly also dethroned Giroux as the PHL’s assist king with his 1006^th career helper on the final day of the regular season. Holly’s milestone-filled year, along with a big rookie season from Viktor Skogg, and a breakout year from goaltender Ari Hannula propelled LA to an unexpected playoff appearance as they finished second in the Pacific Division. In Montreal, Vincent Ducharme’s incredible debut was enough to push the Royale back into the playoffs. Ducharme set a new mark for goals by a rookie with 78, finishing the year with 159 points. Montreal also benefited from a full year of coaching from a healthy Don Shelburne, who guided the team from the league basement to the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference in less than four months.

In the Central, Minnesota enjoyed a fantastic season from their own super rookie, Jason Crowley. Crowley, a St. Paul native, scored 41 goals in his first year. However, it was his fight with New York’s Dennis Aguilar on January 5 that made him an instant fan-favorite. Thanks to Crowley’s efforts, the Lumberjacks returned to the post-season for the first time since 1983.

In St. Louis, David Appleby enjoyed his most dominating regular season yet, becoming the first player in PHL history to score 100 goals in a single season. On March 26, 1987 in Milwaukee, Appleby joined the exclusive 700-goal club and moved up to third on the all-time goal-scoring list as he led the Spirits back to first overall in the league. Pittsburgh also returned to first place in their Division, just barely edging out rival Philadelphia by three points. Stingers head coach Bob King announced just prior to the playoffs that he would retire at the conclusion of the post-season. With an aging roster as well, there was an overwhelming feeling that Pittsburgh’s window of opportunity to win another championship was closing.