North American Hockey League (1974-1976)
Tombstone
Born: 1974 – Cape Cod Cubs re-brand as Cape Codders
Folded: February 13, 1976
First Game: October 18, 1974 (T 4-4 @ Mohawk Valley Comets)
Last Game: February 11, 1976 (L 7-5 vs. Beauce Jaros)
NAHL Championships: None
Arena
Cape Cod Coliseum (5,000)11974-75 Cape Codders Program
Opened: 1972
Closed: 1984
Branding
Team Colors: Cranberry Red, Sandy White & Ocean Blue
Radio (1974-75): WOCB (1240 AM and 94.9 FM)
Broadcasters: Jon Wetterlow & Ed Lambton
Ownership & Affiliation
Owner: William Harrison
WHA Affiliation: Cleveland Crusaders & New England Whalers
Best Seller
We earn commissions from purchases made through links in this post
Cape Codders 1974-1976 T-Shirt
Available Now at Vintage Ice Hockey!
Background
Cape Cod is one of the top seaside destinations in the Northeast, a summer home to actors, musicians, authors and Kennedys. During the winter offseason, though, it’s a sleepy place and tumbleweeds blow through the quiet Main Streets of Hyannis, Chatham and Provincetown. But for a brief stretch in the 1970’s and early 1980’s, a string of promoters tried to make a go of professional hockey on the Cape.
The catalyst for these odd ventures was the construction of the Cape Cod Coliseum in 1972. The Coliseum played host to same great concerts over the years, including The Grateful Dead, KISS, The Clash, Van Halen and others. But arenas need anchor tenants to fill dates between concerts and thus the desire for pro hockey. Four different teams tried to make a go of it at the Coliseum between 1972 and 1983, but none lasted more than two seasons: the Cubs, the Cape Codders, the Freedoms and the Buccaneers.
The Codders were the second effort and were owned by William Harrison, who also owned the financially-troubled Coliseum in the mid-1970’s. In 1974, the Codders replaced the Cape Cod Cubs in the North American Hockey League, the brawl-crazy minor league loop that inspired the movie Slap Shot. The Codders served as a farm club for both the Cleveland Crusaders and the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association, which was a rival to the NHL during the 1970’s.
The Codders were continually plagued by money problems during their brief existence. Midway through the Codders’ first season in 1974-75, William Harrison announced he was closing the Cape Cod Coliseum immediately, which would have left the club homeless. But Harrison subsequently cobbled together some additional financing and kept the place open. The Codders finished their first season 32-38-4 under Head Coach Larry Kish and made the Lockhart Cup playoffs. They lost in the first round to the Johnstown Jets.
The End
The problems continued into the Codders second season in the winter of 1975-76. The team was briefly shuttered for a few days in December 1975 with both the franchise and the building on the verge of bankruptcy. Local boosters scraped together enough funding to revive the team a few days later, but it was enough to see out the season. The Codders staggered through another six weeks before running out of money again in mid-February 1976. This time the NAHL terminated the franchise for good. The Codders folded with 22 game remaining on their 1975-76 schedule.
The Coliseum muddled along for another eight years before closing in 1984 and becoming a warehouse for Christmas Tree Shops.
Cape Codders Shop
Codders Logo T-Shirt
Available from Vintage Ice Hockey
Cape Codders Hoodie Sweatshirt
Order Today at Vintage Ice Hockey
Links
###
