International Hockey League (1964-1980)
Tombstone
Born: 1964
Folded: Summer 1977
Re-Born: 1979
Folded Again: June 11, 1980
First Game: October 31, 1964 (L 7-3 @ Port Huron Flags)
Last Game: April 6, 1980 (T 1-1 vs. Kalamazoo Wings)
Turner Cup Champions: 1969, 1970 & 1976
Arena
Hara Arena (5,600)
Opened: 1964
Closed: 2016
Marketing
Team Colors: Scarlet, Royal & White
Ownership & Affiliation
FWIL FAVORITE
Dayton Gems Logo T-Shirt
This Dayton Gems design is also as a Crewneck or Hooded Sweatshirt, a 3/4 sleeve Raglan or a Women’s Tank Top from the guys at Old School Shirts!
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Background
The original Dayton Gems were a long-running minor league hockey promotion in the International Hockey League. The team won three Turner Cups as champs of the IHL during fourteen seasons of play.
The Gems went out of business in the summer of 1977. The IHL’s Columbus Owls quickly moved into Hara Arena for the 1977-78 season. But the Owls stayed only a few months in Dayton before leaving for Grand Rapids, Michigan in midseason.
After a full winter without hockey in 1977-78, the Gems were re-born as a new IHL franchise for the 1979-80 season. The new Gems played under the promotional slogan “The Second Coming”. Unfortunately, the new Gems … sucked. They had the worst record in the 10-team IHL at 28-45-7 and lost an estimated $200,000. General Manager Keith Sprunk told The Dayton Daily News (4/11/1980) that the things got so tight by the end of the 1979-80 season that the team ran out of pucks. The Gems were forced to use leftover Channel 22 promotional pucks from a giveaway night to finish out the season. The team folded again in the spring of 1980.
The Dayton Gems name and logo was revived by a minor league club that began play at Hara Arena in 2009. The modern-day Gems folded after three seasons of play in 2012. Hara Arena closed its doors in August 2016 after 52 years of operation.
Dayton Gems Shop
Hara Arena Dayton T-Shirt
Available Now at Old School Shirts!
Downloads
3-15-1972 Dayton Gems Roster Sheet
3-15-1972 Dayton Gems Program Insert
Links
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