Tombstone
Formed: 1945
Disbanded: June 4, 2001
First Game:
Last Game: May 26, 2001
Seasons: 56
States & Provinces: 24
(AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, Manitoba, MI, MN, MO, NE, NV, NY, OH, Ontario, PA, Quebec, TX, UT, WI, WV)
Leadership
President:
- December 1945 – April 1949: Gerald McHugh
Managing Director:
- June 1949 – June 1952: Fred Huber
Commissioner:
- June 1952 – June 1962: Frank Gallagher
- June 1962 – June 1969: Andy Mulligan
- June 1969 – December 1978: Bill Beagan
- December 1978 – June 1979: Frank Gallagher
- June 1979 – August 1983: Jack Riley
- September 1983 – May 1989: Bud Poile
- June 1989 – May 1994: Thomas Berry, Jr.
- June 1994 -June 1998: Robert Ufer
President & Chief Executive Officer
- July 1998 – June 2001: Douglas Moss
Attendance
The International Hockey League did not publish attendance records in its annual publications until 1991. Please contact us if you can help out with pre-1990 International Hockey League attendance data.
The IHL experienced explosive attendance growth in the mid-1990’s, bragging in 2000 that the circuit had “led all minor-professional leagues in average attendance the last eleven years”.12000-01 International Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book Within a year of that boast, the IHL was out of business and its wild 1990’s ride of continent-wide expansion and encroachment upon NHL cities is now viewed as a cautionary tale.
Comparing the IHL’s mid-decade surge in total attendance against its far more modest growth in average home attendance reinforces a viewpoint that its mid-decade surge was more a factor of over-expansion than core growth of most teams’ business.
IHL Total Attendance Trends 1990-2001
IHL Average Attendance Trends 1990-2001
*The 1990-91 Albany Choppers had a lower home average (2,307) than the 1991-92 Muskegon Lumberjacks. Since the Choppers disbanded in midseason, we are not counting them in this chart and instead noting Muskegon as having the lowest single-season average home attendance of the IHL’s final decade.
Trophy Case
James Gatschene Memorial Trophy (IHL Most Valuable Player)
| YEAR | PLAYER | POSITION | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946-47 | Herb Jones | Right Wing | Detroit Auto Club |
| 1947-48 | Lyle Dowel | Center | Detroit Bright's Goodyears |
| 1948-49 | Bob McFadden | Wing | Detroit Jerry Lynch |
| 1949-50 | Dick Kowcinak | Center | Sarnia Sailors |
| 1950-51 | John McGrath | Defenseman | Toledo Mercurys |
| 1951-52 | Ernie Dick | Center | Chatham Maroons |
| 1952-53 | Donnie Marshall | Center | Cincinnati Mohawks |
| 1953-54 | |||
| 1954-55 | Phil Goyette | Center | Cincinnati Mohawks |
| 1955-56 | George Hayes | Center | Grand Rapids Rockets |
| 1956-57 | Pierre Brilliant | Right Wing | Indianapolis Chiefs |
| 1957-58 | Pierre Brilliant | Right Wing | Indianapolis Chiefs |
| 1958-59 | Len Thorson | Center | Fort Wayne Komets |
| 1959-60 | Billy Reichert | Center | Minneapolis Millers |
| 1960-61 | Len Thorson | Center | Fort Wayne Komets |
| 1961-62 | Len Thorson | Center | Fort Wayne Komets |
| 1962-63 (Shared) | Len Thorson | Center | Fort Wayne Komets |
| 1962-63 (Shared) | Eddie Long | Right Wing | Fort Wayne Komets |
| 1963-64 | Len Thorson | Center | Fort Wayne Komets |
| 1964-65 | Chick Chalmers | Center | Toledo Blades |
| 1965-66 | Gary Schall | Center | Muskegon Mohawks |
| 1966-67 | Len Thorson | Center | Fort Wayne Komets |
| 1967-68 (Shared) | Len Thorson | Center | Fort Wayne Komets |
| 1967-68 (Shared) | Don Westbrooke | Right Wing | Dayton Gems |
| 1968-69 | Don Westbrooke | Right Wing | Dayton Gems |
| 1969-70 | Cliff Pennington | Center | Des Moines Oak Leafs |
| 1970-71 | Lyle Carter | Goaltender | Muskegon Mohawks |
| 1971-72 | Len Fontaine | Right Wing | Port Huron Flags |
| 1972-73 | Gary Ford | Center | Muskegon Mohawks |
| 1973-74 | Pete Mara | Center | Des Moines Capitols |
| 1974-75 | Gary Ford | Center | Muskegon Mohawks |
| 1975-76 | Len Fontaine | Center | Port Huron Flags |
| 1976-77 | Tom Mellor | Defenseman | Toledo Goaldiggers |
| 1977-78 | Dan Bonar | Center | Fort Wayne Komets |
| 1978-79 | Terry McDougall | Center | Fort Wayne Komets |
| 1979-80 | A Dumba | Right Wing | Fort Wayne Komets |
| 1980-81 | Marcel Comeau | Center | Saginaw Gears |
| 1981-82 | Brent Jarrett | Center | Kalamazoo Wings |
| 1982-83 | Claude Noel | Center | Toledo Goaldiggers |
| 1983-84 | Darren Jensen | Goaltender | Fort Wayne Komets |
| 1984-85 | Scott Gruhl | Left Wing | Muskegon Lumberjacks |
| 1985-86 | Darrell May | Goaltender | Peoria Rivermen |
| 1986-87 (Shared) | Jock Callander | Center | Muskegon Lumberjacks |
| 1986-87 (Shared) | Jeff Pyle | Left Wing | Saginaw Generals |
| 1987-88 | John Cullen | Center | Flint Spirits |
| 1988-89 | Dave Michayluk | Left Wing | Muskegon Lumberjacks |
| 1989-90 | Michel Mongeau | Center | Peoria Rivermen |
| 1990-91 | David Bruce | Left Wing | Peoria Rivermen |
| 1991-92 | Dmitri Kvartalnov | Left Wing | San Diego Gulls |
| 1992-93 | Tony Hrkac | Center | Indianapolis Ice |
| 1993-94 | Rob Brown | Center | Kalamazoo Wings |
| 1994-95 | Tommy Salo | Goaltender | Denver Grizzlies |
| 1995-96 | Stephane Beauregard | Goaltender | San Francisco Spiders |
| 1996-97 | Frederic Chabot | Goaltender | Houston Aeros |
| 1997-98 | Patrice Lefebvre | Right Wing | Las Vegas Thunder |
| 1998-99 | Brian Wiseman | Left Wing | Houston Aeros |
| 1999-00 (Shared) | Frederic Chabot | Goaltender | Houston Aeros |
| 1999-00 (Shared) | Nikolai Khabibulin | Goaltender | Long Beach Ice Dogs |
| 2000-01 | Norm Maracle | Goaltender | Orlando Solar Bears |
Garry F. Longman Memorial Trophy (IHL Rookie of the Year)
| YEAR | PLAYER | POSITION | TEAM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-62 | Dave Richardson | Left Wing | Fort Wayne Komets | |
| 1962-63 | John Gravel | Defenseman | Omaha Knights | |
| 1963-64 | Don Westbrooke | Right Wing | Toledo Blades | |
| 1964-65 | Bob Thomas | Right Wing | Toledo Blades | |
| 1965-66 | Frank Golembrosky | Right Wing | Port Huron Flags | |
| 1966-67 | Kerry Bond | Left Wing | Columbus Checkers | |
| 1967-68 | Gary Ford | Center | Muskegon Mohawks | |
| 1968-69 | Doug Volmar | Right Wing | Columbus Checkers | |
| 1969-70 | Wayne Zuk | Right Wing | Toledo Blades | |
| 1970-71 (Shared) | Corky Agar | Left Wing | Flint Generals | |
| 1970-71 (Shared) | Herb Howdle | Defenseman | Dayton Gems | |
| 1971-72 | Glenn Resch | Goaltender | Muskegon Mohawks | |
| 1972-73 | Danny Gloor | Center | Des Moines Capitols | |
| 1973-74 | Frank DeMarco | Left Wing | Des Moines Capitols | |
| 1974-75 | Rick Bragnalo | Center | Dayton Gems | |
| 1975-76 | Sid Veysey | Center | Fort Wayne Komets | |
| 1976-77 (Shared) | Ron Zanussi | Right Wing | Fort Wayne Komets | |
| 1976-77 (Shared) | Garth MacGuigan | Center | Muskegon Mohawks | |
| 1977-78 | Dan Bonar | Center | Fort Wayne Komets | |
| 1978-79 | Wes Jarvis | Center | Port Huron Flags | |
| 1979-80 | Doug Robb | Right Wing | Milwaukee Admirals | |
| 1980-81 | Scott Vanderburgh | Center | Kalamazoo Wings | |
| 1981-82 | Scott Howson | Center | Toledo Goaldiggers | |
| 1982-83 | Tony Fiore | Center | Flint Generals | |
| 1983-84 | Darren Jensen | Goaltender | Fort Wayne Komets | |
| 1984-85 | Gilles Thibaudeau | Center | Flint Generals | |
| 1985-86 | Guy Benoit | Center | Muskegon Lumberjacks | |
| 1986-87 | Michel Mongeau | Center | Saginaw Generals | |
| 1987-88 (Shared) | John Cullen | Center | Flint Spirits | |
| 1987-88 (Shared) | Ed Belfour | Goaltender | Saginaw Hawks | |
| 1988-89 | Paul Ranheim | Left Wing | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | |
| 1989-90 | Rob Murphy | Center | Milwaukee Admirals | |
| 1990-91 | Nelson Emerson | Center | Peoria Rivermen | |
| 1991-92 | Dmitri Kvartalnov | Left Wing | San Diego Gulls | |
| 1992-93 | Mikhail Shtalenkov | Goaltender | Milwaukee Admirals | |
| 1993-94 | Radek Bonk | Center | Las Vegas Thunder | |
| 1994-95 | Tommy Salo | Goaltender | Denver Grizzlies | |
| 1995-96 | Konstantin Shafranov | Right Wing | Fort Wayne Komets | |
| 1996-97 | Sergei Samsonov | Left Wing | Detroit Vipers | |
| 1997-98 | Todd White | Center | Indianapolis Ice | |
| 1998-99 | Marty Turco | Goaltender | Michigan K-Wings | |
| 1999-00 | Nils Ekman | Right Wing | Long Beach Ice Dogs & Detroit Vipers | |
| 2000-01 | Brian Pothier | Defenseman | Orlando Solar Bears |
Commissioner’s Trophy (IHL Coach of the Year)
| YEAR | COACH | TEAM |
|---|---|---|
| 1984-85 (Shared) | Rick Ley | Muskegon Lumberjacks |
| 1984-85 (Shared) | Pat Kelly | Peoria Rivermen |
| 1985-86 | Robbie Laird | Fort Wayne Komets |
| 1986-87 | Wayne Thomas | Salt Lake Golden Eagles |
| 1987-88 | Rick Dudley | Flint Spirits |
| 1988-89 (Shared) | Blair "B.J." McDonald | Muskegon Lumberjacks |
| 1988-89 (Shared) | Phil Russell | Muskegon Lumberjacks |
| 1989-90 | Darryl Sutter | Indianapolis Ice |
| 1990-91 | Bob Plager | Peoria Rivermen |
| 1991-92 | Kevin Constantine | Kansas City Blades |
| 1992-93 | Al Sims | Fort Wayne Komets |
| 1993-94 | Bruce Boudreau | Fort Wayne Komets |
| 1994-95 | Butch Goring | Denver Grizzlies |
| 1995-96 | Butch Goring | Utah Grizzlies |
| 1996-97 | John Van Boxmeer | Long Beach Ice Dogs |
| 1997-98 | John Torchetti | Fort Wayne Komets |
| 1998-99 | Dave Tippett | Houston Aeros |
| 1999-00 | Guy Charron | Grand Rapids Griffins |
| 2000-01 | Peter Horachek | Orlando Solar Bears |
Origins
The International Hockey League began play in the winter of 1945-46 with four teams in Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario. By the early 1950’s, the Canadian clubs had largely faded away and the IHL became a Midwestern bus league for much of its 56-year existence, with cities like Flint, Ft. Wayne, Muskegon and Toledo forming the league’s backbone.
Geographic Expansion
That began to change in 1984, when the IHL absorbed several clubs from the folding Central Hockey League, including the CHL’s former Salt Lake City, Utah club, the Golden Eagles. Salt Lake is over 1,600 miles from what was then the IHL’s easternmost franchise in Toledo, Ohio.
Major market expansion got under way in the late 1980’s and a speculative bubble in franchise valuations came along with it. In 1984, the IHL’s Muskegon Mohawks club changed hands for $1.00. A decade later in 1994 the league’s expansion fee was $6 million. Small market Midwestern clubs like Muskegon, Flint and Saginaw fell by the waysideas the IHL planted its flag in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, Orlando, San Francisco and beyond.
Demise
The IHL’s relationship with the NHL soured during the 1990’s, partly due to expansion into NHL markets like Chicago and Detroit. NHL clubs began shifting their farm club affiliations away from the IHL, depriving the league of crucial subsidies just as the league’s operational costs with cross-continental air travel and big city living exploded. The expansion bubble popped in the mid-1990’s after fees topped out around $7 million and the league went into a financial free fall in the latter part of the decade.
The IHL folded in the early summer of 2001. Six franchises – the Chicago Wolves, Grand Rapids Griffins, Houston Aeros, Manitoba Moose, Milwaukee Admirals and Utah Grizzlies – continued on and were absorbed into the American Hockey League.
International Hockey League Franchise List
| FRANCHISE | YEARS ACTIVE | TURNER CUP CHAMPIONS |
|---|---|---|
| Akron Americans | 1948-1949 | Never |
| Albany Choppers | 1990-1991 | Never |
| Atlanta Knights | 1992-1996 | 1994 |
| Chatham Maroons | 1949-1952 | 1950 |
| Chatham Maroons | 1963-1964 | Never |
| Chicago Wolves | 1994-2001 | 1998 & 2000 |
| Cincinnati Cyclones | 1992-2001 | Never |
| Cincinnati Mohawks | 1952-1958 | 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956 & 1957 |
| Cleveland Lumberjacks | 1992-2001 | Never |
| Colorado Rangers | 1987-1988 | Never |
| Columbus Checkers | 1966-1970 | Never |
| Columbus Golden Seals | 1971-1973 | Never |
| Columbus Owls | 1973-1977 | Never |
| Dayton Gems | 1964-1977 & 1979-1980 | 1969, 1970 & 1976 |
| Dayton Owls | 1977 | Never |
| Denver Grizzlies | 1994-1995 | 1995 |
| Denver Mavericks | 1959 | Never |
| Denver Rangers | 1988-1989 | Never |
| Des Moines Capitols | 1972-1975 | 1974 |
| Des Moines Oak Leafs | 1963-1972 | Never |
| Detroit Auto Club | 1945-1951 | 1946 |
| Detroit Bright's Goodyears | 1945-1959 | Never |
| Detroit Hettche | 1949-1952 | Never |
| Detroit Jerry Lynch | 1948-1949 | Never |
| Detroit Metal Mouldings | 1946-1948 | Never |
| Detroit Vipers | 1994-2001 | 1997 |
| Flint Generals | 1969-1985 | 1984 |
| Flint Spirits | 1985-1990 | Never |
| Fort Wayne Komets | 1952-1999 | 1963, 1965, 1973 & 1993 |
| Grand Rapids Griffins | 1996-2001 | Never |
| Grand Rapids Owls | 1977-1980 | Never |
| Grand Rapids Rockets | 1950-1956 | Never |
| Houston Aeros | 1994-2001 | 1999 |
| Huntington Hornets | 1956-1957 | Never |
| Indianapolis Checkers | 1984-1987 | Never |
| Indianapolis Chiefs | 1955-1962 | 1958 |
| Indianapolis Ice | 1988-1999 | 1990 |
| Johnstown Jets | 1953-1955 | Never |
| Kalamazoo Wings | 1974-1995 | 1979 & 1980 |
| Kansas City Blades | 1990-2001 | 1992 |
| Lansing Lancers | 1974-1975 | Never |
| Las Vegas Thunder | 1993-1999 | Never |
| Long Beach Ice Dogs | 1996-2000 | Never |
| Los Angeles Ice Dogs | 1995-1996 | Never |
| Louisville Blades | 1948-1949 | Never |
| Louisville Rebels | 1957-1960 | 1959 |
| Louisville Shooting Stars | 1953-1954 | Never |
| Manitoba Moose | 1996-2001 | Never |
| Marion Barons | 1953-1954 | Never |
| Michigan K-Wings | 1995-2000 | 1979 & 1980 (as Kalamazoo Wings) |
| Milwaukee Admirals | 1977-2001 | Never |
| Milwaukee Chiefs | 1952-1954 | Never |
| Milwaukee Clarks | 1948-1949 | Never |
| Milwaukee Falcons | 1959-1960 | Never |
| Minneapolis Millers | 1959-1963 | Never |
| Minnesota Moose | 1994-1996 | Never |
| Muncie Flyers | 1948-1949 | Never |
| Muskegon Lumberjacks | 1984-1992 | 1986 & 1989 |
| Muskegon Mohawks | 1965-1984 | 1968 |
| Muskegon Zephyrs | 1960-1965 | 1962 |
| Omaha Knights | 1959-1963 | Never |
| Orlando Solar Bears | 1995-2001 | 2001 |
| Peoria Prancers | 1982-1984 | Never |
| Peoria Rivermen | 1984-1996 | 1985 & 1991 |
| Phoenix Roadrunners | 1989-1997 | Never |
| Port Huron Flags | 1962-1971 & 1974-1981 | 1966 & 1971 |
| Port Huron Wings | 1971-1974 | 1972 |
| Quebec Rafales | 1996-1998 | Never |
| Russian Penguins | 1993-1994 | Never |
| Saginaw Gears | 1972-1983 | 1977 & 1981 |
| Saginaw Generals | 1985-1987 | Never |
| Saginaw Hawks | 1987-1989 | Never |
| St. Paul Saints | 1959-1963 | 1960 & 1961 |
| Salt Lake Golden Eagles | 1984-1994 | 1987 & 1988 |
| San Antonio Dragons | 1996-1998 | Never |
| San Diego Gulls | 1990-1995 | Never |
| San Francisco Spiders | 1995-1996 | Never |
| Sarnia Sailors | 1949-1951 | Never |
| Toledo Blades | 1963-1970 | 1964 & 1967 |
| Toledo Goaldiggers | 1974-1986 | 1975, 1978, 1982 & 1983 |
| Toledo Hornets | 1970-1974 | Never |
| Toledo Mercurys | 1947-1949 & 1950-1962 | 1948, 1951 & 1952 |
| Troy Bruins | 1951-1959 | Never |
| Utah Grizzlies | 1995-2001 | 1996 |
| Windsor Bulldogs | 1963-1964 | Never |
| Windsor Gotfredsons | 1945-1946 | Never |
| Windsor Hettche Spitfires | 1947-1949 | 1947 & 1949 (former as Spitfires) |
| Windsor Spitfires | 1945-1947 | 1947 & 1949 (latter as Hettche Spitfires) |
| Windsor Staffords | 1946-1948 | Never |
| Windsor Ryan Cretes | 1948-1950 | Never |
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2 Responses
“Russian Penguins” Is actualy CSKA Moscow also known as Central Red Army. They had a penguin on their jersey due to an sponsership deal with Pittsburgh.