Editor’s note: Throughout November, the Pucks and Recreation staff will alphabetically recount every state’s most memorable all-round hockey calendar year. The third installment of the five-part series covers Massachusetts through New Jersey. In descending priority, we will take into account achievements by major professional, college, minor professional and junior teams plus players born or raised in a given state.
Massachusetts: 1972
Of the six times Boston has hosted an NCAA men’s hockey championship, a Beanpot school has triumphed but once. The Boston University Terriers defended their 1971 crown at the old Garden by blanking Cornell, 4-0.
BU’s victory over the Big Red also avenged a loss in the 1967 final at the hands of Ken Dryden. Ironically, in 1971, the Cornell-educated goalie denied the Bruins a Stanley Cup repeat as a Montreal rookie sensation. But Bobby Orr and company bounced back in 1972 for their second title in three years.
Beantown even had its best minor-league hockey year in 1972. The 1971-72 season marked the first of three for the AHL’s Boston Braves. The Bruins’ affiliate and Garden cohabitant finished first in the East Division that year.
When those teams came back to defend their distinctions, local fans had yet another ticket to choose from in the WHA’s New England Whalers. The new major-league team went 24-15-1 in its first calendar year, presaging its 1973 Avco Cup victory. – Al Daniel
Michigan: 1998
Detroit-area fans went from starved to spoiled in the latter half of the ’90s. In 1996, the Michigan Wolverines ended a 32-year NCAA title drought. The next year, the Red Wings won their first Cup in 42 years while the Detroit Vipers claimed the market’s first IHL crown since 1946.
All of those elements came to a near-overflow in 1998. The Wolverines added to their all-time lead with their ninth national banner. The Wings kept Lord Stanley with their second consecutive final-series sweep. And the Vipers fell one win shy of their own repeat, pushing the top-dog Chicago Wolves to a Game 7. – A.D.
Minnesota: 2003
Jenny Potter’s Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs three-peated as NCAA women’s champions. To embolden the flavor, they secured the title in their own building, vanquishing Harvard on Nora Tallus’ double-overtime goal.
On the men’s side, the Golden Gophers defended their own title, with Thomas Vanek piloting the charge past New Hampshire. The future NHL mainstay broke a 1-1 tie in the third period, setting off a decisive flood toward a 5-1.
And in the pros, the State of Hockey’s three-year-old NHL mulligan, the Wild, reached the third round in the franchise’s first playoff run. They surmounted a 3-1 series deficit to top the potent Colorado Avalanche, then reprised the feat to vanquish Vancouver.
That blissful spring defined what would have otherwise been the bitter 10-year anniversary of the North Stars’ departure. – A.D.
Mississippi: 1992
Sometimes the smallest teams can have a lasting impact on a sporting community.
The Mississippi RiverKings are not a large franchise, but have had a continued hockey presence for 25 years. This is no small feat, given how difficult it is to break into a market that is so traditionally football-centered.
The RiverKings originated in Memphis, but always built a substantial portion of their fan base across the border. They have since moved across that border, changed their dateline and look poised to continue to build on their hockey tradition for years to come. With the NHL unlikely to find its way to the state, it will remain on them to give the sport some relevancy.
Even if their impact is just introducing hockey to fans, you never know where the next great NHLer could come from. One day there might be a top draft pick who saw their first hockey game watching the RiverKings. – Eugene Helfrick
Missouri: 1967
With 1967 expansion, Missouri gained its one lasting NHL franchise in the form of the St. Louis Blues. Previously, the St. Louis Eagles had a one-season stay in 1933-34. The Kansas City Scouts would later come and go after two.
Conversely, the impact of the 50-year-old Blues franchise on Missouri and the NHL runs deep. Despite never winning a Stanley Cup, the Blues have a highly successful track record on and off the ice. They have carved a deep niche in a market that Rams owner Stan Kroenke deemed a “two team city.”
It’s hard to know if an NHL team would have eventually come to St. Louis. But by finding their way into the league relatively early on, they made themselves an institution in both the sport and the state. – E.H.
Montana: 1978
With the Billings Bighorns, Montana had major-junior hockey in the Western League for five seasons. (The Bighorns also briefly had an intrastate rival in Great Falls, which logged a 28-game lifespan in 1979-80.)
Now the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash., the Bighorns made their debut campaign their best. They nabbed the final playoff spot with an unremarkable 32-31-9 record, then went on a stunning tear.
After going 6-2 in a preliminary round, they swept Medicine Hat and took three of four games in a three-party semifinal. The dynastic New Westminster Bruins bucked Billings’ dream in the final, sweeping toward their fourth straight President’s Cup. But with a cumulative 13-7 spring record, the 1978 Bighorns showed Montanans what sets playoff hockey apart. – A.D.
Nebraska: 2006
Nebraska does not normally emit a big hockey vibe, as no professional teams have stayed for long. But at least in 2006, the AHL’s Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights were present for the full calendar year.
Elsewhere, the USHL has found a steady home in Nebraska. And in 2006, all three of the state’s teams reached the playoffs, with the Lincoln Stars making the semifinals.
The USHL is not the only league with a footprint in Nebraska, either. Nebraska-Omaha’s Division I program has been a steady presence in this century. And to complete the state’s 2006 hat trick, the Mavericks made their first NCAA tournament that year. – Zach Green
Nevada: 2017
While it is early in the Las Vegas NHL era, the on- and off-ice impact of the Vegas Golden Knights cannot be understated. Off the ice, the team has been a source of unity and positivity following the Oct. 1 terrorist attack.
On the ice, the Knights have performed beyond expectations. Through 16 games, they had a 10-5-1 record and sat second in the Pacific Division. They have done this through exciting fast-paced play and an enticing goalie situation due to unfortunate injuries. Vegas is certainly the story of the NHL at this point in the season. – Andrew Wisneski
New Hampshire: 1979
While there were no professional teams, New Hampshire hockey was thriving at the collegiate level in 1979. Dartmouth went 19-9-2 on the year and reached the Frozen Four.
Not to be outdone, the UNH Wildcats joined the Big Green in the national semis, finishing their 1978-79 season at 22-10-3. One of those wins was a 3-2 triumph over Dartmouth in the ECAC championship game.
The teams would meet again in the NCAA third-place game, where Dartmouth exacted some revenge, 7-3.
This year saw the beginning of another rivalry with the first UNH-Maine game, a preview of much to come in the Hockey East era. – Z.G.
New Jersey: 2003
The Devils won their third Stanley Cup in nine years, and second in four seasons. The Devils played well throughout the season, winning the Atlantic Division with 108 points. They took Game 7 in the conference and Cup finals, defeating the regular-season champion Senators and the upset-minded Mighty Ducks.
In the ECHL, the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies were the Kelly Cup champions. The team enjoyed a strong regular season, earning 94 points. In the playoffs, they essentially rolled through the competition.
Aside from the conference finals, which they won in seven games, they lost just three postseason games. This included a 4-1 series victory against the Columbia Inferno in the final. – A.W.
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