1984 CIHA Off-season part 2: News and jersey changes


With the 1984 Valor Cup in books the league announced that after a 10-5 vote the Moncton Bears are the host of the 1985 Valor Cup tournament, and just in time as the Reese brothers presented the new arena in Moncton called the “Brown Bear Memorial Centre” named after the old NIHA club the New Brunswick Brown Bears that played from 1930 to 1940, even thou they won three Alexander Cups (1931, 1932. And 1934) but as World War II came half of the rosters went over sea to fight with no star players the team fell apart, and after 1939-40 season the team folded, and James North established an amateur hockey club now known as the Moncton Bears which as the 40s turns to the 50s they became part of East Coast Junior Hockey League. “It’s an honour to host this wonderful tournament, as we will have a whole season of celebrations.” Ron Reese said at the press conference.

The League also announced that in July 1985, the Valor Star tournament will be held. Toronto, Ontario, will host it as both the Neon and the Hornets arenas will be the place for the round-robin rounds. At the same time, the Toronto Forum, home of the NIHAs Toronto Pros, will house the semis and the finals, just like the previous Valor Star tournament: team OMJHA, team AQHL, and team WCLH. While there is a team CIHA, unlike the 1980 team that contained players aged 16-18, this team will be an international team featuring players from all around the world. As for the jerseys, they’ll have some changes, but not drastic ones.


For many years, Plattsburgh, New York, has worked its way to being a hotbed for hockey players developing their skills. Their market caught Paul Name’s eyes in a big way, and there are talks that Plattsburgh could have an AQHL team there.


Many had questions for the Buffalo Bees, and that is, where is Ryan Bryon Jr? It was found out that Ryan Sr. fired him after a number of disagreements between the two; it got so bad that Sr. took his son to court and took his 20% ownership from him, pretty much putting Jr. on the streets. There is a silver lining for Jr., as he landed a GM job with the NIHA’s Chicago Lancers, and the higher-ups love his style, which he can work well with their fresh new coaching staff.

With losing three teams in three years, OMJHA President Tom Van Ryan was hoping for at least some good news, and he did from Abrum and Isaac Wall, as the arena they built is complete, but there is a problem, make that two problems, Abrum Wall built his arena in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Isaac Wall built his arena in Niagara Falls, New York. With issues clouded over his head, Tom Van Ryan announced that he is giving both Wall brothers their own team, one for Abrum and one for Isaac. Both teams will begin their first season in the 1985-86 season.


With the addition of the Red Deer Bucks, there are no talks of any expansions down the road, but there is news that the NIHAs Saskatchewan Royals got themselves a deal to build a brand-new arena, and it will be built in downtown Regina; their current arena is just outside of the town. With the Royals leaving that arena, talks are on the table for an expansion in Regina for the first time since the 1960s, when the Regina Royals folded to become part of a minor-pro club and later joined the IWHL in the 1970s.

Jerseys changes

The Kenora Pioneers, Manchester Americans, Moose Jaw Wings, Peterborough Bolts, Toronto Neon, and Val-d’Or Monarchs have officially discontinued the Lite-sonic pants. They are now wearing more traditional pants and socks. The new team, the Red Deer Bucks, and the relocated Newmarket Express showcased their sets.

Kenora Pioneers: They returned to the same pants and socks they had before the Lite-sonic system. In fact, many fans thanked the team for going back, and hopefully, it stays like that; little did anyone know that there were talks that the team could be building up for a new look.

Moose Jaw Wings: The pants and socks are back. What makes the fans happier is that the pants are not white. Since white pants are banned from the WCLH, the Wings made them red with white and blue stripes.

Red Deer Bucks: The prominent crest is the wordmark with antlers. The home jersey is white with red and gold stripes on the arms, black cuffs, and red, gold, and black stripes on the hem and socks. The road jersey is red with gold and black stripes and white cuffs, along with gold, black, and white stripes on the hem and socks.

Toronto Neon: The pants and socks came back. The only thing Neon took from their Lite-sonic pants was the thin neon-coloured stripes, which they placed on the sides of the pants. The neon green number on the road jersey was promoted from the sleeves to the back, while the neon yellow was placed on the sleeves.

 Peterborough Bolts: The Bolts did more than just change the pants. They completely changed their look by dropping red, darkening the blue, and adding simple stripes to the arms, hem, and socks. The numbers are rounded, and the letters on the nameplate no longer have trim around them.

Newmarket Express: The former Milton Micmacs went from red and gold to blue and orange. The crest has the word “EXPRESS” on it, which is based on the team owner’s trucking company, Canpress Trucking. Multiple stripes are on the arms, hem, and socks. The team will wear orange helmets for both home and road.

Oshawa Gems: The Gem changed its look in a way the fans didn't want to happen. Stripes on the hem and cuffs, along with the logo, no longer the "O," it's now "G" with a gem on it, and the numbers font has changed to more rounded.

Manchester Americans: The pants don’t have stripes on the side like the Lite-sonic pants, which disappointed fans. The Americans added trims around the letters on the nameplates. On the home jersey, the letters are red with blue trim, just like the numbers.

Val-d’Or Monarchs: Just like Lite-sonic, the pants feature a thick white stripe on the side of their navy blue pants, and the socks also have thick stripes on both their home and road uniforms.

CIHA Alumni (where are they now)

Jaune Dupont, Sherbrooke Loups (1971-75)

The 1974 CIHA Valor Cup MVP played one more season with the Loups before getting drafted by the NIHAs' Quebec City Macareux, which didn’t sit well with his family because they are big Montreal Or Rouge fans, but they all got used to seeing him in a different uniform. His pro hockey career has been great for him. He had four 50-goal seasons within his nine pro hockey seasons. For his tenth season with the team, he became the captain of a very young and well-put-together roster ready for a deep playoff run and hoping to get themselves an Alexander Cup title or more into the second half of the 1980s.