1979/80 Regular Season - North


The Lumberjacks are back on top of the Granite Hockey League, tying the Eveleth Redbirds for the most League Championships in MAHL history with their 17th GHL crown. Last years champs, Sauk Rapids, remained a contender this year, dropping only one spot. Little Falls had a bounce back year, making it back to the playoffs after dropping from first to fifth in one year to miss the post season last year. The Bearcats were looking like a serious contender for the league title midway through the season, sitting one game behind the Bulldogs at the time in second, but a poor February led to them nearly missing the playoffs altogether, holding on in the end to extend their playoff streak to 33 years. Knocking on the door at the end of the year were the Clones and Norse in 6th and 6th with the Otter on the line in the final game of the season with Fergus Falls beating Alexandria 4-1 to tie the season series 2-2 and win the Otter on goals scored. There was a bit of a drop to the bottom three teams in the league. Mora continues to just struggle against the larger cities they play against, the Storm had arguably the worst season in team history, and Princeton suffered the same fate as the Dalas only they had less talent and finished in last for the second year in a row.


"Little Brother" is standing tall as the Cougars proved the doubters wrong and claimed their first Iron Range Championship. What was even sweeter was ending bitter rival Virginia's bid at an Iron Range three-pete. The Royals did take home the Quad City Trophy though in second. Grand Rapids had a bit of a resurgence after three seasons of mediocrity, claiming the axe for the first time as they finish in third to make it back into the post season. Those pesky Flames just won't go away, holding onto a top 4 finish by the skin of their teeth to tie their all time playoff streak record at 4 years in a row. As always in the Iron Range there were some heavy hitters on the outside looking in, this year the unfortunate bunch were Coleraine, Eveleth, and Hibbing. The Trout were only 2 games out of the top 4, and look like they should be competing for years to come. Hibbing has a young group that is beginning to come together a bit and could potentially be a competitor in a couple years. Eveleth however just looked old. Many people are saying last year was the Redbirds last chance with their current core. The current group may go down as one of the best in Redbird history winning 3 IRHL titles, making 4 Super Series Appearances, and winning 2 Kellogg Cups, but those days have passed. The skill is still there, allowing the Birds to still be in the race at the end of the year, but they just didn't have the jump they used to and it won't be getting better with age. Keewatin had a nice group of youngsters that over achieved to carry them to an 8th place finish. It was a tough year in the battle for the Hard Hat with the Miners and Black Bears both coming near the bottom of the table, Tower-Soudan did hold on though to win it for the 4th time in the last 5 years. In last were once again the Wolves who are still struggling to keep up.


For the first time in 15 years, the Duluth Voyageurs are Lake Superior Hockey League Champs. Le Bleus were a force all year long, sweeping their rivalry trophies and finishing 4 games clear of second place at the end of the year. In second was Silver Bay, closely followed by Cloquet and Grand Marais. Hermantown came alive as a real contender this year, playing in the top 4 for a good chunk of the season before dropping to fifth where they finished. Superior and Duluth each had solid hockey teams who just couldn't string together a full season, winning a few games here then losing a few there. The Lakers did win their season series over the Hornets though, bringing the Anchor across the border for the first time in its 3 year history. One of the big stories of the season was the decline of the Giants. Thunder Bay will not be playing playoff hockey for only the 3rd time in the Giants 46 year history, suffering from a combination of losing their top goal scorer who moved to Toronto for work as well as their goalie getting his season cut short with a torn Achilles only 3 games into the season. It was a series of unfortunate events in Thunder Bay leading to the defending back to back Lake Superior champions dropping to 8th (their lowest finish ever). Two Harbors had a solid offense and goaltender, but their defense was abysmal, costing the Pack numerous times as they come in 9th. Proctor appears to just not be as good as the other teams in the league, getting outplayed day in and day out as they come in last place with only 5 wins on the year.


The Lakers move into second all time in Northland Hockey League titles with 6, only 4 more before they tie their arch rivals Roseau in first. Warroad was a well oiled machine, working as a unit that wore down opponents and allowed the Lakers to climb to the top of the standings. Bemidji and Fort Frances were next, both standing out as serious contenders to bring it all home. Roseau slides into the four spot to end the 3 year drought, beating out Winnipeg by 1 game. The Monarchs would be a shoe in for the playoffs had he been in most other leagues, but unfortunately Winnipeg misses out, but they hold onto the Maple Leaf. It's looking like Steinbach might have missed their window as the Barbarians miss the post season for the second year in a row and their core continues to show their age. There wasn't all that much separating the bottom 4 in the league with all of them coming within 5 games of one another. When the dust settled it went Kenora, International Falls, Baudette, Blackduck at the bottom of the table, but as I said it was pretty close all season long.


The Pointers are taking aim at the Kellogg Cup after winning their 6th RRHL crown as well as the Giant Fork. EGF was an offensive machine, leading the MAHL in goals scored and powerplay %. Fargo was the only real competition the Pointers had at the top of the league, coming in second and holding the Nodak Cup. Here is where things got wild in the Red River, for the first time in RRHL history, 2 or more of the "Big Four" (Fargo, East Grand Forks, Grand Forks, and Thief River Falls) did not finish in the top 4. Grand Forks and Thief River were both left on the outside in 5th and 7th respectively. That left two playoff spots for the taking. Coming in third are the Crookston Kings, making the playoffs for the 3rd time in the last 5 years as they look for their first post season win. Coming in fourth is Moorhead, making their long awaited return to the playoffs, ending the 17 year drought and giving Husky fans hope for the future after years of mediocrity. West Fargo had a solid sophomore season, working their way up to 6th. Detroit Lakes struggled to get much going despite having a solid team on paper, only edging out their expansion partners from Pelican Rapids.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

1979/80 Regular Season - Twin Cities


Roseville became the 5th different team to win the East Metro Hockey League in the last 6 years. The Rockets clinched their second playoff birth in franchise history last year and the experience seemed to have flipped a switch as the Rockets claim their first EMHL title. It was a tight battle among the top half of the table with the top 7 teams in the final standings all having been in the top 4 at one point in the season. Mounds View just edged out last years champs from Stillwater for second, beating them out by one game. White Bear clinched the final playoff spot with another rivalry week win over Maplewood to extend their playoff streak to 10 years. They were helped with Little Canada losing their last 3 games to fall to fifth and just miss out. Also in the hunt for playoffs that missed in the end were New Brighton Polka and the aforementioned Maplewood Retrievers who came in 6th and 7th. The bottom four all had losing records and struggled for the most part with the top half of the league being very competitive. The order of the bottom four went Fridley, Columbia Heights, North St. Paul, Shoreview.


Despite losing a handful of players to their new rivals, Brooklyn Park managed to finally live up to expectations as they claim their first North Metro crown. Anoka and Coon Rapids were hot on the Panthers tails in second and third with a veteran led Golden Valley team sliding into the four spot to the surprise of many who had thought their glory days were behind them. Osseo had a bounce back year but failed to clinch a playoff spot. Plymouth and Elk River had alright squads that finished right around .500 but just couldn't put together a winning season. Wayzata and Brooklyn Center were next, they were alright but wound up with losing records, to the Cats credit they did better than expected for an expansion team. There were a clear bottom four this year of Crystal, Blaine, Maple Grove, and New Hope which wasn't really a surprise to most fans in the NMHL.


The big story of the season was the battle at the top of the standings and the growing rivalry between Hastings and Eau Claire. The Rivermen and Rubber Kings were the clear heavyweights in the St. Croix this year, losing a combined 4 games against the rest of the league. In the end the teal and gold would win out, claiming their second SCHL title in as many years with Eau Claire settling for second. The rest of the league was all really competitive with no team being eliminated from playoff contention until the final 3 games of the year. A 9 game winning streak in January helped carry Menomonie to a third place finish to make the post season in their second year. Lake Elmo held onto the 4 spot to make back to back post season appearances for the first time. Cottage Grove, River Falls, and Chippewa Falls were the three on the outside looking in, each still putting together some solid seasons and growing some rivalries amongst one another.


What is this 1977?! The Mighty Millers are back on top of the Twin Cities, winning their 13th TCHL crown ahead of a resurrected Twin Cities Vulcans squad. Perhaps the St. Anthony name truly was cursed, because as soon as the Vulcans switched back to their historical location identifier they came back to life, jumping back into the playoffs with a second place finish. Last years Kellogg Cup runner ups will be back in the hunt this year as they come in third. The Waves bring back almost the exact same team as last year so it will be interesting to see if their experience helps them come playoffs. Rounding out the top four are the Como Sea Lions. Como has been a consistent top tier team in the TCHL of recent years, extending their playoff streak to 3 years now. Highland Park had a tough time with championship hangover after winning the league last year. The Aces seemed a bit cocky to begin the season and it bit them in the ass as they got off to a horrible start to the season and were never able to recover, finishing just outside in 5th. Next up were the V's and Mavs who each had good, but not great years, missing the post season but keeping winning records. Falcon Heights looks better than they have in the past, but that isn't saying much. The Raptors were followed by the Bakers and finally the Saints who had arguably their worst season ever.


Richfield and Edina duked it out at the top of the table all year long. Richfield managed to beat Edina in the season series (2-1-1) to win the Megaphone for the first time. The Cocks also dethroned the defending champs at the top of the league to win their second WMHL crown. Edina is still very dangerous, but age is beginning to show. Nanne and Hankinson are still some of the best players in the league, but even they are showing signs of decline. Many are wondering how long this group has before they need to get young again. Joining the Roosters and Cake Eaters in the playoffs are the Louies and Terriers. St. Louis Park is ending a 4 year playoff drought while Bloomington West is ending a 5 year hiatus. Minnetonka was the only other team to finish with a winning record coming in fifth. They were followed by Mound, Bloomington, Hopkins, and finally Eden Prairie who bottom out the league for the 6th straight year.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

RoughRiders9 wrote:

Just a random thought: Have you considered of doing an exhibit game between a MAHL team and an NHL team? Something like the Mystery, Alaska movie? Or some kind of an All-Star series against a few NHL teams here and there? 

Just thought I'd throw that out there! 

Although an interesting idea, the talent level in the MAHL is way way lower than that of the NHL, with only 9 MAHL players making the NHL to this point. The skill level for the MAHL is more equivalent to that of College Hockey or Juniors just with players a bit older

Wow, my Lions are one of the title contenders! Hoping for back to back Super Series Appearances!

The votes are in and we have our 1980 MAHL Power Rankings


The Millers were far and away the top ranked team this season, receiving the top rank from 5 of our 6 Analysts and coming in second in the other. It was another dominant showing by Northern and Twin Cities teams at the top of the rankings taking all of the top 10 slots with only Austin and Mankato cracking the top 15 for the South Region. The Rochester Mustangs actually tied the Sauk Rapids Bulldogs in points with 18, but lost out having not been ranked by 2 Analysts to Sauk Rapids' 1.

Also receiving votes: Rochester M-18, Stillwater-8, Como-6, Eau Claire-3, Marshall-2, Albert Lea-1


I think I should clarify that on the loser rankings graphic the league logos with numbers next to them basically are a rough outline of the league rankings according to the MAHL Analysts based on teams in the top 25 and how high in the rankings.

It was a tight battle for the worst team of the season between Fairmont and Rosemount with the Hawks winning by only 1 point