C'mon you Panthers!

Let's go Panthers! Seeing an expansion team in the finals is giving me 2018 NHL playoffs flashbacks and I don't like that.

Last edited by Kingsfan11 (5/12/2021 3:53 pm)

1951-52 NERC Offseason

The 1952 Offseason saw plenty of action, from expansion teams unveiling their identities, to other teams making jersey changes, to player movement across the league.

3 expansion teams unveil their NERC identities

Brooklyn Devils
Brooklyn was the only team of the three to announce their team name prior to unveiling their identity, as they announced they would be the Devils.

The team logo was inspired by the crests of European soccer teams. Inside of a fancy shield were the team’s initials, as well as a pitchfork inside of a ball. On top was a flag featuring the diagonal striping the team was known for.

The home jersey was black with four diagonal red stripes, as well as red sleeves. This was identical to one of the home jerseys the team wore in the NYRL, their most popular. The away jersey was red with two vertical black stripes and black sleeves, very similar to Buffalo’s jerseys. The Panthers demanded that Brooklyn wear a different away jersey, but after Elmer Wilkins pointed out that it was a very common design among Runty teams, the Panthers withdrew their objection. Similar to Manhattan in 1952, team president Albert Jackson announced that the team would most likely wear different jerseys as the team moved forward in the NERC.



Columbia Alumni
The next team to unveil their identity were Columbia Alumni. Unlike the Devils, they announced their name along with unveiling their identity.

Instead of the team president coming up to unveil the identity, Columbia University President Dwight D. Eisenhower came up to help with the unveiling. “I am most privileged and honoured to today to announce the team name of the Columbia Alumni. Please welcome the Scholars!” He then unveiled a plaque containing the team logo and uniforms.

The team’s logo featured a letter C wearing a graduation cap. Similar to Manhattan when they transitioned from the NYRL to the NERC, the Scholars had added a new element to their NYRL logo, in this case a graduation hat.

The team’s jerseys featured a unique design. A white circle around the collar was combined with heavy white outlines around the sleeves to create what looked like an M on both the front and back of the jersey. This design was said to be “inspired by the attire worn by a scholarly person”. The away jersey was a simple white-black colour swap.


Westchester
Lastly, Westchester unveiled their identity only a few weeks before the season began. Like Columbia Alumni, they unveiled their name along with their visual identity.
Team President Gerard Moore stepped up to the podium and without hesitation said “We are the Racers!” He then spoke for an incredibly long time about every single detail of the team’s identity, and one sportswriter in attendance had fallen asleep before Moore had finished. Eventually, he showed off the team’s visual identity.

The team’s logo consisted of a W and R sharing a vertical bar. The team also announced they would have a live horse mascot named “Chester” at games, becoming the first NERC team to do such a thing.

The team’s home jersey was maroon with a vertical white stripe down the centre, which increased in size as it went toward the collar. The away jersey was a white-maroon swap. On both jerseys, the shorts were blue and the socks were maroon.


Three existing NERC teams make jersey changes
Along with the three new expansion teams, the 1951-52 offseason was the first one to feature existing teams making jersey changes. Three of the league’s 7 existing teams made changes.

Staten Island
The Islanders’ ownership group came out publicly saying that their away jersey, despite being a recolour of their home jersey, wasn’t what they wanted it to be. They later unveiled their new away jersey, which featured alternating black and red stripes on a yellow base. During the unveiling, they announced that this new jersey was “what their road jersey always should have been”.


The Bronx
The Bears became the first NERC team to completely redesign their jerseys, replacing their 4-stripe design with a thin sash. There was no real reason given as to why they changed.


Hempstead
The league went from having 2 teams with 4 stripes to 0 in one offseason, as the Clippers switched to a horizontal 3-stripe design. This was done in an attempt to make the jersey “consistent” and “unified”.

Player Movement around league

With 3 new expansion teams, there was a decent amount of player movement throughout the league. These moves included:

Hyatt Barron (MAN >>> SI)

Manhattan's championship hero left the Archers for his hometown team, the Islanders. "Things are looking up for them, and I would love to be a part of that", he said. Barron, a LWC, will be a big help to providing offense and transition to the Isles, who were lacking in that part of their game in 1951.

Ray Paul (BUF >>> BRK)

Paul, who was originally suspended for life after tackling a referee, was allowed back into the league for 1952. He left a front office job at the Panthers to play for the debuting Devils. The plan for him was to help the other Brooklyn players adapt to the lifestyle of the NERC, while also being a dependable presence in the midfield.

Christian Charpentier (BUF >>> BRK)

Another Panther left Buffalo for the Devils, this time it was CF Christian Charpentier. He was a previous leading scorer for the Panthers, and in the late stages of his career, was looking to boost Brooklyn's lacking offense. "I look forward to playing a key role for this team", he told reporters after the announcement.

 

Section30 wrote:

I like the new uniforms, not sure if this was intentional or not but there are no numbers on the Islanders new away uniform

Whoops! That's fixed now. Thanks for noticing.

1952 NERC Season

The NERC announced prior to the season that despite the addition of three teams, the amount of playoff teams and the overall playoff format would remain the exact same. The NERC also announced a change to the league standings point system. Ties were now worth 1.5 points instead of 2. When asked why the league didn’t implement a much simpler system with 2 points for a win and 1 for a tie, commissioner Elmer Wilkins refused to comment.

The NERC’s 7th season began on May 3, 1952, with all 10 of the league’s teams playing at the traditional 3:00 time slot. Like each previous season, the regular season consisted of each team playing each other home-and-away. There would be no bye weeks, and each team was now playing 6 more games than they had played in previous seasons, so fatigue would play a big part in the playoff race.

The opening week of games was a mix of snoozefests and tight, exciting games. First, the Westchester Racers won their inaugural game over the Bears 29-24. The same would not be true for the Scholars and Devils, who lost their games 31-18 and 33-26 to Boston and New York, respectively. The other two games consisted of the Archers silencing the Islanders 23-11, and Hempstead edging Buffalo 26-20.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Week 1: Bronx 24-29 Westchester
Week 2: Manhattan 27-24 New York
Week 3: Buffalo 22-26 Columbia Alumni
Week 4: Hempstead 29-27 Westchester
Week 5: Buffalo 25-26 Boston
Week 6: Brooklyn 29-33 Buffalo
Week 7: Boston 33-36 New York
Week 8: the Bronx 26-25 Boston
Week 9: Manhattan 24-29 Columbia Alumni
Week 10: Boston 32-21 Columbia Alumni
Week 11: the Bronx 29-31 Hempstead
Week 12: Hempstead 28-25 New York
Week 13: Westchester 30-30 Hempstead
Week 14: Brooklyn 25-23 Hempstead
Week 15: Buffalo 20-24 Brooklyn
Week 16: New York 26-30 Boston
Week 17: Manhattan 26-23 Brooklyn
Week 18: Hempstead 30-28 Boston

1. BOSTON RIDERS
Leading Goalscorer: Paul Dean (19)

Finishing at the top for the third time in 6 years were the Boston Riders. They started the season on fire, winning all of their first 6 games. Despite not making any real major changes to their lineup, a new system implemented by coach Gerald Walker made Boston a force. This style didn’t focus the play around their best player, but on how they moved the ball around as a team. This new style always left one of their players in a prime position to take the ball and score. Other teams couldn’t find an answer to this, as the Riders finished at 13-5.

2. MANHATTAN ARCHERS
Leading Goalscorer: Harry Marley (18)

Coming in second were the reigning champs, the Manhattan Archers. Despite them finishing second, sportswriters almost unanimously agreed that the Archers were the league’s best team in terms of how they played. They averaged 1.3 more points per game than the closest team, and also finished with the league’s best point differential. Despite these impressive stats, a frustrating 3-point loss at home in week 18 prevented them from taking the #1 seed once more. Manhattan finished at 12-6, clinching home-field advantage for the semifinals.

3. COLUMBIA ALUMNI SCHOLARS
Leading Goalscorer: Murray Samatz (13)

Coming in third was a team that everybody expected to be in the basement, the CA Scholars. Nothing about the team really wowed analysts, and they didn’t have any flashy players, yet they were still playing simple, efficient runty. The Scholars played their best at home, where they went 7-2. Despite their surprising season, there was one thing that weighed them down: Their losses. When the Scholars lost, it was not pretty. Of their 7 losses, only two were within one goal, and they had multiple games lost by 10+ points. In the end, the Scholars finished at 11-7.

4. WESTCHESTER RACERS
Leading Goalscorer: Willy Gleason (18)

Finishing fourth was another surprise, the Westchester Racers. Their season wasn’t as impressive of the Scholars, but they still played well enough to just sneak into the playoffs in the last week of the season. Similarly to CA, Westchester weren’t flashy, but they got the job done when they needed to. The Racers also played an NERC record 3 ties in a single year, which helped them finish just above the Bears to claim the final spot. In terms of individual players, LHF Willy Gleason was a pleasant surprise, leading the team in scoring. The Racers finished at 8-7-3.

5. THE BRONX BEARS
Leading Goalscorer: Lucas Sizemore (29)

Finishing 5th and just missing the playoffs for the second straight year were the Bronx Bears. They were in perfect position to make the postseason with one week to go, just needing a win to clinch. However, they lost 45-21 to Buffalo while the Racers won, knocking them out in heartbreaking fashion. The biggest bright spot for the Bears was Lucas Sizemore, who continued his upward trajectory, finishing second in the league in goals with 29. Despite this, their defense struggled to reward the forwards for their scoring, leading to losses in games they should have won. The Bronx finished at 9-9, 1.5 points out of the 4th spot.

6. HEMPSTEAD CLIPPERS
Leading Goalscorer: Will John (10)

Finishing in 6th were the Hempstead Clippers, who had a much better season than in 1951. While their offense still left a lot to be desired, their defense was much improved and kept them in more games. Despite not making the playoffs, they still had impressive victories, and were the only team that won both their games against the first-place Boston Riders. In the end, despite not making the playoffs, the Clippers deemed their season a success, and were looking to build off of it for the 1953 season. Hempstead finished at 8-8-2.

7. NEW YORK KNIGHTS
Leading Goalscorer: Victor Kattie (23)

Finishing in 7th were the New York Knights, who also had a much better year than in 1951. Both their offense and defense rebounded from an off year. Victor Kattie in particular was much better, as he went back to leading the team in scoring, and finished third in the league in goals. The Knights were actually primed to clinch a playoff spot, but they lost their last three games, including one against CA that would’ve put them into the postseason had they won. Like the Clippers, the Knights viewed their season as a positive, and hoped that they could continue their trajectory back into a playoff spot.

8. STATEN ISLAND ISLANDERS
Leading Goalscorer: Gotham Packard (11)

Finishing 8th disappointingly were the Staten Island Islanders. Despite their defense once again being one of the best in the league, their offense took a massive step back, and it cost them games. For example, they had one game against the Racers where their defense only allowed the opposition to score 15 points, but the Isles offence themselves only managed 15 points for a tie instead of a win. Their 21.4 average points scored per game was worst in the league. In the end, the Islanders finished at 7-8-3, below the Knights on point differential.

9. BUFFALO PANTHERS
Leading Goalscorer: Des Samuel (35)

Finishing in 9th were the Buffalo Panthers. They were expected to struggle with the loss of Christian Charpentier to Brooklyn, but analysts weren’t predicting them to fall as hard as they did. The Panthers particularly struggled on the road, only winning their last away game of the year. The one bright spot for Buffalo was the continued growth of Des Samuel, who led the league in goals for the second straight year, finishing 12 ahead of the runner-up. He was showing no signs of slowing down either, which was a scary thought for the rest of the league. Buffalo finished at 5-12-1.

10. BROOKLYN DEVILS
Leading Goalscorer: Bert Roberts (14)

Finishing in last were the Brooklyn Devils, who many had projected to actually be the best of the three expansion teams in their inaugural season. However, not much went right for the Devils, who finished with the second-worst offense and worst defense in the league. None of their wins were seen as huge upsets, since all were against teams that missed the playoffs. Overall, the 1952 season was seen as a building year for them, and they hoped to be more accustomed to NERC play for 1953. The Devils finished at 4-14.


Miscellaneous Stats:
      -   Leading Goalscorer Trophy (Retroactively Awarded): Des Samuel (BUF) (35 goals)
      -   Largest Home Victory: Buffalo 20-45 Manhattan (Week 13)
      -   Largest Away Victory: Westchester 38-19 Columbia Alumni (Week 7); Manhattan 34-15 Staten Island (Week 10)
      -   Most Combined Points: 69 (Boston 33-36 New York, Week 7)

Notable Events:
      -   The NERC went up to double-digit teams for the first time in its history.
      -   In between weeks 3 and 4, Bronx defender Bill Ward created controversy after he publicly announced a desire to leave the Bears and join Manhattan. This did not work out in his favour, as he was released by the Bears, while the NERC refused to let him play for the remainder of the year.
      -   In the week 1 game between Westchester and the Bronx, referee Lewis Pampa was continuously heckled by Racers fans, who started throwing debris at him. He threatened to abandon the game and award the Bronx the win. After this, the heckling stopped.
      -   New York’s Tim Busby became the first player since 1947 to score 6 goals in a game.
      -   In the final weeks of the season, a mini tournament was held, with players representing their home states. Teams included New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. The New York team ended up winning the tournament.
      -   The week 13 game between Hempstead and Westchester broke the record for highest-scoring tie in NERC history, with each team scoring 30 points.
      -   The week 14 game between Buffalo and Boston saw tempers flare, but surprisingly it didn’t escalate into a fight.
      -   In the unofficial “battle of the expansion teams” Westchester won, winning all 4 of their games against Columbia Alumni and Westchester.
      -   The NERC announced the tracking of new stats, such as player height and weight.

Playoff Preview:

(1) Boston Riders vs (3) Columbia Alumni Scholars
Regular Season Meetings: Columbia Alumni 18-31 Boston (Week 1); Boston 32-21 Columbia Alumni (Week 10)
Previous Playoff Meeting: None
Playoff Record: Boston 0-0 Columbia Alumni

Boston handily won both matchups against the Scholars this year. The Riders’ style of play noticeably caused CA to struggle both offensively and defensively, and that will most likely remain true through this game. CA will have to solve Boston’s system in one game if they have any chance of winning this one.

Analyst Prediction: The Riders advance back to the Champions Cup, with a 31-24 victory.

(2) Manhattan Archers vs (4) Westchester Racers
Regular Season Meetings: Westchester 17-33 Manhattan; Manhattan 27-20 Westchester
Previous Playoff Meeting: None
Playoff Record: Manhattan 0-0 Westchester

The Archers were no match for the Racers in both their regular season games, holding them to a combined 37 points across those games. With their high-flying offense to boot, the Archers pretty much already have this one in the bag. The Racers will need a miracle to win, I don’t see any way they can get it done.

Analyst Prediction: The Archers demolish the Racers, winning 39-24.

Wow, I have a lot to catch up on! Firstly, congrats to the Archers on winning it last year, it was well deserved.
Secondly I love the expansion teams. I think the Devils are one of the best looks in the league, I love the Racers color scheme, and I love the concept behind the Scholars. My only fear is that the Scholars color scheme is very similar to the Riders, which is seen in their postseason game. It’d be interesting if one of the two added Orange to the scheme to separate the two, or swap black for green. Neither of those colors are used yet.
The uniform changes are all upgrades I think. Staten Island and Hempstead both really cleaned up their looks.
The ‘52 season was quite exciting. It’s shocking to see all of the new teams get in, except for the Devils of course. But to have both Columbia Alumni and Westchester get in, plus the also recently added Archers all make the small playoff pool, says a lot to either how well the teams built their new teams or how bad the other teams were before they joined. Also shocking to see the Panthers fall all the way off, after being the runner ups last year. Manhattans still up their though, and I’m going to agree with the writers that they’re going to repeat, beating Boston. What a pair of games those were too by the way, great comeback by the Riders, that scoreworm is really cool to look at.
Finally, still holdin on to the Bears making the postseason again, being just on the outside two years in a row stings.

Keep up the good work!