NHL EXPANSION RACE UPDATE:
reported by Fred Metzger of KIGH-TV
So far, ten markets have declared their intent to apply for NHL expansion teams.  In addition to the Twin Cities would-be ownership group (feeling confident after NHL president Clarence Campbell told them he enjoyed his time at the Kellogg Cup Final and feels the Twin Cities have made a strong impression), multiple would-be ownership groups from Los Angeles and Pittsburgh have each stated their intent to apply for expansion teams, as well as singular groups from Philadelphia, San Francisco-Oakland, Baltimore, Buffalo, Vancouver, Cleveland and Louisville.  As Campbell has set the target at six, the race is getting more and more heated, with more cities looking to make a strong first impression as Minneapolis-St. Paul has.

Stay tuned to this station for further updates on the race to be one of the NHL's "New Six"...

Wow, thank you everyone for the compliments, I'm glad you like them.

1965/66 Regular Season


Blue Earth Hockey League
To everyone's surprise, the Packers had a drastic drop in their level of play. There is no real way to describe what happened besides just saying that their top players were all under performing drastically for much of the regular season. In the Packers falling, the Moose took the chance to flex their muscles and claim their first Blue Earth Hockey League title. New Ulm finished 2 games behind Mankato in another solid season. Sioux Falls ended in third place, respectful, but not where they wanted to be. St. Peter and Albert Lea fought it out in the last weeks of the season for the rights to go to the playoffs despite a less than stellar season.

Granite Hockey League
The Lumberjacks continue their reign over the Granite League, winning their 7th title in a row. The Bearcats clawed their way into the second spot this year, surpassing the Cyclones who finished in third. Little Falls had a resurgence year, drastically improving their play and clinching their first playoff birth since 1957. The Storm had a bit of a slow start to their season and it proved too much to overcome as they drop out of the playoffs. Alexandria had a very poor year by their standards, only finishing 2 games ahead of Sauk Rapids.

Twin Cities Hockey League (West)
The Mighty Millers claim their 9th Twin Cities Hockey League title, winning the west and beating the Saints 4-1 in the Championship game. The Vulcans dropped to second, but remain a serious threat come playoffs. The Cake Eaters remain in third, flying a bit under the radar for how good of a team they are. Bloomington had about as perfect of a bounce back season as you can get. Jumping from 8th to 4th in a year and clinching a playoff birth. Anoka and Osseo were each within 2 games of the Bears and both were just cut out from the post season. The Bucks, Bakers, and Muskies all suffered sub par seasons, being on the receiving side of some high scoring games.

Twin Cities Hockey League (East)
The Saints reign supreme in the East for the fourth year in a row, but were unable to claim their third league title in a row. The Victorias had a drastic change in personnel this offseason, with the team hosting a tryout to see new talent and finding a solid group of players only a few years out of school. The Waves had a good season, as did their rivals the Mavericks, both will be playing in March. Stillwater had a disappointing season. The Vols were expected to compete for a league title this year, but things just didn't click like they had a year ago and they missed the post season. White Bear Lake also had a surprising drop after a surprisingly good season a year ago. It has people wondering if last year was a fluke. The Rockets and Raptors remain in the basement.

Valley Hockey League
The Robins flew past the Mustangs and Brewers late in the season thanks to an 8 game win streak they are riding into the playoffs. The Brewers seem to have learned from their incredible playoff run a season ago, the team competed for a title this year. The Stangs dropped to third, but remain a solid team and could be seen as a dark horse (ha) come playoffs. The final playoff spot was up for grabs on until the last game of the season which was settled in a game between the Austin Mavericks and Red Wing Chiefs. Both teams were tied with records of 11-8-4 and they happened to play each other in the 24th game of the year. The Mavericks took advantage of home ice, winning and getting to the playoffs for the first time since 1959.


Iron Range Hockey League
The Black Bears remained atop the Iron Range, led by a group of physical miners. Grand Rapids took second, inching out the Royals by 1 game. Hibbing will once again be in the post season, beating out Eveleth and Chisholm for the 4 spot.

Lake Superior Hockey League
The Voyageurs are back! Rookie sensation Ricky Williams, alumni of Duluth East High School, broke onto the scene and along with veteran Henry Heaslip became a scoring machine. The Voyageurs and Hornets moved into a new arena this year, moving from the Duluth Curling Club to the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, or DECC as everyone calls it. The new arena is also home to the Duluth Bulldogs Division 1 mens hockey team and seats 2,400 plus standing room. Millen and the Broncos remained among the top 2 the entire season, going back and forth with Duluth, but ultimately finishing in second. Thunder Bay finished third with the Hornets surpassing Two Harbors and getting into the playoffs for the first time in 3 years. Superior dropped to sixth.

Northland Hockey League
The defending champs continue the Northland League trend of winning the league title the year after winning the Kellogg Cup. Roseau and Warroad battled all season and finished two and three respectively, with Roseau recovering the Victory Bell. Steinbach beat out the Ice for the final playoff spot. Bemidji had a bit of a bounce back year after a few disappointing seasons in a row. Fort Frances and Baudette both looked like good teams, but are unfortunately in a very good league. Black Duck struggled again this season.

Red River Hockey League
Things went pretty much exactly as most expected with no changes in the standings from a year ago. Thief River continues to be the only champion of the Red River League. EGF bested the Jets 3-1-1 on their five meetings, clinching the Big Spoon.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

Last edited by Section30 (1/13/2020 5:18 pm)

1966 Kellogg Cup Playoffs; Playoff Tree

At 14 and 15 in the Power Rankings are ... the Moose and the Moose! I was waiting for this to happen.