1937 MHL Offseason: Off the Ice

Quebec saved from folding, relocates to the United States

The amazing playoff run Les Bleus went on was enough to save them from folding, but unfortunate for the fans in the provincial capital, it was not enough to keep them within the city long-term. However, their play caught the attention of American businessman Cyril Calvin, who owns multiple manufacturing companies in Rochester, New York. The League and Calvin agreed to a deal for him to purchase the club, and move them stateside. Calvin, a proud Rochesterian, announced the team would be rebranded as the Rochester Blues, as a homage to both the flag of the city, and the original incarnation from Quebec. However, this caught the attention of the New York Blue Birds, who contested having a team in the same state with a similar name and logo. However, Calvin is very rich, and after a generous cash offer, they backed down and allowed the name to stand.

The team logo consists of the crane from the flag of the city, with the city name arched overtop. The jerseys consist of a navy blue base, with gold arms and a blue stripe on each. Similar to Quebec, they will only have one jersey, worn both home and away.



MHL adds overtime to the fold, restructures divisions

The MHL headquarters announced in the summer that the league would now be adding one 20-minute overtime period following ties in the regular season. This came in response to many complaints about the abundance of ties in the regular season, taking away from potential wins. While there will still be ties if there is no scoring after the extra period, the goal is to add more wins to teams’ records.

As well, with Quebec moving to Rochester, the league moved back to a West-East divisional structure, with Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Rochester, Washington and Philadelphia joining the West, and the 3 New York teams, 2 Montreal teams, and Boston joining the East. The schedule went down from 64 to 62 games, meaning teams will play each divisional opponent 7-8 times, and each other team 3-4 times.

1936-37 Award Winners unveiled

The MHL has its first two-time Hackatt Trophy Winner, as Barons G Frank Pangos surprisingly won the sweepstakes. It’s not that he had a bad season, as he was 1-2 in GAA and SV%, but on a team that didn’t make the playoffs. David Pelletier was expected for his great play with the Detroit Guardians, but Pelletier himself said that Pangos was a fine and deserving choice when asked.



As well, the MHL announced for the first time, there would be first and second all-star teams, voted on by each team’s chief columnist. Each player would receive a small plaque for the honour. The Montreal Greys led the way with 2 first-team players and 1 second-team, while Detroit was close behind with Pelletier being a first-team and having 2 second-team players.\



3 Jersey changes in the offseason

It was a quieter offseason in terms of design changes, with 3 teams making changes, all relatively minor.

First, the Chicago Wildcats continued their tradition of not sticking with any design long-term, by once again switching their home uniform to be more simplified. The stripes are now thicker, and the shoulder stripes get moved toward the hem, while the arms go from two stripes down to one.

In Detroit, the Guardians reversed their puzzling decision to make their away lettering green, instead bringing it back to the original blue.

Lastly, the Montreal Greys made an ever-so-slight change to their striping, adjusting the thickness of their stripes on the home and away.

Love the whole look for Rochester, the colors and logo are both great. I think I found my new team!

1937-38 MHL Season: First Half

The 1937-38 made sure that the previous year’s standings did not mean much, at least at the halfway mark. Multiple teams expected to be bad have been good, and vice versa. Definitely not what the majority expected. One major talking about was the increase in scoring, as goals per game went from 2.9 to 3.3. The league also told scorers to be more lenient with assists. which have gone from 3.6 to 4.6 per game. Lots of scoring records are bound to be broken this year.

With the classic West/East divisions being back again, it was the Toronto Lakers who led the West at the halfway mark. After a disappointing miss last season, they’re back in the hunt as a legitimate contender. Ajax Sorensen’s 23 goals lead the league, as well as Patrick Stone’s 44 points. Their 115 goals as a team are good for second in the league, and their 96 given up is near the bottom of the list as well. The Lakers are looking very good so far, as they sit at 20-11-1.

Second in the North are the Detroit Guardians, who are building off of their first ever playoff appearance last year. Their record of 10-3-1 at home is best in the MHL, and they are the only team in the league giving up less than 3 goals per game. Guy Topolinski, crowned as the league’s top player in the preseason, is having a great year, #1 in GAA and in the top 3 for both wins and SV%. Detroit is finally looking like a legitimate Abbott Cup threat, which their fans love. The Guardians sit at 17-13-1.

In third and in the final Western playoff spot are the Chicago Wildcats, who are doing better than their horrid 1936-37 season. Defense has been an issue, but the offense is doing much better and keeping them in the race. One key breakout has been Gerald Quizzetre, who had a decent season last year, but now has 16 goals and 40 points in just 32 games. He’s looking like he could be their new star with some of their core aging. Chicago sits at 16-15-1.

In fourth are the Washington Bats, who are having their best season to date, but still have their flaws. Martin Valley and James Hicks are both once again near the top of the league in offensive stats, with Valley on track to smash the single-season assist record. The Bats also have scored the most goals in the league, but their issue is that they’ve also given up the most goals in the league. Most games are averaging around 6.5 goals, but the Bats are scoring/conceding 7.8. It’s pure chaos, and if they want to challenge for a playoff spot, the defense needs to do better. The Bats sit at 15-16, 3 points out at the moment.

Surprisingly in 5th are the Philadelphia Minutemen, who everyone predicted would be at the very least challenging for a playoff spot. Instead, they’re sitting 9 points out at the halfway point. They’re the complete opposite of their expansion brother Bats, as they’ve scored the fewest goals in the league but are 1 goal off the lead for fewest given up. Going 3-14 on the road hasn’t helped either. Overall, it’s a disappointing year for the Minutemen, and they need a severe turnaround to make it to the postseason. Philly sits at 12-19.

At the bottom are the Rochester Blues, which is to be expected after an international relocation. On points percentage they’re actually better than Philadelphia, but in terms of other stats they’re definitely a little below. Calvin Thomas has been their best player, sitting 4th in goal scoring. Fergus Satter has also been far and away the best offensive defenseman in the league at 21 years old. The Blues aren’t going to be a force right now, but the pieces are all there. Rochester sits at 11-17-1.

In the East, it’s another major surprise at the top, the Boston Harpers. I don’t think a single person would have predicted they’d be in a playoff spot, let alone atop the East, at any point of the season. It’s just been an instant turnaround, top to bottom. Alberto Esposito has done much better in goal, and John Buck has already almost doubled his point totals from last year. To top it all off, rookie winger Jean Rheault is third in the entire league in goals at the halfway point. Incredible stuff from the Harpers. They sit at 18-12-1.

Second in the East are the New York Blue Birds. Trade acquisition Martin Ferre has been a great fit with the team, as he has 31 points in 31 games. 39-year-old Moses Addison has rejuvenated in goal, and is league leader in SV%. The 18-year Blue Bird may be the first person to defeat Father Time with how he is playing. Lastly, Jack Lilly, known for his goalscoring, has become an assist machine as well, sitting 5th in assists and 3rd in total points. The Birds sit at 16-13-2.

In third are the Montreal Greys, last year’s runners-up. It hasn’t been the best season, and they were dealt a horrible blow early in the year when star centre William Smith was hit awkwardly into the boards and his leg bent in a way it shouldn’t. Horrified spectators watched as he had to hobble his way off the ice. It was officially ruled a torn ACL, which ended his year only 8 games in. The Greys are still a good team, and despite being below 0.500, they are still holding onto that final spot. Montreal sits at 14-15-3.

Directly below the runners-up are the reigning champions, the Brooklyn Kings. Their trade acquisitions of James Whaley and Simeon Edwards have both been good, but the team as a whole appears to have taken a step back. What’s concerning is their road record, with almost 60% of their remaining games being away from home. A playoff spot is still easily possible, but they’ll need to get their act together. Brooklyn sits at 15-16.

In 5th are the Nassau Scouts, who are starting to become complacently mid. They have no flashy star players or guys putting up big numbers, and it’s showing with their lower-end offense. The defense has been promising, led by 23-year-old Jeffrey Stephen, becoming known as one of the best defensive players in the entire league. He can’t lead a team himself though, and that’s pretty much what he’s been doing. Nassau sits at 13-16-2.

At the bottom of the East are the Montreal Barons, who despite their rabid fanbase, aren’t that good of a team. Their better players are underperforming, and there isn’t really a veteran in the locker room that can help with the mentality. They’ve also had one singular goal from a defenseman all year, which is dreadful. If the team keeps playing like this, the Montreal faithful may drive management or even ownership out. The Barons sit at 13-17.



League leaders (so far)

whoa! no idea where these harpers came from but I'll take it