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.

Lets Go Cats!

1984-85 AQHL Season


One of the big news items in the AQHL was three trades titled "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly." The good trade was made between Manchester and Sherbrooke, the Americans had top three goalies and need to find a way to down size before things go downhill and need a forward, while the Loups need scoring and need to light up the defence lines, so the Americans traded their goalie Mike Saunders with 1985 2nd and 1986 4th round picks, while Loups traded forward Miro Sandstrom along with 1985 4th and 1986 2nd round picks. The result was great for both: the Americans improved their scoring, kept pace to finish 2nd in the Atlantic division and 3rd overall, while the Loups got back on track after a 10-game losing streak and squeezed into the final playoff spot. While both New Glasgow and Verdun trades were bad, the Knights traded overaged Simon Klatt to the Highlanders for Aleksey Filimonov; both teams struggled and missed the playoffs. Neither team traded their draft picks, which was the only positive outcome of the trade. The ugly was the moment that the entire league and the hockey world will forever remember for was the “Fake gold trade” between the 1984 Bronz Cup champions Moncton Bears and the Shawinigan Voltages, before the trade was made Vols owner Pierre Leflar was not happy with the roster telling everyone about the way he treating the coaches like garbage, Pierre told them to shut up about it and decide to make an example out of it, with no good players to trade Pierre decides it was a good idea to trade draft picks, so he made a deal with the Bears, The Vols got goalie Mike Fishen a third stringer, while the bears got not one, not two, but three 1st round draft picks from 1985 to 1987! The Bears would finish 1st place in the league, as for the Vols, two words: Rock Bottom!

 The ugly trade was the final straw that broke the camels back for Paul Name as he had an emergency meeting with owners and with a landslide vote the league stripped the ownership off from Pierre and the Vols now belongs to the AQHL for now until a new owner is found, if there are no one want to buy the team to keep them in Shawinigan then the team will be open for anyone to take the team outside of Shawinigan.

With a well put-together roster and three 1st picks in the next three years in tow, the Bears took 1st place in the league with no issue. Trois-Rivieres Titans take not only the Quebec division again but also 2nd place in the league, thanks to goalie Dale Holst winning 30 out of 35 games with 10 shutouts. In 3rd place, the Manchester Americans made some good moves, resulting in some shake-ups on the lines, and the result was great for both the team and the city. The Portland Clippers may lose some players, but they have some young core clicking very well to finish 4th. With losing 2 top forwards, the Laval Tigers had a slow start but got back on track with some key wins to take 5th place. After missing the playoffs for two years, the Drummondville Les Rouges got back in the playoffs by winning 9 of the last 12 games to clinch 6th. The Fredericton Vikings returned to the playoffs by finishing 7th after winning their last 7 games. Both the Sherbrooke Loups and the Cape Breton Warriors went back and forth for the last playoff spot, but key injuries hurt the Warriors, and the Loups won the last game of the season over Val-d’Or, while the Warriors ended their game with Charlottetown in a tie. Rounding out the rest after the Cape Breton Warriors are Charlottetown, Rouyn-Noranda, Verdun, Val-d’Or, New Glasgow and in very last place, Shawinigan.


1985 AQHL Playoffs

Round 1
This round was a short one for all four series. The Moncton Bears swept the Loups, even though there was a one-goal win in game three for the Bears. The Reds had no answers to even avoid being swept by the Americans; the Ames performed very well and hopes to go all the way. Laval Tigers dominated the Clippers in the first two games, but Portland fought back, and the Tigers won both game three and four in overtime. The whole league would witness a big upset as the Vikings with only 22 points less than the Titans, the first game ended in overtime, while in game two and three the Titans blew a two goal lead to lose with seconds remaining, and game four the Titans had the big lead 5-0 going into the third period where out of nowhere both Wayne Daoust and rookie Bill Boyle both score goals, Wayne’s hat-trick tied the game up to end regulation and with five minutes left into the first overtime Bill scored the winner making it for the first time in AQHL history that two players scored three goals each to win a game, as the Vikings move on to the second round, the Titans management had to go back to the drawing board.

Round 2
The series between the Americans and the Tigers have been the best, back and forth in the first three games but the Tigers took the last three games big thanks to their duo defence of Tom Meighan and rookie Shawn Montpelier as they not only held the line but also score goals including Tom’s OT winner in game five and Shawn’s hat-trick to give the Tigers a series win over the Americans to punch their ticket to the Bronz Cup finals. On paper the Bears got this series in the bag but in game three and four the Vikings push themselves to the next level and won both of them in overtimes, the Bears won game five but in game six the Vikings came back from being behind 4-0 to win it in overtime, game seven was the game no one never thought it would happen, leading 5-3 in the third Dave Messier scored 2 unanswered goals to tie it up and heading in overtime, 12:42 into overtime the Bears got a 5 on 3 powerplay until they had puck ready to score but it hit the post were Ted Savage got the puck than took the biggest gamble of his career skate it into a open gap for a breakaway and scored a overtime winner to shocked the whole crowd at the Brown Bear Memorial Centre, and the Fredericton Vikings are heading to the Bronz Cup for the first time since the 1975-76 season.

Bronz Cup Finals
Laval Tigers vs. Fredericton Vikings
It’s the ultimate battle between two teams that were predicted to be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, who are in hopes of winning the Bronz Cup. On one end, the Laval Tigers are making their first cup appearance since the 1972-73 season and are hoping to win the cup, having become the first Bronz Cup champion in 1971. While the Fredericton Vikings try to win their first cup in team history. Game one was all Tigers, led by Matt Nasreddine with two goals and five points, for a 6-2 win over the Vikings. The Vikings got payback in game two, with Dave Messier and Bill Boyle scoring two goals each to even the series with a 4-2 win. The Vikings made it two wins in a row in game three, but in overtime, they came back from being down 4-0 in the third period. In overtime, Ed Thibault made a point shot that somehow, someway went in the net despite so much traffic in front of the net. Game four was a rough one for the Tigers; the Vikings were all over them all game, but in the end, Alex Chouinard scored the only goal for a 1-0 win for the Tigers to even the series two games apiece. Throughout the fifth game of the series, it was scoreless until 1:20 left in the third, when Matt Nasreddine scored, and the Tigers went on to win game five 1-0. Unlike game five, game six was a goal fest between the two; however, it went to overtime, 6-6, after 2 overtimes and 12:56 into the third. Wayne Daoust made a breakaway to the net and scored the winner with the final score of 7-6 to tie the series 3 games apiece. Game number seven was for all the marbles, in the first period the Laval Tigers were all over the Vikings with 19 shots on goal but no goals was made, in the second period Fredericton had their turn but with 23 shots on goal but just like the first period no goals were made,  early into the third period out of nowhere Matt Nasreddine scored two goals within 5 minutes into the third period to give the Tigers a chance to win it all, however 8 minutes left in the final period Dave Messier scored two goals to tie it up, 2:10 left in the final period Dave Messier got the breakaway and scored the tie-breaker, despite the Tigers pour on the shots but the Vikings held their ground and at last the clock hit zero and the Fredericton Vikings are the 1985 Bronz Cup Champions winning the series 4 to 3.



Next Post: 1985 CIHA Valor Cup Tournament

Damn, we win the round robin just to lose in the semis. Congrats to the Vikings!

1985 CIHA Off-Season

OMJHA Expansion Draft

After losing three teams between 1982 and 1984, two new teams joined the OMJHA in time for the 1985-86 season, and the first step was to put together the front office. Niagara Falls Fire owner Abrum Wall hired Matthew LeBel as GM, along with Tyson Ouellette as Head Coach, who has a strong track record as an assistant coach with the Portland Nets. Meanwhile, Niagara Ice owner Issac Wall gave Jeremy Stewart the GM job after being let go as an assistant GM of the New York Mad Hatters, then hired Jeremy’s brother Mike Stewart as Head Coach after five successful years as goalie coach for the Quebec City Macareux. This expansion draft was very different, as league president Tom Van Ryan put his foot down after many teams tried to trade away top picks to protect their players from being selected. But Tom made sure that no top players would be taken at the expansion draft, so both Fire and Ice would take players that couldn’t even crack into the second line, to even goalies that can’t get a starter spot. Here are the top five picks from both Fire and Ice.

Niagara Falls Fire 
1. D- Max Hollingsworth-OSH
2. F- Luke Wilson-BAR
3. F- Eddie Benedict-KIT
4. G- Sam Carter-NM
5. D- Mike Callahan-TNeon

Niagara Falls Ice
1. F- Shawn Clifford-OAK
2. G- Nick Snyder-BRF
3. G- Paul Snyder-BRF
4. D- Frank Hilliard-ORG
5. F- Herb Cole-WAT


AQHL Draft
This year's draft was not too strong nor too weak; it was mid, after several promising prospects were taken by OMJHA rival league SWOHL because of the union deal for juniors, the Bears got the first pick from Shawinigan, so they took forward Peter Chaillac, who played well last season for the Bathurst Jr.B club. Both the Vikings and the Reds took each of the Orton brothers from Ottawa, Ontario. The Vikings got Shawn, while the Reds took Harry. Charlottetown picked Summerside local Max Thompson with good checking hits as a defender.

1. Moncton (from Shawinigan) – Peter Chaillac – F – Bathurst, NB
2. New Glasgow – Steven Montluçon – D – Rimouski, QC
3. Val-d’Or – Cliff Queens – F – St. John, NF
4. Verdun – Scott Lyon – G – Levis, QC
5. Rouyn-Noranda – Ryan Poitiers – F - Rouyn-Noranda, QC
6. Charlottetown – Max Thompson – D – Summerside, P.E.I.
7. Cape Breton – Eric Wilbert – D – Windsor, NS
8. Sherbrooke – Alex Châtellerault – F – Châteauguay, QC
9. Fredericton - Shawn Orton – F – Ottawa, ON
10. Drummondville – Harry Orton – F – Ottawa, ON
11. Laval – Jon Antoigné – G – Terrebonne, QC
12. Portland – Jack Andersons – F – Plattsburgh, NY
13. Manchester – David Robinson – D – Plattsburgh, NY
14. Trois-Rivieres – Paul Antran – D - Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC
15. Moncton – Jonathan Tolman – F – Plattsburgh, NY

OMJHA DraftFor the second consecutive season, this year’s draft was weak due to SWOHL's player acquisitions, and their long-term deal with the PJHPA union made it more challenging to bring in many good players in the Toronto area. In hopes of getting out of the bottom of the barrel, the Oshawa Gems had to make tough decisions, and they picked Brian Carter, a forward from Welland who had a great season but barely made it to the top ten in the Jr.B leagues. The Gems hope that they at least get somewhere higher than last place. The only move that turned heads was the Arrowbirds traded next year’s second and third round picks to the Skyflyers for this year’s first round pick, and the Arrowbirds took Josh Bird from Owen Sound. He was under the radar since his AAA days; he could be one of many pieces for a deep run. The Toronto Neon picked Dan Arlesburgh from Birmingham, UK, as the first European player to be drafted in the first round. 1. Oshawa-Brian Carter-F-Welland, ON2. Orangeville-Doug Tucker-F-Lockport, NY3. Peterborough-Karl Farris-F-Buffalo, NY4. Barrie-Sam Spencer -D-Orillia, ON5. Owen Sound (from Brantford)- Josh Bird-D-Owen Sound, ON6. Waterloo-Jaroslav Stransky-G-Honey Harbour, ON7. Buffalo-Jake Gibbs-F-Silver Creek, NY8. Newmarket-Dennis Clark-G-Port Colborne, ON9. Kitchener – Gary Cheevers – F- Markham, ON10. T. Hornets-Tim Moody-F-Ancaster, ON11. Owen Sound-Tom Bluebear-D-Kemble, ON12. T. Neon – Dan Arlesburgh – D – Birmingham, UK13. Oakville-Paul Alston-G-Goderich, ON


WCLH Draft
This one was pretty much taken over by Manitoba, with eight players from that province, but the Red Deer Bucks got themselves a tough, scoring defensive player from Regina, SK, named Mike Port. Mike would be a great addition to the team. Edward Osward is now in the doghouse after the Sharks missed the playoffs since hosting the Valor Cup in 1980. Edward must make an all-in pick in hopes of keeping his job, so with this pick, the Sharks choose Nick Valmore, a power forward who can score game-changing goals, were he to help the Prince George AAA team win back-to-back championships. The Pioneers aim to return to the playoff picture after missing it for two consecutive seasons, with the team needing more scoring power. Forward Kevin Holly from Minnedosa, MA, is just what they need.

1. Red Deer-Mike Port-D-Regina, SK
2. Nanaimo-Nick Valmore-F-Prince George, B.C.
3. Kenora-Kevin Holly-F-Minnedosa, MA
4. Moose Jaw-Shawn Maithwaite-F-Souris, MA
5. Brandon-Brandon Koci-D-Neepawa, MA
6. Red Deer (from Lethbridge)- Jack Parker-D-Moosomin, SK
7. Surrey-George Wills-G-Minot, ND
8. Swift Current-Roger Trott-F-Herbert, SK
9. Billings-Ted Grandy -F-Miles City, MT
10. Chilliwack-Leon Edwards-G-Wasagaming, MA
11. Portage la Prairie-Quinn Louis-G-Inglis, MA
12. Abbotsford-C-J Cummings-D-High River, AB
13. Medicine Hat-Tom Watson-F-Delta Beach, MA
14. Fargo-Shawn Young-F-Winnipeg, MA
15. Swift Current (from Saskatoon)- Greg Elk-D-Woodlands, MA

News
CIHA: In 1984, Buffalo became the first American team to host the Valor Cup Tournament, and the news came that Fargo became the second American team to host the Valor Cup for the 1986 Tournament, with the Owls building the rosters for a deep playoff run, and the Fargo Center cap upgrades are done. We are proud to host the Valor Cup Tournament. We have more work to do in hopes of making it the best tournament everyone will never forget.” Owls owner Ed Jackson said at the press conference after the announcement.

CIHA: After OMJHA added two more teams to their league, the CIHA president, Randy Howard, announced that all three leagues have increased the number of games from 50 to 56 games, and everyone in the meeting is happy to see that every team can get to face-to-face four times in a season, but there are talks that if there is a expansion they have to up the number of games which the owners don’t mind they would welcome it with open arms.

AQHL: After so much drama, the votes are done with the score of 12-2, the AQHL have taken ownership of the Shawinigan Voltages from Pierre Leflar after spending so much money at casinos rather than on the team, and the town of Shawinigan doesn’t have any local businesses nor the money for both buying the team and building a new arena. The AQHL will see anyone from outside willing to buy and relocate after the 1985-86 season.

AQHL: The Verdun Knights made some changes, but the big one was letting go of Nathen Giguere after a decade of coaching in winning one Bronz Cup title, so the team hired Jack Marvell as the new head coach, his hockey career was a rollercoaster from hitting it big after playing for the Waterloo Maroons in the OMJHA to being a injury prone during times with the Portland Nets in both IWHL to his final two NIHA seasons, Jack decide to do couching for his son’s travel hockey and year by year he got so good at couching that the Knights higher ups want him to coach.

OMJHA: One of the biggest news stories that hit was that the city of Owen Sound gave the green light to build a brand-new arena to replace the Arrowbird Rink. “We put a lot of money into selling the idea of a new arena, and I’m proud that we are getting a new arena!” said Trevor Thunder, owner of the Owen Sound Arrowbirds.

OMJHA: During his vacation in New York State, President Tom Van Ryan met an old friend, and he told Tom all about his son's success in getting the city of Syracuse a brand-new arena set to open in 1988, with no sign of a minor pro setting team there, it gave Tom an idea of an expansion adding more teams in the state of New York.

WCLH: The Saskatoon Cats weren’t the only team in Saskatchewan to celebrate a championship; the NIHA Saskatchewan Royals Won the Benjamin Cup in six games over the New York Mad Hatters, their first championship title in team history, on May 31, 1985. Both teams held parades in Regina to celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime event for fans.

WCLH: Last year, the NIHA Saskatchewan Royals moved out of their old Royal Arena and started playing in their new arena, called the Kingdom Centre. This year, after talks, the city of Regina officially approved to refurbish the Royal Arena for good use for the lower-tier leagues, and the WCLH President James Name took it and is planning an expansion in Regina for time since the 60s, and one businessman has an eye to be part of it, his name Raj Banga the owner and CEO of “Tough Tech” wanted to buy Saskatchewan Royals but didn’t happen because of who he is. He was born in India, and his family moved to Canada in the 1950s during the rebuilding efforts following World War II. He received a great education and founded Tough Tech, which manufactures vehicle radios and walkie-talkies for rescue forces. He has two sons named Saaj and Taaj; both are big hockey fans. Taaj gained insight into how sports teams transform from worst to champions. Meanwhile, Saaj began playing hockey, but a medical condition led him to switch to sled hockey, where he excelled, becoming one of Canada’s top sled hockey players. Once the refurbishment of the Royal Arena is complete, the WCLH will have a team playing there in time for the 1988-89 season.

Jersey Changes and debuts

Kitchener Generals
The design remains the same, with only two changes. First, they introduced red, a colour from the old Kitchener Legionnaires, which upset fans who thought the Generals were using it as a trophy. Additionally, the numbers have been updated to a different font.


Oshawa Gems
Following a series of negative reviews of the jersey set, the Gems added arm stripes, and fans deemed it a significant improvement.


Owen Sound Arrowbirds
The Birds have dropped black on both the jerseys and equipment for the first time in team history. The orange and red jersey design from 1960 to 1976 returns, featuring the Arrowhead logo on the shoulders. The pants are orange with red and white stripes on the sides, and the helmet is half orange and half red.

Niagara Falls Fire
The logo got the letters N and F with flames above it. The jerseys are simple stripes, on the home, a thick red stripe with mid-thick gold stripes and thin orange stripes. On the road, both mid-thick gold stripes and thin orange stripes switch places.


Niagara Falls Ice
A rink with the word “ICE” is the team’s logo, along with a thick stripe from shoulder to cuffs with a thin silver stripe in between blue and white.



Saskatoon Cats
1985-86 season marks the Cats' 75th anniversary. Just like the Lethbridge Cougars, they started out as an amateur hockey club, then dropped down to a junior league, and have had a grand rivalry since then. The anniversary logo is a checkerboard with silver trim. The Cats jersey set remains unchanged, but a logo rebrand is planned soon to replace the current one, which is reportedly giving some kids nightmares, including Lanna Jones, the granddaughter of Cats owner Rick Jones.


CIHA Alumni (where are they now)
Cliff Burns, Lethbridge Cougars (1973-77)
After playing his first three seasons with the Vancouver Orcas, Cliff found his game and led the Orcas in winning both the 1980, 81, and 83 Championships and hasn’t pulled his foot off the pedal when it comes to scoring, hitting 50 goals a season for the sixth time in a row. What is even better for Cliff is that he has signed a new contract with Vancouver until the end of the 1989-90 season.