Wow, Trowburgh has had like 4 teams at this point across the THL and UHA, right? I've gotta agree with the pundits saying it's where teams go to die. I want to see the Herons succeed, however.

When does Trowburgh stop being Detroit and start being better Detroit?

1978 THL OFFSEASON

League News

With the legal issues swirling around former Herons and Eagles players, the franchise in Trowburgh attempted to distance themselves from the debacle while the sentences were being decided in court. Adam Oreskovich got off fairly easy with a 5-year prison sentence, while main conspirators Allan Kaplan and Dave Novak received 10-to-life sentences. Ty Burchfield got time taken off by testifying against his former teammates and received a 3-year sentence, while Danny Millings was handed 5 years and Donnie Altenhofen was booked with a 1-year sentence. All the players are indefinitely suspended by the league.

Commissioner Hatch also announced that two more expansion teams would be joining the league for the 1979 season. He promised forward-thinking in the expansion and teased a bigger announcement that was in the works to continue league growth.

Coaching Carousel

Longtime Whales and Pioneers coach Cyrus Street retired at 73 years old and 20 pro seasons. He won two Cups with the Whales. Chasonne fired head coach Ted Gooden and the whole staff. The Heralds hired Kip Waller to helm the team along with former Herons GM Mac Russo. The Pioneers hired former Heralds coach Gooden and added recently retired goalie Burt Wentz as assistant coach.

Notable Retirements

Wayne Leyva, 77, owner of the Port Alrene Anchors officially retired from his business ventures, handing over the reigns of the franchise to his son Tom Leyva, 54, who had already been helping run team operations for several years alongside his dad. The elder Leyva had one of the most successful franchises in league history, seeing his team make 7 Finals appearances, winning 3 Marcotte Cups. The Anchors only missed the playoffs 4 times during his control of the team. Leyva hired a GM, Ruben Kidwell, to adhere to the league-mandating rule in 1973, but Kidwell was only a money manager. It is supposed that his son Tom will continue operations in a similar fashion.

Hanging up his skates is goaltender Burt Wentz. The elder brother of legendary goalie Von Wentz, Burt played for 5 teams in his long career and was known to be an incredible mentor and “goalie whisperer” everywhere he went. Typically a high-quality backup, Wentz played for the Trowburgh Lions, Yubay Falcons, Portarra Whales, Narva Neptunes and Portarra Pioneers. During the last of his years with the Pioneers, Wentz had transitioned to more of an assistant coach and was officially hired in that capacity upon his retirement as a player. He won a Cup with the Whales in 1963.

Player Trades & Signings

The Whales signed F Michael Mixon after the UHA's Cyclones folded. The Pioneers signed former Cyclone F Jerry Razzo.

The Heralds traded F Joey Fredella and F Irwin Duffy to the Anchors for a '78 1st-Rd pick.

1978 THL Amateur Player Draft

1 – LEC – F Jack Kovak
“Nasty Jack” is something of a borderline dirty player who plays with an intense edge. He's a ruthless winger who can patrol the whole ice while passing, defending and scoring.

2 – GLD – F Lorenz Laduca (Italy)
Laduca is fast and plays the center position very well but his slight frame and dislike of getting hit will be an adjustment in the THL. However, his scoring and passing will compliment John Jurksi very well.

3 – TRO – F Calvin Strozewski
While the situation in Trowburgh hasn't been great, the debacle has allowed the Herons to completely rebuild with top picks. Stroze is an excellent pick here with a balanced skill set.

4 – PTP – G Nick Casselman
There haven't been many top-flight goalie prospects in recent drafts but Casselman has all the tools to succeed. He will have instant playing time in Portarra with Burt Wentz's retirement.

5 – CHA – F Quincy Ledoux
With two 1st-round picks, Chasonne chose forward Ledoux to leapfrog Yubay who also liked the Quebel product. Ledoux is a nice passer with above-average scoring ability.

6 – YUB – D Malcolm Jackson
The Falcons would have liked Ledoux here but instead turned their attention to rising prospect Jackson on the blue line. Jackson is the first player of African heritage to be drafted into the THL.

7 – CHA (via PA) – D Steven Orban (Romania)
8 – KIR – D Roy Obenhaus
9 – KAV – F Rich Kuykendahl
10 – POR – D Ray Royce
11 – FTB – D Hugh Latkovic
12 – YBG – F Darren Lambert
13 – KRK – D Geoff Murdock
14 – NAR – D Todd Snow

Team Identity Changes

Two teams made significant changes for the 1978 season.

1978 Port Alrene Anchors (Identity and Uniforms)


In conjunction with Tom taking over his for dad, he prompted a full redesign for the team. The iconic anchor logo was reworked to merge the anchor motif with the stylized "PA" symbol that is seen all over Alrene Harbor. The full primary is encircled in a roundel that pays homage to the fishermen who carry a similar circle painted on their boat cabs as sort of a local ID. The stylized anchor will stand by itself on the sweaters as they didn't want to also have a round logo on their sweaters like their biggest rival the Whales. Several eras of uniforms are combined into a new more modern look for the Anchors. White is added back into the color palette. The jersey numbers are changed to match the TV numbers and outlines return throughout. The sleeve-length shoulder yoke gives way to a standard yoke from their early days and the wide double stripes from that first era return combined with thin contrasting inner stripes with a matching striping on a straight hem. The old anchor logo is now a shoulder patch on both sides inside the yoke. The socks are redone with a doubled pattern of the new striping set.

Previous Identity: 1972-1977 Port Alrene Anchors Identity

1978 Kavalos Electrics (New Logo)


After the infamous "prototype logo" debacle last season, Electrics' owner Sandy Goetz immediately launched a new logo design process that he personally oversaw every day until completion. The new logo, dubbed the "Skatebolt", takes an angled hockey skate with a lightning bolt as the blade set overtop a roundel hinting at the nuclear symbol from the previous prototype logo. Motion lines show speed, which is a play style that Goetz likes in his team. The new logo is placed on the previous uniform update.

Previous Identity: 1977 Kavalos Electrics Identity


Hope y'all like the new looks! C&C both good and bad is always appreciated.

Love the Skatebolt! Not as much of a fan of the PA, my first reaction was that it was a 2, then an R, then I saw the PA. I like attempt, I think you could fit it in there but right now it's not working for me.

Definitely interested in finding out what the big announcement will be!  Thinking it's got to do with the UHA, maybe a merger?  

I have a feeling the Leyva family's change of owner will spark a change of fate for the Port Alrene Anchors.  Whether good or not, we'll see, (I'm personally betting on Whales fans being in for a happy period watching their rivals fail).  The redesign....well I personally can see the P and A, along with the Anchor.  It's definitely a downgrade over the classic Anchor design, but it's clear that it's supposed to be a downgrade, (though the jerseys in general are an upgrade, especially going back to the standard yoke).  Seems Tommy Boy wants to make sure it's obvious a new owner is in charge.  I like the story line here, should be fun to watch where one of the iconic franchises in THL go in this new era!

As for the Electrics, this is the first logo they've had that I've loved!  I like the Nuke symbol returning, but the main feature is definitely the Skatebolt, which is an awesome design choice!  This feels right for this team and I hope it sticks around for a long time!  Great job!

Also, totally forgot to mention how much I am loving the trainwreck known as the now Trowburgh Wolves.  I love how the logo still looks like it's in a P shape to reflect their old city.  Only they could do that.  I still hope they survive, even though it's more of a miracle that they didn't already fold.  I'd love to see them somehow be the team that survives in Trowburgh, (yeah, the Herons still exist, but they are a trainwreck too, lol).

Last edited by Stickman (5/02/2020 9:47 pm)