FC Macbeth wrote:

One unrelated question:
Are there any places in Minnesota who have a sizable Asian population?

I believe the Minneapolis-St Paul Metro area has the largest population of Hmong refugees anywhere.

1977/78 Regular Season - North


For the first time in their 24 year history, the Little Falls Pilots are Granite Hockey League Champions! There was no real front runner this season as all of the top four teams had all been in first at one point in the season. The Pilots pulled in front at the end on a 6 game winning streak to steal the title from Alexandria who finished 1 tie behind in second. The Bearcats were a consistent contender all season, settling for third in the end while keeping the Chunk of Granite. Rounding out the big four this season was Brainerd who got off to an incredible start to the season, but began to fade off near the end. It will be interesting to see how the Jacks do come playoff time. On the outside looking in were the Bulldogs who came out of nowhere to have their best season to date, finishing above .500 for the first time. Behind the Dogs were the weather boys, the Cyclones and Storm. There was once again a bit of a drop for the final two with Princeton finishing ahead of the Dalas.


Virginia came flying right out of the gates to the surprise of many. The group of primarily rookies and sophomores was expected to be a middle of the pack team this season, but the Royals just clicked, earning themselves their first IRHL title in a decade, also bringing the Quad City Trophy home for the 8th time, becoming the team to do so the most, 8th happens to also be where they are ranked at the end of the season. The Trout remained a contender this season, losing out on back to back titles by 2 games. They did manage to keep the Ax as well as be ranked 12th. The Cougars also took home a top 20 ranking at 18, Mountain Iron is beginning to emerge as a bit of a contender in the Iron Range, quieting a lot of the "Little Brother" chants Eveleth and Virginia throw their way. It was an all out war for the four spot with Chisholm finally proving themselves, beating out the Moose, the back to back Kellogg Cup champs from Eveleth, and the Greyhounds. All of whom were within 4 games of that playoff birth. The bottom three this year were the Black Bears, Miners, and Kellys. Ely's lone bright spot on the season was taking back the Miners Hard Hat.


Thunder Bay continued to build on their nice playoff run a year ago, really coming into their own as a big, physical smash mouth hockey team. This type of play clearly worked as they cinched their 14th league crown as well as the 3rd overall rank in the MAHL. Guess who's back? After losing the face of their franchise in Brady Millen to the St. Louis Blues, the Broncos dropped off the map, falling all the way to the bottom of the league in 74 and 75. That all changed this season as a young Cloquet team began winning games they weren't supposed to. This kept going until it became the regular, Cloquet is back, winning the Skate for the first time ever, ending the Voyageurs 8 year run as well as being ranked 20th. Silver Bay and the Voyageurs rounded out the playoff teams with Grand Marais just barely missing out. Hermantown had their best season to date, finishing .500 and even beating out classic LSHL powers in the Hornets and Lakers. Two Harbors just looks old and slow, desperate for a new group of youth players to step up. The Spikes finished in the basement, winning only a handful of games, but competing in them.


This is a make or break year for the Barbarians with their core in the prime of their careers. The Barbs were an offensive machine out there, well deserving of the second rank in the MAHL at the end of the season. This is Steinbach's second Northland Hockey League title, the Barbarians also took home the Maple Leaf for the 6th consecutive season. Warroad dropped to second but don't let that fool you into thinking they got worse. The Lakers are just as potent if not more so than a season ago. The Lakers kept the Bell and took home the 7 rank in the MAHL. Both Winnipeg and Bemidji also finished in the top 20, showing just how competitive the Northland truly is. There truly wasn't a "bad" team in the NLHL this year, with the rest of the pack all capable of winning on any given day. This led to it being incredibly close in the standings, Kenora had their best year to date, but missed out on the playoffs. Roseau and Fort Frances were both playoff caliber teams that finished around 500. International Falls was also very solid, even winning back the Can-Am Cup for the 2nd time in the last 10 years. It was Baudette and Blackduck who unfortunately just couldn't string together enough wins, finishing in the basement.


It was a year to remember for the new look Jets who had their most dominant season ever, even finishing ranked 5th. Grand Forks was incredibly skilled, but also physical, playing in a way that allowed them to take over and win. The Jets went 3/3 this season on trophies and awards winning the Giant Fork, the Nodak Cup, and the Red River Hockey League. It was also a very good year for the Fargo Titans who finished in 2nd and are ranked 16th. Detroit Lakes proved that last season wasn't a fluke, keeping up with the top dogs and finishing in 3rd. Thief River punched their ticket back into the playoffs this year, flying under the radar all year and winding up inside the top 4. Crookston had the talent, they just failed to make it work, finishing in 5th. The big story this season was the fall of the Pointers. EGF won the RRHL only a season ago, but dropped to sixth this season with no real explanation as to why. The team was more or less the same as last year, only making a couple changes here and there. There weren't any big injuries or illnesses, the Pointers just lost whatever "it factor" they had in years past. Moorhead had a solid start to the year, looking like they could fight for a playoff spot, but then they began to fall apart as the year went on, finishing only ahead of Pelican Rapids who is still trying to find their footing in the league.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

1. How the mighty Redbirds have fallen...the team with the most Kellogg Cups now has the more dubious distinction of being the first team in 60 years to miss the playoffs the year after winning the Kellogg Cup (The previous team to do that was the 1918 Eveleth Rangers).
2. Also the first time EGF has ever missed the playoffs...impressive that they made it for so many years in a row to begin (which is what's made the Giant Fork one of the best rivalry series in the MAHL)
3. Nice to see Cloquet finally make it back to the playoffs, and also nice to see Little Falls finally win the Granite (Sauk Rapids on the verge brings plenty of hope too).

Ready to see how the other regions do...

1977/78 Regular Season - Twin Cities


It was a very strange season in the East Metro with the inclusion of 3 new teams to make the league a whopping 14 teams. Many of the more established teams in the league were not happy with the increasing size of the league. Rivalries such as the Battle for the Barrel were only seen three times this season with the Retrievers winning back the Barrel on goals scored with the teams tying the season series 1-1-1. White Bear gets a pretty good consolation prize in another EMHL title as well as a number 6 rank in the MAHL. The Polka came out of nowhere this season to make their first playoff birth in team history. Stillwater makes their return to the post season, ending a 4 year drought. With the sheer amount of teams, a lot of playoff caliber teams missed out on a playoff birth, teams such as Eau Claire, Mounds View, Roseville, Lake Elmo, and Fridley all put together respectable seasons. It was a rough year for Little Canada who dropped below 500. It was also rough for the expansion teams who all finished in the bottom 4, joined only by Shoreview.


The Anoka Warriors are your North Metro Hockey League champions, clinching the crown for the first time in franchise history. NMHL mainstays Osseo were not far behind in second. Brooklyn Park finally were able to connect all the pieces to achieve their potential, earning a third place finish. Rounding out the top four are the Bandits who make their return after a pair of seasons missing out. Wayzata and Elk River remained floating right around that playoff bubble, just failing to get in. Plymouth and Golden Valley both had shocking declines from a season ago. Plymouth in particular had a horrible season as the Militia were expected to at least finish in the top 4, but instead came in 7th. New Hope had their best season to date, moving past Blaine and their rivals from Crystal who came in last for the 4th time in the last 5 years.


The Waves reign supreme once more! West St. Paul was just a great unit out there, well deserving of the 4th overall rank in the MAHL as they cruise to their first TCHL title since 1956, keeping the wood slab with a season sweep of the Mavericks in the process. Swooping into the playoffs for the first time in the second spot in the league are the Flying Aces. Despite their impressive season, the ranking committee decided to rank the third place St. Paul Victorias ahead of Highland Park in a highly controversial decision that some Aces fans are saying shows the media's bias for the V's. To the Victorias credit, they did manage to win both the Veterans Cup and the Milk Jug along with the fact they have more playoff experience. Rounding out the playoff teams are the third team from St. Paul to punch their ticket. Como had another solid all around season, managing to beat out the Mavericks at the end of the year to slip into fourth to make their second playoff appearance. It was a disaster of a season for two of the MAHL's most dominant teams as of recent years. Both the Vulcans and Millers suffered major setbacks this season, dropping considerably in the standings as they both miss the playoffs. This is the first time ever that both the Millers and Vulcans have both missed the playoffs (including when Minneapolis was combined and known as the Minneapolis Hockey Club). Many are calling for the Vulcans to revert back to the "Twin Cities" moniker, calling the name change a curse, the team has refused to comment on the St. Anthony-Twin Cities name debate. One bright spot for the boys in red was that they kept the Holy War Trophy, mainly thanks to the fact that the Saints had their worst season in franchise history, finishing behind the Bakers, but ahead of the Raptors.


"It is now or never for the Cake Eaters" is a phrase that many have been saying for years now, but it is becoming more and more real this year with the two headed dragon of Nanne and Hankinson getting into their 30's and the team surrounding them bolstering up to create arguably the best team in MAHL history according to some. Edina was ranked number 1 for nearly the entire season, going 27-1-2 on the year and claiming the Megaphone in its first year. The West Metro was once again a bloodbath with two more playoff teams being ranked with Minnetonka in second ranked 9th and Richfield in third ranked 14th. There is a new face in the four spot with Mound putting their nose to the grindstone to fight their way into the playoffs for the first time in Marauders history. St. Louis Park was also in contention, dropping off a bit near the end of the year. West was just inconsistent, on some nights they looked unbeatable, but on others they couldn't seem to make a pass. Hopkins and Bloomington both finished with losing records, this was especially tough on the Bears who had managed to reach the post season the last 4 years. Eden Prairie just can't seem to keep up with the bigger cities around them, finishing in last once again.

Let me know what you think, comments are appreciated!

I’m thoroughly ready to watch TRF get ousted round 1 again! Plus, let’s all cup our mouths, and boo the Cake Eaters! All the trust funds finding ways to pay for talent!

Plus, we’re nearing new equipment! Can someone say...Cooperalls?!

Last edited by ProsecutorMilesEdgeworth (6/23/2020 11:43 pm)