Springfield Indians
| Springfield Indians | |
| Springfield Indians | |
| Founded | 1926 |
| Home ice | Eastern States Coliseum, Springfield Civic Center |
| Based in | Springfield |
| Colours | Usually blue, red and white; navy blue, green and white in 1994 |
| League | American Hockey League |
| Owner | Eddie Shore |
The Springfield Indians was a founding franchise of the American Hockey League, existing (with two interruptions) from 1926 to 1994.
Early History
The Indians had their start in the Canadian-American Hockey League in 1926. The "Can-Am," as it was called, was founded in Springfield and the Indians were one of the five initial franchises. It was run at the time by Lester Patrick and the National Hockey League's New York Rangers, and future NHL stars such as Charlie Rayner, Earl Seibert (who after his playing days were through would be the Indians' long time coach), Cecil Dillon and Ott Heller saw their start in Springfield uniforms.
By 1936, the Indians had switched affiliations to the NHL New York Americans, but with the Great Depression causing cutbacks all around, the Can-Am merged with another league to form the International-American Hockey League, which changed its name to the American Hockey League, having lost its last Canadian francises, in 1941.
But before that time, the man who cast his shadow over the team for most of its existence, Boston Bruins's superstar defenseman Eddie Shore, had purchased the team in 1939. Industriously, he split games between the Bruins and the Indians, even going to far to provoke a trade to the Amerks to make the train commute easier. He retired from the NHL after that season, but played for Springfield for two more seasons. Shore's often-controversial but ever-colorful management style would permeate the team for the next three decades and provide generations of hockey players and fans with anecdotes.
Despite early stars like Shore, Fred Thurier, Frank Beisler and Pete Kelly, success eluded the Indians on the ice. However, in the 1941-1942 season, the Indians finished in first place.
Disaster struck in the following season. With World War II, the United States army requisitioned the Eastern States Coliseum, Springfield's home arena, for the war effort, leaving the Indians homeless. Shore moved the franchise to Buffalo for the duration, returning the team to Springfield for the 1946-1947 season. However, on ice success continued to elude the team, and despite the presence of stars such as Harry Pidhirny and Jim Anderson the franchise failed to have a winning record for over a decade more (including a further ignoble temporary franchise move to Syracuse for three seasons).
"They Could Have Played In The NHL ... "
Matters turned around in dramatic fashion for the 1959-1960 season. Behind an affiliation with the Rangers, and an immensely deep team with star forwards Bill Sweeney, Pidhirny, Anderson, Ken Schinkel, Bruce Cline, Brian Kilrea, defensemen Ted Harris and Bob McCord, and goaltender Marcel Paille, the Indians would lead the league in the regular season three straight years and win three straight Calder Cups, losing only five playoff games in that span and becoming only the second team in league history to go undefeated in the playoffs. Sweeney would win the league scoring title three years in a row, Paille the best goaltending record two years running, and Springfield defensemen would win the best defenseman award two years running. With the most dominant team the AHL would ever see -- no team before or since won three straight regular season OR playoff championships -- the stands in the old Coliseum were filled night after night, and it was said of the 1959-1962 Indians that they could have played in the NHL ... and not have finished last.
The Expansion Era And Beyond
Although Sweeney would lead the league in scoring in 1963 for a third time, the party was over for the Indians. The team missed the playoffs that year, and would for most of the rest of the Sixties.
In 1968 the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL would buy a controlling interest in the team, while leaving its operation in Shore's hands. They would rename the franchise the Springfield Kings, and with Gord Labossiere, star defenseman Noel Price and goaltender Bruce Landon (a name that would subsequently loom large in Springfield hockey annals) the team had a winning record in the 1969 season, reaching the Cup finals. The following season the team would just squeak into the playoffs with a losing record -- winning a one-game playoff with the Quebec Aces to do it -- and rampaged to Springfield's fourth Calder Cup championship with an 11-1 playoff record, led by future NHL star center Butch Goring and Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Billy Smith.
The following year Goring and Smith were gone, and the franchise spent twoe more years in the wilderness. But in the 1974-1975 season, Eddie Shore would take control of the team once more, changing its name back to the Indians. With a cast of no-names (future NHL defenseman Gary Sargent being the only prominent one, and injuries held him to only a few games) the club would win its fifth championship, becoming only the second fourth place team ever to do so. An elderly Shore would sell the team after the next season, ending an era that would inextricably link his name to Springfield hockey.
The next fourteen years were hard ones for the once-proud franchise. Springfield would go through a dizzying array of NHL affiliations, while no coach would stay longer than a single season. The revolving door did their on-ice record no good; over that stretch, the Indians would record only two winning seasons and won but a single playoff game. There would be only sporadic bright spots during that time; a scoring title from minor-league great Bruce Boudreau in 1988, quality seasons from future NHLers Charlie Simmer and Mario Lessard in 1978, and a league-leading season in goal in 1983 from Bob Janecyk.
The 1990s and the Last Cups
In 1990 fortunes would change once more, in an affiliation with the New York Islanders. A gallant squad coached by ex-NHL defensive whiz Jim Roberts would sneak into the playoffs in the final week, and on May 18, 1990, the team would knock off the heavily favored Rochester Americans in six games in the finals for the franchise's sixth Calder Cup. Future NHL goaltender Jeff Hackett would win the playoff MVP, inspirational leader Rod Dallman provided tons of grit, while names such as Marc Bergevin, Tom Fitzgerald, team captain Rob DiMaio, Jeff Finley and Bill Berg would be heard from by NHL fans for many years to come.
In the middle of a dispute over leasing at the Springfield Civic Center, the Indians' home for much of the previous two decades, the team's affiliation changed again to the Hartford Whalers. Despite fan anger at the loss of their favorites, only to be replaced from a Binghamton Whalers team that had recorded the worst record in league history the season before, the 1990-1991 new look Indians proved their naysayers wrong. Behind Roberts' veteran coaching, they rampaged to the second best record in the league behind a powerful offense led by future NHLer Terry Yake, James Black, Chris Tancill and Michel Picard, who would lead the league with 56 goals that season, and a rock solid defense led by captain John Stevens and Bergevin. Goaltender Kay Whitmore would win the playoff MVP as Springfield defended their title against Rochester. It would be the Springfield Indians' seventh and final Calder Cup.
End of a Legend
Roberts and several stars were promoted to Hartford the following fall, and while the Indians had a sterling season in 1992, they would never again gain the finals nor thereafter have a winning record. In 1993 the Indians would make the semi-finals before being devastated by eventual champion Cape Breton Oilers.
In the fall of 1994, the franchise was bought by out of town interests and moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, to become the Worcester IceCats. With good will from an American Hockey League with central offices across the river in West Springfield and run by ex-Indians Jack Butterfield and Gordon Anziano, longtime Springfield General Manager Bruce Landon secured a new franchise from the league and started play that season (with the same Whalers'-owned players as the previous season) as the Springfield Falcons.
Team Records
- Goals in a season: Michel Picard, 56, 1990-1991
- Assists in a season: Bruce Boudreau, 74, 1987-1988
- Points in a season: Bruce Boudreau, 116, 1987-1988
- Penalty minutes in a season: Mick Vukota, 372, 1987-1988
- Shutouts in a season: Marcel Paille, 8, 1960-1961
- Career games: Jim Anderson, 943
- Career goals: Jim Anderson, 426
- Career assists: Brian Kilrea, 442
- Career points: Jim Anderson, 813
- Career penalty minutes: Rod Dallman, 844