International Hockey League
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The International Hockey League (IHL) was a professional ice hockey league in the United States and Canada from 1945 to 2001. IHL playoff champions were awarded the Turner Cup.
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[edit] Early years
The IHL was formed in December 1945 and initially consisted of four cross-border teams in Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. In 1947, a team from Toledo, Ohio joined the league, and the following year the IHL expanded significantly, with teams in four additional U.S. cities. The expansion didn't take hold, and for 1949-50, the league was back down to teams in Detroit and Windsor, and two nearby Canadian cities: Sarnia, Ontario and Chatham, Ontario. Windsor dropped out in 1950, and expansion into the U.S. began again, with Toledo rejoining the league and new teams in Grand Rapids, Michigan (1950), Troy, Ohio (1951), Cincinnati (1952), Fort Wayne, Indiana (1952), and Milwaukee (1952). At the same time, the last Canadian team left the league in 1952, when the Chatham Maroons pulled out. Three new U.S. cities were added in 1953. The league would expand and shrink between five and nine teams through the 1950s, with another major expansion in 1959. After 11 seasons as a strictly-U.S. league, the IHL admitted two Canadian teams in 1963, with the Windsor Bulldogs and the return of the Chatham Maroons. Both teams dropped out after one season. The International league wouldn't again have any franchises based outside of the U.S. until 1996.
[edit] Major market expansion
Starting in the mid-1970s, the IHL's quality of play significantly upgraded until it was on par with the American Hockey League, the longtime top feeder league for the National Hockey League. Many IHL teams became the top farm teams of NHL teams. From the late 1980s on, the IHL began to expand into major markets such as Houston, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Kansas City, San Diego, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Orlando, Denver, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Phoenix. It even placed teams in markets that already had NHL teams--such as Chicago, Detroit and Long Beach (near Los Angeles).
Its expansion into larger markets was rapid, and many of the smaller cities fell away (with many clubs, such as Fort Wayne, Peoria, Muskegon, Flint, and Kalamazoo joining lower leagues such as the United Hockey League or the East Coast Hockey League).
[edit] Decline and collapse
The IHL's expansion into NHL markets put a strain on relationships between the leagues. There was some speculation that the IHL would end up competing directly with the NHL.[1] However, in the 1995-96 season, the IHL's "soft" salary cap was just $1.5 million,[2] while the lowest NHL team payroll that season was $11.4 million.[3]
In response, many NHL clubs shifted their affiliations to the AHL. In 1997-98, only four of 18 IHL teams had NHL affiliations.[4] With the loss of subsidized salaries, high expansion fees (by the end the league was charging as much as $8 million US for new teams), exploding travel costs and the NHL itself moving into some of its markets, the league's rapid expansion proved a critical strain, and it folded after the 2001 season.
Six IHL franchises (the Chicago Wolves, Grand Rapids Griffins, Houston Aeros, Utah Grizzlies, Milwaukee Admirals and Manitoba Moose) were admitted into the AHL as expansion teams for the 2001-02 season, and then between them won the next three AHL Calder Cup championships (2002, 2003, 2004) and appeared in the Cup finals in the next two years (2005, 2006). Ironically, the IHL's last champions, the Orlando Solar Bears, were not taken in because their owner, Rich DeVos, also owned the Griffins.
[edit] Teams
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[edit] Turner Cup champions
| Year | Winner | Finalist | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-01 | Orlando Solar Bears | Chicago Wolves | 4-1 |
| 1999-00 | Chicago Wolves | Grand Rapids Griffins | 4-2 |
| 1998-99 | Houston Aeros | Orlando Solar Bears | 4-3 |
| 1997-98 | Chicago Wolves | Detroit Vipers | 4-3 |
| 1996-97 | Detroit Vipers | Long Beach Ice Dogs | 4-2 |
| 1995-96 | Utah Grizzlies | Orlando Solar Bears | 4-0 |
| 1994-95 | Denver Grizzlies | Kansas City Blades | 4-0 |
| 1993-94 | Atlanta Knights | Fort Wayne Komets | 4-2 |
| 1992-93 | Fort Wayne Komets | San Diego Gulls | 4-0 |
| 1991-92 | Kansas City Blades | Muskegon Lumberjacks | 4-0 |
| 1990-91 | Peoria Rivermen | Fort Wayne Komets | 4-2 |
| 1989-90 | Indianapolis Ice | Muskegon Lumberjacks | 4-0 |
| 1988-89 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | 4-1 |
| 1987-88 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | Flint Spirits | 4-2 |
| 1986-87 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | Muskegon Lumberjacks | 4-2 |
| 1985-86 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | Fort Wayne Komets | 4-0 |
| 1984-85 | Peoria Rivermen | Muskegon Lumberjacks | 4-3 |
| 1983-84 | Flint Generals | Toledo Goaldiggers | 4-0 |
| 1982-83 | Toledo Goaldiggers | Milwaukee Admirals | 4-2 |
| 1981-82 | Toledo Goaldiggers | Saginaw Gears | 4-1 |
| 1980-81 | Saginaw Gears | Kalamazoo Wings | 4-0 |
| 1979-80 | Kalamazoo Wings | Fort Wayne Komets | 4-2 |
| 1978-79 | Kalamazoo Wings | Grand Rapids Owls | 4-3 |
| 1977-78 | Toledo Goaldiggers | Port Huron Flags | 4-3 |
| 1976-77 | Saginaw Gears | Toledo Goaldiggers | 4-3 |
| 1977-76 | Dayton Gems | Port Huron Flags | 4-0 |
| 1974-75 | Toledo Goaldiggers | Saginaw Gears | 4-3 |
| 1973-74 | Des Moines Capitols | Saginaw Gears | 4-2 |
| 1972-73 | Fort Wayne Komets | Port Huron Wings | 4-2 |
| 1971-72 | Port Huron Wings | Muskegon Mohawks | 4-2 |
| 1970-71 | Port Huron Flags | Des Moines Oak Leafs | 4-2 |
| 1969-70 | Dayton Gems | Port Huron Flags | 4-3 |
| 1968-69 | Dayton Gems | Muskegon Mohawks | 3-0 |
| 1967-68 | Muskegon Mohawks | Dayton Gems | 4-1 |
| 1966-67 | Toledo Blades | Fort Wayne Komets | 4-2 |
| 1965-66 | Port Huron Flags | Dayton Gems | 4-1 |
| 1964-65 | Fort Wayne Komets | Des Moines Oak Leafs | 4-2 |
| 1963-64 | Toledo Blades | Fort Wayne Komets | 4-2 |
| 1962-63 | Fort Wayne Komets | Minneapolis Millers | 4-1 |
| 1961-62 | Muskegon Zephyrs | St. Paul Saints | 4-0 |
| 1960-61 | St.Paul Saints | Muskegon Zephyrs | 4-1 |
| 1959-60 | St.Paul Saints | Fort Wayne Komets | 4-3 |
| 1958-59 | Louisville Rebels | Fort Wayne Komets | 4-2 |
| 1957-58 | Indianapolis Chiefs | Louisville Rebels | 4-3 |
| 1956-57 | Cincinnati Mohawks | Indianapolis Chiefs | 3-0 |
| 1955-56 | Cincinnati Mohawks | Toledo-Marion Mercurys | 4-0 |
| 1954-55 | Cincinnati Mohawks | Troy Bruins | 4-3 |
| 1953-54 | Cincinnati Mohawks | Johnstown Jets | 4-2 |
| 1952-53 | Cincinnati Mohawks | Grand Rapids Rockets | 4-0 |
| 1951-52 | Toledo Mercurys | Grand Rapids Rockets | 4-2 |
| 1950-51 | Toledo Mercurys | Grand Rapids Rockets | 4-1 |
| 1946-50 | Chatham Maroons | Sarnia Sailors | 4-3 |
| 1948-49 | Windsor Hettche Spitfires | Toledo Mercurys | 4-3 |
| 1947-48 | Toledo Mercurys | Windsor Hettche Spitfires | 4-1 |
| 1946-47 | Windsor Spitfires | Detroit Bright's Goodyears | 3-0 |
| 1945-46 | Detroit Auto Club | Detroit Bright's Goodyears | 2-1 |
[edit] References
- ^ "League's founding father watches over 50th year," David Eminian, The Hockey News, January 27, 1995.
- ^ "Ufer trying to sell league on structured salary cap," David Eminian, The Hockey News, November 10, 1995.
- ^ NHL Teams' Payrolls. Retrieved on November 23, 2006.
- ^ "The Modern Minors," Eric Zweig, p. 381, in Total Hockey, ed. Dan Diamond, Total Sports, 1998.
[edit] External links
- International Hockey League 1945-2001 Internet Hockey Database - Standings and Statistics
