1984 CIHA Off-season part 2: News and jersey changes

 CIHA: 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.

CIHA: The League also announced that in July 1985, the Valor Star tournament will be held. Toronto, Ontario, will host it as both Neon and 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 contains players aged 16-18, this team will be an international theme featuring players from all around the world. As for the jerseys it’ll be the same design. “We felt like it really wasn’t necessary to change them. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.” CIHA President Randy Howard said at the press conference.

AQHL: 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.

OMJHA: 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 numbers 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 line for Jr., as he got a GM job for the NIHA’s Chicago Lancers, and the higher-ups love his style, and he can work well with their fresh new coaching staff.

OMJHA: 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 build his arena in Niagara Falls, Ontario. While 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.

WCLH: 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 60s when the Regina Royals folded in line for a minor-pro club, then became part of the IWHL in the 70s.

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, Red Deer Bucks, and the relocated Newmarket Express showed off 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 are talks that the team could be building up for a new look.

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.

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.

 Toronto Neon: The pants and socks came back. The only thing Neon took from their Lite-sonic pants was the thin neon colour stripes, which they placed on the side of the pants. The neon green number on the road jersey got promoted from the sleeves to the back, while the neon yellow went on the sleeves.

Val-d’Or Monarchs: Just like Lite-sonic, the pants have a thick white stripe on the side of their navy blue pants, and the socks also have thick stripes on both home and road.

 Peterborough Bolts: The Bolts did more than just change the pants. They changed their look entirely by dropping red, darkening the blue, and putting simple stripes on 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.

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.

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 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 goals per season 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.

1984 CIHA Off-season part 1: League Drafts and Expansion Draft

 WCLH Expansion Draft

As the WCLH added the Red Deer Bucks, a lot of teams feared that their top players could be picked to be part of the Bucks. There is a rule that you can trade picks to an expansion team, but the first and second-round picks are off-limits; however, if a team trades first and/or second-draft picks, that team will face a fine of $5000.00 and loses a draft pick next year, double it if both first and second draft picks were made. The higher-ups of the Lethbridge Cougars talked about it, and with an agreement between the owner and GM, the Cougars took a gamble and traded their first-round pick to the Red Deer Bucks to protect their top player from the expansion draft. The Bucks's picks mainly were players who got drafted in the second round; the best pick the Bucks made was Kurt Lscroix from the Moose Jaw Wings.

1. Kurt Lscroix, D (Moose Jaw Wings)

2. Donald Queen, F (Abbotsford Forest Kings)

3. Nick Yoke, G (Saskatoon Cats)

4. Frank Littlewood, F (Kenora Pioneers)

5. Leon Jakins, G (Kenora Pioneers)

 

AQHL Draft

With so many draft picks, the first-round picks remain intact as many up-and-comers are hoping to be picked and part of the desired team. The Firebirds made a strong pick with forward Zack Knox from Montreal, who made an impressive run with the Terrebonne Jr. B club, scoring 20 goals and 68 assists. It is just the Firebirds need to up the team’s playmaker style to move up the ranks and maybe have a chance to make it to the playoffs. Another Montreal local drafted its defenceman Matthew Daoust by the Greens need to boost their defence up after a poor 1983-84 season performance. The disaster was painful for the Volts, but drafting forward Rick Daley from Quebec City can turn it around if they don’t tamper with the roster like the 83-84 season. The big surprise is the rise of well-developed players from the town of Plattsburgh, Vermont, as both forward Oscar Chapman (drafted by Manchester) and defence Mike Giffin (drafted by Trois-Rivieres) were many good players that caught many scouts' eyes to keep a watch out for more good players that could have a chance to have a player or two to be in the top ten.

1. Rouyn-Noranda Firebirds – Zack Knox, F (Montreal, QC)

2. Charlottetown Greens – Matthew Daoust, D (Montreal, QC)

3. Shawinigan Voltages – Rick Daley, F (Quebec City, QC)

4. New Glasgow Highlanders – Conner Draper, G (Sussex, NB)

5. Val-d’Or Monarchs – Bruce McDonald, F (Summerside, PEI)

6. Verdun Knights – Ryan Valiquette, F (Shawinigan, QC)

7. Drummondville Les Rouges – Trent McKenny, D (Burlington, Vermont)

8. Laval Tigers – Shawn Montpelier, D (Lewiston, NH)

9. Cape Breton Warriors – Paul Fredericton, F (Bangor, Maine)

10. Sherbrooke Loups – Pat Skinner, F (Campbellton, NB)

11. Fredericton Vikings – Bill Boyle, F (North Sydney, NS)

12. Portland Clippers – Nick Cassels, D (Brunswick, Maine)

13. Manchester Americans – Oscar Chapman, F (Plattsburgh, Vermont)

14. Trois-Rivieres Titans – Mike Giffin, D (Plattsburgh, Vermont) 

15. Moncton Bears – Ryan Handzus, G (Bilovec, Czechoslovakia)

OMJHA Draft

The Orilla Lakers folded, giving many teams a better chance at the right pick to help them get a better result. Unfortunately, many top prospects in the Toronto area are being picked and given better opportunities from the SWOHL as they have been the top Junior league for the fourth year in a row and show no slowing down, even pairing up the Pro Junior Hockey Players Association (PJHPA) a brother union with the National Ice Hockey Association Players Union (NIHAPU) were the players are getting a guaranteed pay that they deserved, many believed that the CIHA could join in the union, but the CIHA has their own program that helps players to hit the pros and/or great education opportunities, and joining the union would not sit well with the OMJHA to share union revenues with their rival SWOHL. The draft wasn’t as strong as last season, the Kitchener Generals picked Markham, Ontario forward Ryan Cheevers who is the only the best as many others from that city got picked up by SWOHL. Questions are up in the air about the future of the Orangeville O’s office, mainly the GM, but however, the team needs to beef up their defence, and Kingston, Ontario’s Dany Toth can be what they need. The Oshawa Gems took hometown forward Andrew Saddy to give them better-scoring depth. The Buffalo Bees came in this year's draft without Ryan Byron Jr., and it shows as they selected forward Steven Plank, who was predicted to be in the 4th to 6th round. As the now former Milton Micmacs, the new owner Leon Littlestone official, came on to the stage and announced the name of his team, they are called the “Newmarket Express.” After that, he drafted a forward named Louis Lansdowne. As the 1983-84 season came to an end, the Arrowbirds made a significant change to their office by naming Walter Eagle as the team’s new GM. He used to play for that team; in fact, he was one of the original players who played in the team’s first season in the OMJHA. His goal was to bring locals on the rosters, and he did just that by taking a hometown hero forward, Lucas Goldclaw; he’s played a big role for the Owen Sound major AAA hockey team with 42 goals and 95 points within two years.

1. Kitchener Generals – Ryan Cheevers, F (Markham, ON)

2. Orangeville O’s – Dany Toth, D (Kingston, ON)

3. Oshawa Gems - Andrew Saddy, F (Oshawa, ON)

4. Peterborough Bolts – Roger Duplacey, G (Sudbury, ON)

5. Newmarket Express – Louis Lansdowne, F (Buffalo, NY)

6. Brantford Skyflyers – Duke Regency, D (St. Catharines, ON)

7. Barrie Admirals – Will York, D (Collingwood, ON)

8. Waterloo Maroons – Quinn Keller, F (New Tecumseth, ON)

9. Owen Sound Arrowbirds – Lucas Goldclaw, F (Owen Sound, ON)

10. Buffalo Bees – Steven Plank, F (Rochester, NY)

11. Toronto Hornets – John Warren, G (Niagara Falls, ON)

12. Oakville Oaks – Leonard Ellsworth, F (Hamilton, ON)

13. Toronto Neon – Ben Topeka, D (Toronto, ON)

WCLH Draft

This year draft was more defence focus than offence, the Kenora Pioneers took Adam Harrison from Brandon, MA, Adam may never be a high scorer but he a great enforcer and for bonus he is also a playmaker as well a rare thing to see in hockey. After missing the playoffs for the third year in a row, the Brandon Buffalos are still stuck in rebuild mode as they try to beef up their offence with forward Luke Conway from Mosse Jaw with him. The Buffalos are hoping that the 1984-85 season will be the season they will go deep into the playoffs. After four years since the 1980 Valor Cup tournament, the Nanaimo Sharks had missed the playoffs, so the team made some tough decisions and naming a new GM is one of them as they named Edward Osward as their new GM, Edward was once part of the Saskatoon Cats dynasty in the late 60s, He may not have a successful pro career with playing only 2 seasons with the rest of his 6 years in the minors; however, he got the knowledge of putting together a good team during his time as GM for the Sault Ste. Marie Northmen of the SWOHL, when that team got relocated to Marquette, Edward was looking for a new job until the Sharks took him in as GM, His first pick as the GM is defence James Emmelot, the best defenceman in B.C. With him, the Sharks could make a comeback very soon.

1. Kenora Pioneers – Adam Harrison, D (Brandon, MA)

2. Brandon Buffalos – Luke Conway, F (Moose Jaw, SK)

3. Nanaimo Sharks - James Emmelot, D (Cranbrook, BC)

4. Surrey River Dogs – Frank Famer, G (Kelowna, BC)

5. Moose Jaw Wings – Jason West, D (Prince George, BC)

6. Chilliwack Alpines – Nick Whitebear, G (Anchorage, AK)

7. Medicine Hat Hawks – Tony Greenbird, F (Grande Prairie, AB)

8. Swift Current Battalion – Howard Bulk, F (Winnipeg, MB)

9. Billings Trains – Anthony Bostwick, F (Spokane, WA)

10. Red Deer Bucks (from Lethbridge Cougars) – Sam Ottawa, D (Calgary, AB)

11. Portage la Prairie Magic – John Ketter, D (Edmonton, AB)

12. Abbotsford Forest Kings – Terry Sabon, F (Saskatoon, SK)

13. Fargo Owls – Steven Yak, D (Winnipeg, MB)

14. Saskatoon Cats – Waylen Hook, D (Regina, SK)

1984 CIHA Valor Cup Tournament

The round-robin was a crazy one; in the first place, the host Buffalo Bees had a good streak, winning the first four games but losing the last two to both the Oaks and the Bears, which angered Ryan Byron Sr. There were words that both Sr and Jr butting heads throughout the season even though the Bees have been successful for the past four years. The OMJHA Smyth Cup champion, the Oakville Oaks, did well, but their losses to the Bees and twice to the Forest Kings hurt their chance to take first place, and they finished second 3-3. The Forest King won twice over the Oaks and the Bears, but their two blowout losses to the Bees hurt them so much that they lost to the Bears on the last day of the round-robin. It was almost another déjà vu for the Moncton Bears as they lost the first four games, and many believed that the Bears may get another winless tournament run, but they won their first over the Bees and their second over the Forest Kings to go to the semi-finals finishing 4th.

Semi-Finals

Buffalo Bees vs. Moncton Bears

First-place Buffalo Bees held their ground against the Bears after the Bears tied it at two after the second period; midway in the third, William VanDean scored twice for the Bees as the third period came to an end as the Buffalo Bees are going to the finals for the third year in a row winning the semi-final game 4-2.

Oakville Oaks vs. Abbotsford Forest Kings

It was a back-and-forth match between the Forest Kings and the Oaks as each scored goals all the way to the third period when Aaron Boyer scored from point spot to tie the game up with only 30 seconds left, the Forest Kings tried to score as Ryan Wedgewood got an open net shot, but it bounces off the post, and the clock hit zero, and both teams are going to overtime. 4:50 minutes left into overtime, Ryan Wedgewood got another chance to score when he took the puck and passed through the Oaks defence, shot past the goalie, and scored the overtime winner 6-5 and moved on to the finals.

Valor Cup Finals

Buffalo Bees vs. Abbotsford Forest Kings

The first period came and gone, with Buffalo scoring a goal made by Todd Zemlak by pure luck; in the second period, it took Abbotsford top star Ryan Wedgewood to score a goal to tie it up, but 15 seconds later, Mark O’Reilly broke the tie game to give the Bees the lead as the second period came to an end, it was all Buffalo in the third as William VanDean scored twice as the clock ticks away many were expect both Sr. and Jr. celebrate together instead Jr. went to the team's locker room to get everything together while Sr. looks like a very not happy owner, the clock hit zero the Buffalo Bees wins the team’s first Valor Cup championship winning 4-1 over the Abbotsford Forest Kings, William VanDean was named the Valor Cup MVP, and Greg Dahlstrom received the Valor Cup Trophy and raise it up as the Bees fans celebrate.

1984 AQHL PLayoffs

 

First Round

1st Moncton Bears vs. 8th Laval Tigers

The Moncton Bears wasted no time and swept the first round for the third playoff year in a row. The Laval Tigers didn’t even put up a good fight, including a 9-0 game four loss that left the Tigers fans leaving the Laval Centre with a bad taste in their mouths. The Bears won the series 4-0.

2nd Trois-Rivieres Titans vs. 7th Cape Breton Warriors

The Titans had a good chance of winning this series, but the Cape Breton Warriors had other ideas by forcing the series to go all the way in game seven, where Trois-Rivieres barely got the win in overtime 5-4 after coming back from a 4-1 deficit going into the third period. The Titans wins the series 4-3.

3rd Manchester Americans vs. 6th Sherbrooke Loups

For the second playoff year in a row, the Americans advanced to the second round, and this time, it took them five games to do so. The Loups had a rough time, only winning one game with some youth in their core. Some staff in the Loups group felt that this could be a sign that this team is leading into a rebuild. If so, they are hoping that this won’t be as bad as the last rebuild. The Americans won the series 4-1.

4th Portland Clippers vs. 5th Fredericton Vikings

The first four games were back-and-forth, but in game five, Paul Gamble scored three goals in the third to win 5-2. Then, the Clippers finished the Vikings off in game six 4-2 with the help of Ron Renaud's 4 points (2G-2A) performance to move on to the second round for the first time since the 1973-74 season. The Clippers won the series 4-2.

 Second Round

1st Moncton Bears vs. 4th Portland Clippers

The Clippers came into the second round hoping for at least a win, but it didn’t happen as rookie Kurt Dresden shines throughout the series with his 16 points (6G-10A) within four games as, once again, the Moncton Bears are heading to the Bronz Cup Finals for the fourth year in a row. The Bears wins the series 4-0.

2nd Trois-Rivieres Titans vs. 3rd Manchester Americans

The Titans had everything going on their end in game one, but after that, it was all Americans as they won four straight games to win the series in an upset way where a lot of critics did not expect the Americans to move on to the Bronz Cup Finals let alone beating a favourite Titans. “Today, we prove them wrong. We are ready to show everyone we can hang tan with the Bears.” Americans head coach Randy Reinhart said during post game interview. The Americans wins the series 4-1.

Bronz Cup Finals

1st Moncton Bears vs. 3rd Manchester Americans

Many Bears fans are hoping to finally, at long last, win the Bronz Cup for the first time since 1976. The Americans showed heart in this series, but it was not enough to win any game in this series as the Bears dominated the series, led by Shawn Metcalfe being a brick wall and not letting any pucks go behind him, along with Kurt Dresden scoring performances and both John Handley and Eric Gall held their grounds against the Americans offence as the Bears win all four games all shutouts. As the last period came to an end, both the Bears celebrated in Manchester as they were the 1984 Bronz Cup champions. As the Bears players take turns raising the Cup, Don Reese, the co-owner of the Bears, said in a post-game interview, “Get ready, Moncton, we are going to Buffalo, and we will raise that Valor Cup like what we did with the Bronz Cup.” The Bears wins the series 4-0.

1983-84 AQHL Season

 

The Charlottetown Greens made their debut on October 19, 1983, against the Cape Breton Warriors. The Greens won 5-2 in front of a sold-out Charlottetown Arena, and rookie forward Bill Robby scored the team’s first goal in team history. He would score two more goals in that game for a hat trick. Bill would have a hot streak for the next three months until he got a season-ending injury, which the Greens went on to finish 14th.

Tension was rising between the Shawinigan Voltages owner Pierre Leflar and the city of Shawinigan as neither could come up with the funds for a new arena. To make things worse, AQHL President Paul Name had multiple talks with Pierre about his gambling problems. What even more issues between the two were Pierre Leflar decided to let go of GM Mitchell Lalime and trade away some top players for mostly cash as the team was once a favourite to go to the top of the league but hit rock bottom sort of, they won enough games to finished 13th place. In an interview, Paul said if things don’t resolve soon, he and the league would get involved, take the ownership away from Pierre, and put the team up for sale to keep them in Shawinigan or relocate elsewhere.

After losing their top goalie, Seth Taylor, to the Washington Red Tails (NIHA), the Moncton Bears rely on Shawn Metcalfe as their starter goalie in his second season; he performed very well, winning 30 of 40 games he played 10 of them were shutouts to give the Bears a first-place finish for the second season in a row with a 42-6-2 record with the total of 86 points. After missing the playoffs for three years, the Trois-Rivieres Titans are finally back in Bronz Cup contender mode, all thanks to the Minnesota Nationals (NIHA) for sending Keith Rice back to the Titans and helping them to a second-place finish, winning 20 out of 30 games with 13 shutouts. For the first time in the team’s history, the Manchester Americans finished in the top 3 with Roy Messier leading the team with 34 goals; 72 points were his best ever, but he is not the only one who led his team to the top 3, Kevin Gassoff’s 70 points (30G, 40A) performance was the key factor for the team’s 33-13-4 record, many believe that the Americans could go deep into the playoffs. Taking 4th place is the Portland Clippers their best since 1973-74 season where they finished 5th place, Clippers rookie M.J. Daigneault top the league with 94 points (35G, 59A) became the first rookie in AQHL history to be the top player of the league. Had some issues with some key players getting injured, luckily, the Fredericton Vikings would have won the last 10 games to finish 5th place. With losing Shawn Thomas being drafted to the Colorado Huskies (NIHA) and Lenny Tardif getting called up by the Edmonton Emeralds (NIHA), the Sherbrooke Loups had a hard time staying in the top 5, but they lost the last game to the Vikings as they the Loups finished 6th. After missing the playoffs last season, the Cape Breton Warriors made some key victories to finish 7th place, lead by Mike Gamble who finally broke through after 20 points from last season, this year he got 55 points (19G, 36A) to top the team stats. Last season went down badly, but this season was a nice bounce back for the Laval Tigers after winning the last five games, including beating Drummondville three times to take the 8th and final spot in the playoffs.

To round off the rest, Drummondville is 9th, Verdun is 10th, Val-d’Or is 11th, New Glasgow is 12th, Shawinigan is 13th, Charlottetown is 14th, and Rouyn-Noranda is 15th.

1984 OMJHA Playoffs

 

Round 1

Hero Division

1st Oakville Oaks vs. 4th Milton Micmacs

The Oaks had a three-game to-none lead until game four, when the Micmacs won in overtime and did it again in game five. However, in game six, the Oaks finished them off with a 5-2 win to move on to the second round. Meanwhile, the fans inside the Milton Auditorium sadly said goodbye to the Micmacs, as the team will move to Newmarket next season. The Oaks won the series 4-2.

2nd Toronto Hornets vs. 3rd Barrie Admirals

Both went back and forth, with the Hornets taking games one and two while the Admirals won games three and four. However, the Hornets took the last two games to win the series thanks to Leon Jay Jr., who scored 7 goals in games five and six. The Hornets wins the series 4-2.

Steel Division

1st Toronto Neon vs. 4th Waterloo Maroons

The Toronto Neon really put to work in this series. It may take them five games, but their star player, Frank Grant, leads the team by scoring 10 of the team's 16 goals in the series, along with 6 assistants, to make 16 points as the Neon is heading to the second round. The Neon wins the series 4-1.

2nd Buffalo Bees vs. 3rd Owen Sound Arrowbirds

The Bees put the Arrowbirds down, but it took them five games because of the game three overtime loss, which made Bees owner Ryan Byron Sr. unhappy. Many believed that he was overreacting to everything, even though they felt that Senior blaming Junior for everything was not a good sign for the club. The Bees wins the series 4-1.

Round 2

1st Oakville Oaks vs. 2nd Toronto Hornets

The Oaks got themselves a rude awake with a 5-2 loss in game one to the Hornets, they would bounce back in game two with a 3-1 win. The Oaks had rough games three and four in overtime at the hands of the Hornets, But in game five, the Oaks were trialling 5-1 going into the third period, where Keith Dunn made 4 points (2G-2A) push to tie the game and force overtime, no shots were made by each team until Jake Johannsson scored the winner as for the third year in a row the Oakville Oaks are heading to the Smyth Cup finals. The Oaks wins the series 4-1.

1st Toronto Neon vs. 2nd Buffalo Bees

It was like any other matchup, a back-and-forth series, but this one was tearing unity apart between Ryan Byron Sr. and Junior as the Bees barely won their games in overtime while the Neon won their games in regulation. In game seven, the Bees came back from a 4-1 behind before the end of regulation to force overtime. The first overtime was deadlock with even numbers of shots by both teams, including a shot by Neon’s Michael Campbell, who had an open for a winner, but it hit the post. 3:57 left into the second overtime the Bees had a 5 on 3 powerplay until Frank Grant got the puck and took all the way and beating two defencemen and the goalie to score the overtime winner 5-4 and heading to the Smyth Cup finals. The Neon wins the series 4-3.

Smyth Cup Finals

Oakville Oaks vs. Toronto Neon

After four years of being in the league, the Toronto Neon is in the championship for the first time. While the Oakville Oaks are looking for their first Smyth Cup title since 1975. Game one was a big one for the Oaks as Jake Dahl made history with five goals and five assists with ten points in one game, leading the Oaks 11-2. In game two, Jake Dahl did again, this time with three goals, seven assists, and ten points in a 10-3 Oaks victory. After two blowout losses, the Neon finally won one over the Oaks 4-3 overtime, with Kenny Barkersons as the OT winner. Game four: The Neon had a 3-1 lead going into the third period when the Oaks came back thanks to Vince Olson scoring three goals for a 4-3 win and one win away from rising the Cup. The Oaks took over game five, where Jake Dahl, Vince Olson, and Warren Burk each scored three goals as the third period came to an end with a score of 9-3, and the fans in Oaks Centre celebrated as the Oakville Oaks becomes the 1984 Smyth Cup Champions, and most of all they are heading to Buffalo New York for the Valor Cup Tournament.

1983-84 OMJHA Season

 

With the Legionnaires gone, the league downsized from 15 teams to 14, as the league was hoping to expand from two to three divisions, but that didn’t happen. Midway into the season, Lakers owner Tim O’Connor announced that the team will fold after the 83-84 season as the deal for a relocation to Belleville fell through as the Ottawa Guardians (NIHA) kept their minor pro team in Belleville long term, for the OMJHA it’s the third year in a row that a team folded after the season ended.

Another team will be gone after this season but in a relocation way. Harold MacFarland officially sold his team to Leon Littlestone, the owner of Canpress Trucking, a shipping company that delivers goods across Canada and North America. Leon will have the team play in a 1900-seat Newmarket Memorial Forum in Newmarket, Ontario. He will announce the team’s new name during the 1984 off-season.

Once again, the Oakville Oaks took first place in the Hero division. With the right players put together and getting the right wins, the Oaks are once again ready to make a deep playoff run this time around. Taking second place is the Toronto Hornets, which surprised many critics as they predicted them to be 4th place, but they were wrong. The Barrie Admirals take third place after a big last ten games of the season (8-0-2), mainly after rough mid-season issues where two of their top players got called up to the pros. After a rough first 25 games to even news of them being relocated after this season, the Milton Micmacs came back to win many critical games and even beat the Brantford Skyflyers at the last game of the season to take the fourth-place spot. Rounding out the rest from fifth to seventh are Brantford, Oshawa, and Kitchener.

Led by many veterans from the beginning, the Toronto Neon takes the Steel Division in a big way with a 78-point performance (38-10-2) and skyrocketed to the top with no issues whatsoever. “We play this season great; now it’s time for us to turn to the next level, the playoffs.” Neon head coach Warren Coyle said after the team’s practice days before the playoffs. The two-time Smyth Cup Champions, the Buffalo Bees, had some highs and lows from the start, but they won a good number of games to finish 2nd place but the big story was that word that the partnership between owner Ryan Byron Sr. and Ryan Byron Jr. who has 20% ownership of the team and current GM is falling apart despite successful seasons, and well put together team of talented players, but problems between the two could come to a head sooner than before the 1984 Valor Cup Tournament that the Bees are hosting. During off-seasons, the Arrowbirds made some questionable trades here and there, including trading away 1984 2nd, and 3rd-round picks to the Kitchener Generals for a 1984 1st-round pick, then they traded 1985 2nd, 3rd, and 4th-round draft picks to the Brantford Skyflyers for a 1985 1st round pick; lastly, the Arrowbirds gave 1986 3rd, 4th, and 5th round picks to Barrie for a 1st round and forward Greg McBill a 2nd-year player who got drafted in the forth round. As the 83-84 season came and went, Greg played like a first-rounder and helped the Arrowbirds to a third-place finish. The Waterloo Maroons have kept pace in staying in playoff form, but after losing 7 of the last 10 games, some concerns from the Maroons offices had a bad feeling that they are on the verge of a rebuild for the first time since the late ’50s. But never did the team get 60 points to get fourth place locked and ready for the playoffs. Finishing fifth, sixth, and seventh are Peterborough, Orangeville, and Orillia.

1984 WCLH Playoffs

 

Round One

The playoffs are set the first place East Saskatoon Cats takes on fourth place West Medicine Hat Hawks, the second place East Fargo Owls takes on third place West Billings Trains, first place West Abbotsford Forest Kings face-off against fourth place East Swift Current Battalion, and lastly the second place West Lethbridge Cougars battles with third place East Portage la Prairie Magic.

1st East Saskatoon Cats vs. 4th West Medicine Hat Hawks

The Saskatoon Cats wasted no time taking down the Hawks by sweeping them in four games. The Hawks did poorly in the first two games in Saskatoon with two blowout losses (8-0 and 6-0), but they did score some goals in games three and four; it was not enough to win as the Cats won those last two games (5-1, 7-2) to move on to the second round thanks to Fred Adams who made 8 goals, 14 points within those four games. The Cats wins the series 4-0 

2nd East Fargo Owls vs. 3rd West Billings Trains

The Billings Trains went from losing the Jade Trophy finals a season ago to being swept in the first round by the Fargo Owls. The main reasons for the Trains' downfall are that Glen Sasakamoose got called up to the minors, Drew Eastwood got called up by the Saskatchewan Royals, and both David Lemay and Frank Colton are in IR. The Fargo Owls took advantage of this and won all four games. The Owls won the series 4-0.

1st West Abbotsford Forest Kings vs. 4th East Swift Current Battalion

Early in the season, the Battalion swept the Forest Kings in season series; in this playoff series, that role switched as the Forest Kings took them down; what really made this series was Eric Wilcox scored a hat-trick in game one and mocked the Forest Kings bench which was a wrong move, and the Forest Kings took over game one and the rest of the series big thanks to Ryan Wedgewood with scoring 14 out of 21 goals total in that series. The Forest Kings wins the series 4-0.

2nd West Lethbridge Cougars vs. 3rd East Portage la Prairie Magic

It was a historic series as the Portage la Prairie Magic pulled an upset over the Cougars in six games, but also the team’s first-ever series win thanks to rookie James McDougall scored a hat-trick in game three, along with another hat-trick in game four, and a hat-trick in game six becoming the second player in WCLH history to scored three hat-tricks in a series, the first was Hockey hall of Famer and former Brandon Buffalos star Lenny Gray during the pre-CIHA era. The Magic wins the series 4-2.

Round Two

1st East Saskatoon Cats vs. 3rd East Portage la Prairie Magic

With only three teams from the east and one from the west, the league reranked it overall. The Magic is one point behind the Forest Kings, so the Magic go face-to-face with the Cats. In speaking of, the Forest Kings are not happy with the reranked. Despite being in first place in the west, the Owls have 11 points more, which means the Owls have four home games while the Forest Kings got only three.

1st East Saskatoon Cats vs. 3rd East Portage la Prairie Magic

The Magic played as hard as they could, forcing overtime, but in the end, it took the Cats six games to win the series. Rookie goalie Harold Richmond held his ground in a big way, mainly because his first shutout happened in game six's triple overtime. The Cats wins the series 4-2.

1st West Abbotsford Forest Kings vs. 2nd East Fargo Owls

Both the Forest Kings and the Owls went head-to-head in hopes of heading back to the Jade trophy finals. It was a back-and-forth series until game seven, where Jon Hedberg and Jack Plaxton scored a hat-trick to tie the game to end the third period and headed in overtime. 5:12 left into overtime, and the Owls had a 5 on 3 power play when Aaron Boyer burst past the defence for a breakaway, and for the first time in his playoff career, he scored a goal and gave the Abbotsford Forest Kings a ticket to the Jade Trophy Finals for the third time in five years. The Forest Kings wins the series 4-3.

Jade Trophy Finals

Saskatoon Cats vs. Abbotsford Forest Kings

In game one, it was a hat-trick fest as the Forest Kings Jon Hedberg and Ryan Wedgewood pulled it off with their three goals, while the Cats Nathen Faulk and J.J. Orcas scored a hat-trick themselves also, as the third period closing to the end, out of nowhere Matthew Goodfellow of the Cats flick the puck over the head of Forest Kings Mike Lessard to break the tie and give the Cats a 7-6 win. Game two was a high-scoring game, just like game one, but no one got a hat-trick. Matthew Goodfellow did it again with a game-winner as the Cats took two games to none lead with the score of 8-7. After losing two games in Saskatoon, the Abbotsford Forest Kings are playing games on their home turf, and it shows with help from Jon Hedberg, Aaron Boyer, and Ryan Wedgewood, combine 5 goals and 10 points to win 6-2 to get back into the series. The Forest Kings goalie Mike Lessard plays like a brick wall in a successful shutout win over the Cats to even the series two a piece. Both the Forest Kings and the Cats went back and forth all the way to the end of the third period tied 5-5; in first overtime, the Cats were all over Mike Lessard, but he kept his ground all the way to the end of the first OT, 3:40 left in the second overtime Aaron Boyer got a breakaway and scored a goal to end game five with the score of 6-5 to give the Forest Kings one win away to win it all. The Forest Kings showed the Cats no mercy as Ryan Wedgewood scored a hat-trick to finish game six 5-2 to become the 1983-84 WCLH Jade Trophy Champions and going to Buffalo New York for the 1984 Valor Cup tournament. The Forest Kings wins the series 4-2.

1983-84 WCLH Season

The biggest news in the league was the Lethbridge Cougars had a great start in their first 25 games, all nothing but wins which they had a total of 90 wins (including 60 wins in 1982-83 and the last 15 games in 1981-82 seasons) until the Abbotsford Forest Kings broke that streak with a 3-2 game that shocked many hockey critics everywhere didn’t think that the Cougars would lose. The Cougars had a hard time as they only won 4 out of the last 25 games; many hope they can turn it around come playoffs.

League President James Name successfully banned Lite-Sonic pants from the league following the tragedy that ended Moose Jaw Wings Paul Phillips's career in the 1982-83 season. James Name also stated in the WCLH that white pants are banned, meaning that any team doing any rebranding in white is banned from recolouring pants.

After breaking the Cougar's winning streak, the Forest Kings got an excellent last 25 games of the season (18-5-2) to take first place in the West division. The Cougars battled the last 25 games in a rough way to finish Medicine Hat Hawks second. One point behind the Cougars is the Billings Trains. They had second place in the bag, but their last 10 games were very poor (1-8-1), and they finished third. In fourth place is the Medicine Hat Hawks, as they were almost on the outside of the playoffs spot, but the Hawks made some real key wins to finish the season in fourth place. Rounding off the West are Chilliwack Alpines taking fifth, Surrey River Dogs sixth, and in last place the Nanaimo Sharks.

After four years of missing the playoffs, the Saskatoon Cats are back in a big way. Led by Nathen Faulk's leadership, the Cats finished not just the East division but also the league with a big 80 points (38-8-4). It is their first time since the pre-CHIA history to ever finish at the top of the league; the last time they did it was in the 1970-71 season. Finishing second place was the Fargo Owls, which was an improvement from last season; however, they lost all of their four-game season series with the Cats. Many fear they could hurt them come playoffs, but the players have high hopes for a deep playoff run. The Portage la Prairie Magic takes third place but recently are in a heavy situation come playoff time; many fear that the Magic could be heading into rebuilding mode if they lose the first round for the fifth straight time, “we need to win the first round that is our goal, we can do this, we will work hard to win the first round.” Magic captain Zachary Natyshak said after team practice. Taking forth place the Swift Current Battalion, they had a bad hangover in the first 25 games, but they turn it around in the last 25 to get the last playoff spot and hope to head back to the Jade Trophy final like they did last season. Rounding off the East division are fifth-place Moose Jaw Wings, sixth-place Brandon Buffalos, and taking last place in both the East and the whole league are the Kenora Pioneers.

1983 CIHA Off-season

 AQHL Expansion Draft

The Charlottetown Greens made an impact with their expansion draft, as they took a player from each team except two teams, Rouyn-Noranda Firebirds and Val-d’Or Monarchs, as they joined the AQHL last season. The Greens select players drafted between the 1980’s and 1981s, hoping for a good first-season result without finishing last place. Here are the top 5 picks made by the Greens

1. Roy Messier, F (Manchester)

2. John Orlando, D (Shawinigan)

3. Roman Klatt, G (New Glasgow)

4. Glenn Pageau, F (Trois-Rivieres)

5. Lou Baillargeon, F (Drummondville)

1983 CIHA Draft

The players from the East Coast being in the draft weren’t vital to many team minds; not a lot of high goals nor savings against average to make the first round worth getting hyped up for, but that doesn’t stop from giving everyone surprises. The Firebirds made a pick that many questions everyone as they took Daniel Aalto, a forward from Finland who caught GM Scott Cournoyer's eyes from a youth summer hockey event in Sweden while on vacation a year ago; Daniel has the skill to play both offence and defence playing center and could give them a better result. Meanwhile, Sweden forward Mathieu Burakovsky was drafted by the Monarchs to give the offence the boost they needed. On the third pick, Cape Breton takes Curt Holik from Bilovec, Czechoslovakia. That pick would be something that head coach Lenny Copeland can work with after the 1982-83 season when the defence was very poor and one of the reasons the Warriors had the worst goals against average. Drummondville and Laval drafted top players from each other's territories, which was not the first time both did that, but those times from the past were in the second and third rounds. This rival could get ugly soon down the road. The dark horse of the draft was the Fredericton Vikings as they took hometown local Ted Savage, who plays defence very well, just like his father Jack Savage Jr., who retired two years ago after playing 12 seasons in the pros.

1. Rouyn-Noranda – Daniel Aalto, F (Lappeenranta, Finland)

2. Val-d’Or – Mathieu Burakovsky, F (Umea, Sweden)

3. Cape Breton – Curt Holik, D (Bilovec, Czechoslovakia) 

4. Trois-Rivieres – Dale Holst, G (Trois-Rivieres, Que)

5. Drummondville – Ed Mellanby, F (Laval, Que)

6. Laval – Tom Meighan, D (Drummondville, Que)

7. New Glasgow – Stan Giffin, D (Chatham, NB)

8. Cape Breton (from Verdun) – Matthew Dandenault, F (Verden, Que)

9. Portland – M.J. Daigneault, F (Bathurst, NB)

10. Manchester – Mike Saunders, G (Concord, NH)

11. Laval Tigers (from Shawinigan) – Ollie Sarault, F (Drummondville, Que)

12. Fredericton – Ted Savage, D (Fredericton, NB)

13. Sherbrooke – Miro Sandstrom, F (Vaasa, Finland)

14. Moncton – Kurt Dresden, F (Charlottetown, PEI)

Many teams made deals upon deals, but in the end, the Kitchener Generals kept their first pick, and they picked Lenny Stone, a forward from Sudbury who had a hot streak in the Junior Bs, scoring 40 goals and led his Sudbury Jr.B team to a championship win. "That is the player we need for our roster." Generals owner Todd Holmes said at the draft press conference. Oshawa Gems has a lot of work cut out, mainly losing some good core defences in their roster; what better way to rebuild it than to select a goalie, Shawn Bedard, who has 30 wins and 10 shutouts last season in the Jr.Bs. With the future in a dark place, the Orillia Lakers push forward by drafting a forward named Andy Ivan, a well-sharped playmaker who can give the Lakers the need to win lots of games.

1. Kitchener – Lenny Stone, F (Sudbury, On)

2. Oshawa – Shawn Bedard, G (Brantford, On)

3. Orillia – Andy Ivan, F (Cobourg, On)

4. Peterborough – Nick Canton, F (Peterborough, On)

5. Brantford – George Iafrate, D (Kingston, On)

6. Orangeville – Sam Gilbert, G (Ottawa, On)

7. Toronto Hornets – John Getliffe, F (Rochester, NY)

8. Owen Sound – Mike Farly, F (Burlington, On)

9. Milton – Frank Daley, F (St. Catharines, On)

10. Barrie – Will Colborne, D (Lockport, NY)

11. Toronto Neon – Kenny Barkersons, F (Guelph, On)

12. Waterloo – Nick Hope, D (North Bay, On)

13. Oakville – Warren Burk, F (Toronto, On)

14. Buffalo – Paul Akron, D (Buffalo, NY)

This year's draft for the WCLH was a tough one, with many reporters scratching their heads. It was one of many gambles they could pull off. The Saskatoon Cats drafted a forward, which many believed was that they were supposed to draft a defenceman, but it did not happen; that forward they drafted is J.J. Orcas, a playmaker powerhouse who made a name for himself in the Manitoba Jr.B league and let his Steinbach Jr.B club to a perfect season and a third championship in a row. Unhappy with the Cats' pick, the Brandon Buffalos selected defence Herb Von Edwards, a big-time enforcer with a season-high 75 PIM, but he can also score goals. The Nanaimo Sharks select a player around their area more by taking forward Ben Goff, a Vancouver native who scored 56 goals at Jr.B level last season and helped his North Vancouver Jr.B club a first-place finish and a championship.

1. Saskatoon – J.J. Orcas, F (Neepawa, MB)

2. Brandon – Herb Von Edwards, D (Regina, SK)

3. Nanaimo – Ben Goff, F (Vancouver, B.C.) 

4. Surrey – P.J. McLister, F (Victoria, B.C.)

5. Kenora – Mike Robert, G (Edmonton, AB)

6. Chilliwack – Steve Comrie, F (Kelowna, B.C.)

7. Moose Jaw – Randy Redden, D (Prince Albert, SK)

8. Fargo – Lionel Knipscheer, F (Bismarck, ND)

9. Surrey (from Abbotsford) – Peter Wickenheiser, G (Spokane, WA)

10. Medicine Hat – Leon White, D (Winnipeg, MB)

11. Billings – Luke MacIsaac, D (Kelowna, B.C.)

12. Portage la Prairie – James McDougall, F (Bemidji, MN)

13. Swift Current – Lenny Folk, F (Swift Current, SK)

14. Saskatoon (from Lethbridge) – Harold Richmond, G (Calgary, AB)

News

With many issues going on in the OMJHA, the Valor Cup committee pushed on, and with a close vote between two cities, the Buffalo Bees were named host of the 1984 Valor Cup Tournament over Orangeville. Bees GM Ryan Byron Jr. made a statement about it. “Within the Bees organization, including my father, Ryan Byron Sr., we are honoured to be the first American junior hockey team to host this wonderful event as we will be ready for any team to represent their league as champions.”

With Lethbridge doing the unthinkable and going perfect, there are talks that all three leagues may add 10 more games to a season; initially, the increase of games from 50 to 60 came to full fruition at the 1985-86 season for the CIHA’s 15th anniversary; however, if another perfect season happens again, the increase of games could happen sooner and could be more than 60.

  

There was no big news on the AQHL side, but one small news was that they could add Saint John, NB, to the league. Currently, the town has an AA minor-pro hockey club under the Halifax minor-pro, which is the Quebec pro hockey club’s affiliate team. Talks are that the Quebec Pro club could buy the Saint John team and move them elsewhere. If that happens, the AQHL could get the town on board.

Meanwhile, the Moncton Bears are putting their name on the ballot to host the 1985 CIHA Valor Cup tournament; however, Trois-Rivieres, Drummondville, Laval, Rouyn-Noranda, and Val-d’Or are also in the bid to host the event.

The Shawinigan Voltages failed to meet the city's bid for a new arena; some said the owner was playing hardball with the city, and others claimed Pierre Leflar had a gambling problem that cost him his chance to build an arena sooner. Whatever the case, Paul Name is investigating Leflar because many other owners have complained to Paul about the issues.

In the Aftermath of the court battle, the Kitchener Generals got the rights to all histories of the Legionnaires without paying any money to John Rupert, leaving him almost broke. Bitter with this, John Rupert said, “One day I’ll be back to this league, and when I do, Todd Holmes will be wishing that he should never steal this team away, not just from me but the community of Kitchener.”

For the second season in a row, the OMJHA lost another team. To make things worse, next season, they could witness a third team fold as the Orillia Lakers have a hard time with the attendance, but more so, team owner Tim O’Connor had no plans to stay in Orillia long term. His plan is to relocate the team to Belleville, Ontario, but one problem is there is a minor-pro hockey team playing there, and they are the Ottawa Pro Hockey affiliate team; there are talks that Ottawa could relocate the team from Belleville to Hull, Quebec if it goes according to plan we could see the Lakers moving, if not the team will fold.

The only good news in the OMJHA is that the Waterloo Maroons got the approval from the city of Waterloo to build a new arena. This new arena will have four rinks: one is the main rink, and the three others are used for practices and small league hockey games. The new arena will open its doors for the 1985-86 season.

In the light of a tragedy that ended Moose Jaw Wings Paul Phillip's career, WCLH President James Name had a meeting with the owners about the Lite-sonic pants becoming a danger to any players after the news that the NIHA pro hockey league officially banned the long pants, James and the owners guaranteed to follow suit with the banned and hopefully both OMJHA and AQHL will join in as well.

A big trade was made that shook the league, and that is the Chilliwack Alpines traded their 1984 and 85 1st round draft pick to the Portage la Prairie Magic in return for forward Max Peterson, even though Max led the 1982-83 season in goals and points and gave the Magic a good run in the playoffs but was not well-liked in the locker room. Hence, it was a good choice in the Magic end, and Max can play better and get along well with the Alpines locker room.

The WCLH is officially adding Red Deer to the league; former wrestling promoter Thomas Hendricks got the green light to put his team in the 3000 seats at Red Deer Arena; the team’s name will be called the Red Deer Bucks, and their colours are Red, black, and gold. 1984 is the date when the Bucks will play their first season.

Charlottetown Greens set

The Logo is just the letters C and G but with a twist on the home jerseys: the G sits on top of C, while on the road, the C sits on top of the G. The home jersey has a green stripe from the collar down to the wrist with red and blue, and the hem is green, red, and blue. The road jersey is the same but mostly green.

CIHA Alumni (where are they now)

Eric Dunn – Nanaimo Greyhounds, 1970-74

Eric was the first player to score a goal for the Greyhounds at their first game of the team’s history, even though they had a bad first two seasons until the 1972-73 season, where they turned it around thanks to Eric as he led the Greyhounds to win the Jade Trophy title along with the team’s first and so far the only CIHA Valor Cup championship and Eric was named the first Valor Cup MVP. In 1974, Eric Dunn was drafted by Manitoba in the 2nd round; his pro hockey career was short as he played only 366 games in 5 seasons and made 123 goals and 245 assists to make a total of 368 points. On July 30, 1979, Dunn hung his skates up and called it a career. After suffering a back injury, he tried coaching, and after coaching his hometown club in Kelowna, B.C., he got an assistant coach role with the Manitoba Pro Hockey Club and has been with them since.