Knoxville Ice Bears       Toledo Hockey        Sports Arena Farewell

For most of my life, I have enjoyed following minor league hockey. My mom took me to my first game in 1968, where the Toledo Blades beat the Fort Wayne Komets. Over the years, I have followed minor league teams in Toledo, Syracuse, and Knoxville plus one college team (RPI). Most recently, the Knoxville Ice Bears of the Southern Professional Hockey League won both the Commissioner's Cup (Regular Season Champions) and the President's Cup (League Champions). And so, this page is a salute to my favorite teams, past and present. Click in the bar above to visit pages on the Ice Bears, Toledo Hockey, and Toledo Sports Arena. (Note: Dates in parentheses are the years I followed the team, not necessarily its years of operation):

                   

Toledo Blades

       1968-70

Toledo Hornets

        1970-74

Looking for statistics about hockey players and teams, past and present? Check out HockeyDB.com. This is a really cool site that includes info about current and long-defunct teams and leagues, and logos for many teams.

Toledo Goaldiggers

1974-77

Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute

1978-79

Syracuse Firebirds 1979-80

Knoxville Cherokees

1988-1996

Knoxville Speed

1998-2001

Knoxville Ice Bears

2001- Present

P.S. How’s this for “old time hockey?” Bloodied and battered, Maurice “Rocket” Richard and Jim Henry shake hands after Richard scored the winning goal in overtime allowing Montreal to eliminate Boston from the 1952 Stanley Cup Playoffs.