Our regular or non-premium t-shirts are what we originally started the site with. These are Fruit of the Loom 3930 tees that are a heavy and thick feeling style of t-shirt. We find that a lot of our customers like these when they are looking for a shirt that has a sturdy, thick feel to it. These shirts are not labeled as standard or non-premium, but you will know them since they will not say 'premium' anywhere in the title. They are also handy as many of the colors we offer are available in sizes up to 6XL. However, we received feedback that some customers were interested in thinner, lighter feeling tees.
Our premium t-shirts were introduced recently to provide an option for a lighter and thinner feel of t-shirt. There are two types of these premium tees.
For more details on the sizing and content of these items, please see our size chart page.
Our regular or non-premium hoodies are what we originally started the site with. These are Gildan G18500 hoodies that are a thick, heavy blend hoodies that you probably know well from many other retailers. These are 50% cotton and while durable and comfortable, they are not super soft. These hoodies are not labeled as standard or non-premium, but you will be able to identify them since they will not say 'premium' anywhere in the title. They do come in handy as many of the colors we offer are available in sizes up to 5XL.
Our premium hoodies were introduced recently to provide an option for a much softer feeling hoodie. These are 80% cotton and are the real deal. They are our printers' (Spreadshirt) in-house brand of hoodie, made especially to print on their own machines. We highly recommend these hoodies if you're looking for a soft, hoodie that you can wear regularly.
We do caution that the premium hoodies run small, and would suggest ordering one size larger than you usually would. (i.e. if you usually buy L hoodies, order an XL when purchasing one of our premium hoodies).
Every graphic design on our site will have a premium and non-premium hoodie option. To spot the difference, just look for "(Premium)" in the subject line.
For more details on the sizing and content of these items, please see our size chart page.
Ad from the Dayton Daily News, February 22, 1970
After they completed the 1969-70 season, the Checkers actually... disappeared. The team had been up for sale throughout most of the season, as the owners had racked up almost $100,000 in debt. In the summer of 1970, it appeared that the ownership group had come to an understanding with another group from Chicago, Independent Investors, Inc, to loan the team money in exchange for an equity stake in the club. But, that deal apparently fell through. And no one knew that had happened until a representative from the Dayton Gems decided to pay a visit to the Columbus offices. Per The Journal Herald (Dayton) on July 8, 1970, "Where are Checkers?"
Whatever happened to the Columbus Checkers?
That's the question they're asking around the IHL today in the wake of a disappearing act that may make Houdini look like an amateur...
The Checkers' vanishing act was discovered by Dayton Gems GM Lefty McFadden, who stopped at the Columbus' team's office Monday. That is, where it used to be.
The office, a mobile unit normally parked on the grounds of the Ohio State Fairgrounds Coliseum, was no where in sight. Neither was any of the team's equipment...
Trying to reach Columbus President and GM Jerry Schmelzer proved equally frustrating. Schmelzer was reportedly vacationing in Africa...
With just three months until the opening of IHL training camps, league officials don't know whether to plan a schedule for seven or eight teams. The evidence seems to indicate that the Columbus Checkers are dead. But nobody can find the body.
By the end of July 1970, the IHL had assumed control of the franchise and was looking for new owners. Newspaper reports indicated that there were as many as five groups interested in owning the franchise, assuming they could pay the league's demands of a $50,000 entrance fee and $12,500 performance bond. Reportedly, a deal had been close with Charlie Finley, who at the time owned the Oakland A's (moving them from Kansas City in 1968) and the California Golden Seals. But that deal also fell through, and the Checkers were no more by August 1970. Finley would end up getting his hockey team, though. He started the Columbus Seals a year later for the 1971-72 season.
The Checkers would fold after four years due to poor attendance, but they did make an important contribution by introducing hockey to Columbus, which would become a big league market in 1997 with the creation of the Blue Jackets.
The following photos are courtesy of the Ohio History Connection. You can visit them at OhioMemory.org. These photos are of the Checkers hosting the Toledo Blades at their home arena, the Ohio State Fairgrounds Coliseum, during the 1969-70 season. They really show what the atmosphere of playing in a state fairgrounds was like as well as some 1970s flair. Notice the chain link fence surrounding the ice that would normally be plexiglass today.
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Two years after that bench clearing brawl, a pair of feisty Ducks defenders who had been central pieces in the 1966 chaos weren't on the ice anymore. John Brophy, who was the basis for Reg Dunlop in Slapshot, was now the Ducks' coach. For New Haven, ex-Duck Don Perry had taken over as head coach. The two teams were, as usual, in the playoff hunt. In this campaign, New Haven finished second in the division with 93 points, Long Island fourth with 65. In the six team division, the top four would make the playoffs.
It's at this point we are able to pick up the story that was captured in photographs by Look magazine. Available from the Library of Congress, a few dozen rolls of film shot by Jim Hansen capture the Ducks throughout the final three games of their 1965-66 campaign in the Eastern Hockey League. The magazine itself was a Life Magazine sort of publication that ran from 1937 through 1971. It's not clear what sort of story these photos were meant for. I've tried looking through some online archives of the magazine but wasn't able to ascertain if these were ever published.
What is clear from the photos is that they were dated from March 1968, and capture a three-game stretch for the Ducks that saw them host New Haven and the Clinton Comets at home in the final two regular season games before going to Clinton for their first playoff game. Based on some newspaper research for background, I'm very certain these are the games that these photos cover, as the Ducks played those three games in a five day span and were finished for the season by March 15.
This set of photos covers the first game of the trio between the Ducks and New Haven at Long Island Arena in Commack. This game ended in a 5-5 tie, with the teams playing pretty evenly as New Haven had a 38-35 edge in shots. One interesting story, New Haven's trainer Gunner Garrett was pressed into action in goal. Their regular netminder, Roger Wilson, took a puck to the elbow during warmups and was unable to play, so New Haven turned to their trainer. This wasn't even the first time he had stepped in, playing two previous games during the season.
I'll post two more sets of photos later on as I am able to go through them (there's a lot and the scans from the LoC are so big they drag my computer to a complete stop). For anyone interested these are available to anyone by making a request through the Library of Congress. I believe I paid about $50 for contact sheets of all the rolls to be made. Individual copies of photos are pretty pricey, they cost about that much per photo.
If you're able to help identify anyone in these shots, please send me a note on Twitter @vintageicehky or an email at Kevin@vintageicehockey.com. I've tried to not definitively name anyone I'm not sure about and most of what I speculate below is according to HockeyDB's rosters. Even tougher, multiple players wore the same number for during this season, so it's tough to identify many players by number.
Note: These photos have been lightly edited to improve color contrast and highlights.
1. In the above photo, Ducks owner Al Baron sits a top a desk with coach John Brophy sitting in the lighter tan coat. Presumably this is somewhere inside the Long Island Arena at the team offices.
2. Ducks coach John Brophy (right) has a conversation with an unidentified person.
3. Coach Brophy sizing up a stick.
4. Above, action between the Ducks and Blades. The Ducks are wearing their home white jerseys that say 'Long Island' across the front. New Haven is wearing what I presume are blue jerseys (their main color) with a script 'New Haven' across the front. #4 is likely Don Newman, although Ken Liebel also wore the same number during this season. The man in the middle is #5 (determined from other photos) who is either Tom Burgess or Bob Taylor.
5. A fracas breaks out involving all ten skaters on the ice. Note that there isn't any glass at Long Island Arena, above the boards is chicken wire that separates the fans from the players.
6. Action in front of the Ducks' goal. Number 10 for New Haven is Murray Klein, per hockeydb. The goalie is likely Wayne Doll, who played 60 of the Ducks' games during this season and would play the next game against Clinton. But it could possibly be Jim Knox who wore the same number and played net for Long Island.
7. The Ducks' goalie lays out in net. And no, he wasn't wearing a mask.
8. Another kick save from the Ducks goalie. #9 in the dark jersey is likely Michel Rouleau for New Haven. In the background, the fans have hung a sign welcoming back Ben LeBlanc who played for both teams during this season. LeBlanc may have been wearing #14.
9. A New Haven player looks for options in the offensive zone.
10. The aftermath of a fight, one of the Ducks players has lost his jersey and is being restrained by a teammate while referees try to calm him. Note the fans climbing up the boards for a better view.
11. Continued aftermath, as the referees try to sort things out. #2 with hands on hips for Long Island is likely Hal Willis. #8 is likely Dwight Winters, who led the Ducks in scoring with 123 points.
12. The Ducks and fans celebrate one of their five goals on the night.
13. Another fight breaks out.
14. It's not clear what this meeting is, but possibly a league meeting or a Ducks board meeting. Ducks owner Al Baron is pictured on the right side of the table.
15. Another shot of the meeting, with Al Baron facing the camera on the right.
We'll have more from this collection of photos in the coming weeks...
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The move to Albany didn't go well.
As part of the agreement to let them move east -- further east than the IHL had ever been -- they had to pick up the travel tab for some of the teams coming to visit them. They also faced competition from local college and AHL teams in the area, and played to small crowds in a 15,000 seat arena. Given all this financial pressure, the Choppers would fold after only 55 games in Albany.
To remember the legacy of the Choppers, here are 25 fun facts about them...
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Tiny rink in Clinton, NY—The Clinton Arena which tonight will host the Kraft #HockeyvilleUSA game tonight between #CBJ and Buffalo. The old scoreboard dates to 1953 and yes, it does still work. pic.twitter.com/TEDwoPe4kz
— Dave Maetzold (@DMaetzMedia) September 25, 2018
Probably the tiniest town on this list and in the whole EHL was Clinton, NY located in upstate New York near Utica. However, it's also the one that you're most likely to have heard about. In 2018, Clinton was named Kraft Hockeyville USA and hosted an NHL pre-season game between the Buffalo Sabres and Columbus Blue Jackets and received $150,000 for upgrades and improvements.
The arena dates back to 1954 when it was rebuilt following a fire that had destroyed the original building from 1948. From 1954, the EHL's Clinton Comets would call the tiny 2,000 seat arena home for nearly two decades. The Comets eventually moved to Utica when the EHL collapsed in 1973 and became the Mohawk Valley Comets. The arena is on the National Register of Historic Places and is still a fully functioning arena today.
This postcard shows what the arena looked like in it's hey day:
A couple hours east of Pittsburgh in the middle of Pennsylvania lies Johnstown, which is the epitome of a steel town and a hockey town merged into one. Most of Slapshot was filmed in Johnstown and the War Memorial, so you may already know the locale even if you didn't know the name. In the same vein as Clinton Arena, the War Memorial is a small arena in a hockey mad northeastern town, although Johnstown is a bit bigger at 20,000 residents as of 2010. Decades ago, Johnstown was a massive steel town home to as much as 75,000 people in the early 20th century. The city center is packed into a downtown area that is surrounded on all sides by the hills of northern Appalachia and features an incline plane just steps from the arena. The geography is further cut by rivers running through the city, the banks of which were cemented and deepened in the 1970s by the Army Corps of Engineers to prevent flooding that had set back the city in its early days. It ends up being a very unique setting for the city with its downtown slotted in between all of these natural features.
But back to the arena. The War Memorial -- probably the most brutalist of arena names -- opened in 1950 for the Johnstown Jets to occupy as their home ice. They did so for nearly three decades until folding in 1977 but not before winning five league titles along the way. Since the days of the Jets, the arena has hosted hockey almost continuously from the Johnstown Red Wings of the late 1970s EHL, to the classic Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL created in the wake of Slapshot, finally to the junior hockey Johnstown Tomahawks who are the current inhabitants. Currently named 1st Summit Arena and managed by SMG, the arena plays hosts to the Tomahawks and many live events throughout the year. The town was also a Kraft Hockeyville USA winner in 2015 and hosted a game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
War Memorial Arena. Photo Credit: Ron Shawley
I'm not 100% sure, but Boardwalk Hall may be one of, if not the only hockey arena in America that is beachfront property. At the very least its the only one on this list that is. Built in 1926, Boardwalk Hall was built on the beach in Atlantic City, right next to all the casinos and shops that line the famous boardwalk. Somewhat unusual for its era, the arena did not have any support beams coming down from the ceiling and blocking views. The arched roof that is required to hold the ceiling makes the arena feel much larger than it is (approx 10,000 seats). I'm not sure if back in the 1920s the arena had lights hanging from the ceiling like in the above postcard, but that surely is an interesting look.
Boardwalk Hall hosted the Atlantic City Sea Gulls hockey team, a founding member of the EHL back in 1933. The Sea Gulls were a sporadic entrant into the league, making three different appearances from 1933-42, 1947-48, and their last go-around from 1949-52. The Hall hasn't hosted a lot of hockey since then, the only other pro team to take up residence was the ECHL's Boardwalk Bullies from 2001-05. It also hosted the 2012 AHL All-Star Game. However, Boardwalk Hall is famous in and of itself apart from hockey. It hosted Wrestlemania IV and V, college football bowl games, tons of concerts including the Beatles' first American tour, and the arena is probably most famous for the boxing that it has hosted over the decades.
Created by the Hershey candy company, Hershey sports arena was constructed in 1936 thanks to local interest for hockey and as a promotional tool for the company. The company had created a team, the Hershey Chocolate B'ars, in 1933 and the team moved in into the arena a few years later. The B'ars -- who changed their name to the Bears a few years later -- still exist today competing in the AHL. The Bears are the longest-running franchise in North America other than the NHL's Original Six clubs. Originally, the Bears played in the EHL from 1933-38, before moving to the AHL for the 1939-40 season where they have played ever since. The Bears did leave the arena though for the nearby Giant Center in 2002. The arena still exists today and hosts public skating as well as local youth and college teams.
The view of Hershey Sports Arena from ice level. Photo credit: centpacrr
Photo credit: James Willamor
Built in 1955, the Charlotte Coliseum (now Bojangles Coliseum) was at the time the largest dome in the world and first free-spanning dome in America. A number of EHL teams played in the arena during the early years. First the Charlotte Rebels for a season in 1955-56, then the Charlotte Clippers 1956-60, and finally the Charlotte Checkers from 1960-73. You may know the Checkers name from the AHL team that currently uses the moniker and inhabits the Coliseum. The current Checkers are an homage and not the same franchise. The original Checkers franchise started in Baltimore as the Clippers, moving to Charlotte in 1956 and changing their name to the Checkers in 1960. They would play in the EHL until 1973, joining the Southern Hockey League after that date and folding along with the rest of the SHL in 1977. The Checkers name was first revitalized by the ECHL in 1993, and then again by the AHL in 2010.
Photo credit: Walker Kinsler
Constructed in 1961 to attract an EHL team, the Knoxville Civic Coliseum played host to the Knoxville Knights until the franchise folded in 1968. The arena seats 6,500 and is currently an SMG managed arena. Since the Knights folded the arena has continued to host hockey over the years with the ECHL's Cherokees (1988-97), UHL's Speed (1999-02), and current tenants the SPHL's Ice Bears since 2002.
Photo credit: Gary Layda
Through the 1960s the EHL featured a number of southern teams, which ultimately led to the league's split into the northern and southern leagues in 1973. One of the most successful southern teams in terms of on-ice results was the Nashville Dixie Flyers. They sported purple and yellow jerseys, and made the EHL finals four times winning the Walker Cup twice in 1966 and 1967. The Dixie Flyers first took the ice in 1962 and ended up folding in 1971 due to financial difficulties.
The auditorium has continued to host music city hockey over the years. The Nashville South Stars who have one of the best logos you'll ever see inhabited it from 1981-83. The Nashville Knights of the ECHL played at the auditorium from 1989-96, and the Nashville Ice Flyers from 1996-98.
Photo credit: Salem Civic Center
Still in operation today, the Salem Civic Center played host to the Salem Rebels aka Roanoke Valley Rebels hockey team in the 1970s. The Rebels started play in the EHL in 1967 and moved to the SHL in 1973 before folding after the 1975-76 season.
Oh what's that? You didn't expect the World's Most Famous Arena to show up on this list? Well, the WMFA has tons and tons of history that includes the EHL. The New York Rovers played at the Garden from 1935-48, 1949-52, and 1964-65. Many nights, the Rovers would be the second part of a doubleheader that featured action from the local amateur leagues before the Rovers game. Sometimes it was even a triple header if the Rangers were playing as well. Other EHL teams also could call the garden home. A number of the amateur league teams tried their luck at the EHL for a short year or two during this era, including the Sands Point Tigers.
Photo credit: The Big E
The Eastern States Coliseum or the 'Big E' is the oldest arena on this list that is still standing in its original location. Located in western Massachusetts, it was built in 1916 and hosted the Spingfield Indians from 1926 through 1972. The Indians spent the majority of their history in the AHL, however they did spend two quick seasons in the EHL during 1951-52, and 1952-53. After returning to the AHL in the late 50s, the Indians had one of the most dominant runs in AHL history. They had the best record in three straight regular seasons, and won the Calder Cup each of those years losing only five playoff games in the process. The Big E would host the New England Whalers for one year in the 1970s but otherwise has not hosted hockey since the Indians moved to the Springfield Civic Center in 1972.
The Mount St. Charles Arena is the only arena on this list whose main tenant has never been a professional team or concert venue. The arena is located on the campus of Mount St. Charles Academy a private catholic high school. Their hockey team is the stuff of legend, winning 44 state titles since 1933 with an unbelievable 26 straight state title wins from 1978-2003. Their list of alums is littered with NHL names including Mathieu Schneider, Bryan Berard, Bryan Lawton, and Garth Snow. For one brief year, their arena also played host to the EHL's Rhode Island Eagles. For the 1972-73 season -- the last the EHL would survive -- the Eagles called the arena home and were an affiliate of the WHA's Chicago Cougars. The team would go 32-35-9 and fold after only one year.
Last but not least is another arena that played a part in Slapshot, the Onondaga County War Memorial in Western New York known today as Oncenter. The building was built in 1951 and hosted the Syracuse Warriors of the AHL. It seats just over 6,000 for hockey which makes it one of the bigger small arenas on the list. The War Memorial also hosted the Syracuse Blazers of the EHL and later the NAHL from 1967-1977. After the Blazers left, the building didn't host much hockey until the Syracuse Crunch moved in in 1994 and they haven't left since.
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Over the summer, I was searching for a New York Rovers shirt, and Google searches came up with exactly nothing. Google has everything, but somehow couldn't show me any Rovers t-shirts. I couldn't believe that a classic New York hockey team that existed for a few decades in the biggest city in the United States was completely unrepresented. Granted, they hadn't taken the ice since the 1960s, but in an age where everything exists online, it was surprising. And so pulled out Adobe Illustrator, designed a Rovers logo, and VIH was born.
The Eastern Hockey League was stewarded by Tom Lockhart from its start in 1933 until the year prior to its demise in 1972. Lockhart, currently in the HHOF for his work with the EHL as well as being the creator of USA Hockey, helped create the league in 1933 from the Tri-State Hockey League. The league rebranded as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League and elected Lockhart President in 1933. Lockhart was also in charge of the Rovers franchise, and would wear dual hats of League President and Team President throughout the years.
The EHL would start with seven teams for the 1933-34 season, many of them localized in the New York City and Mid-Atlantic region (Atlantic City Sea Gulls, Baltimore Orioles, Hershey Chocolate B'ars, Bronx Tigers, Crescent Hamilton Athletic Club, New York Athletic Club, St. Nicholas Hockey Club). Out of the original teams, most didn't last very long. However, the Hershey franchise still exists in spirit today as the Hershey Bears of the AHL.
Over the years the league saw many one-and-done teams, as teams were either placed in markets that didn't work, teams tried to move in from a different league and didn't find success, or teams were poorly implemented with insufficient funding or arenas. In some ways, it's all the pitfalls that minor league hockey teams might face today. Some of these teams still left some awesome logos though, like the Troy Uncle Sam's Trojans, the Toledo Buckeyes, the Johnstown Blue Birds, and the Milwaukee Clarks.
Meanwhile, many other teams had staying power and made an indelible mark on their local communities. And one of the most interesting things that each of these teams have in common is that they called smaller locales home, unlike maybe of the big and medium sized cities that most teams call home today.
Over the years, these teams and more made an impression on their local communities in ways many minor league teams cannot today. EHL teams didn't always have a direct relationship with high minor league or pro teams, in the way that teams have pro affiliations today. In many ways, the players were members of the local community and you might see them around town at a supermarket or restaurant. Probably adding to that was the fact that many of these teams were based in smaller towns and cities outside of what are traditional hockey markets today.
The league was also on the train of expanding to non-traditional hockey markets many years before the NHL started down a similar path. The first pro hockey team in Tennesse was the EHL's Knoxville Knights. The Jacksonville Rockets (aka Florida Rockets) were the first team in the state of Florida, and later expanded into the St. Petersburg area with the Suncoast Suns.
As the years went on, the EHL became known as one of the roughest of the minor leagues and probably the roughest in the United States. The league and it's players inspired Slapshot, including John Brophy who is widely believed to the be basis for Reg Dunlop, the character portrayed by Paul Newman in the film. Syracuse Blazers tough guy Bill Goldthorpe is also the inspiration for the film's monster tough guy Ogie Ogilthorpe. The film was shot in a a couple of EHL barns including in Johnstown and Syracuse, with many of the films non-hockey shots taking place in Johnstown. It's not an unrealistic representation of what EHL (and NAHL) hockey was like in the 1970s. Not much actual EHL film exists today, but this home video from a Dixie Flyers vs. Ducks EHL Finals game can give you an idea of what it looked like.
The league would fold in 1973, when the southern teams broke off and formed their own league, the Southern Hockey League because of the costs incurred for travel and other disagreements over roster sizes. The northern teams would rearrange themselves by created the North American Hockey League. Both of those leagues would only last until 1977 as the unyielding expansion of the WHA an NHL took it's toll exacerbating the usual uncertainties that are involved with minor league teams.
For more on the EHL check out the extensive archive created at TheEHL.com or join the Facebook group, where the league still lives on today.
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Welcome to Vintage Ice Hockey! We're glad you're here. Our mission is to celebrate all the dead and defunct hockey teams that don't take the ice anymore, many of which still have a special place in people's hearts and memories, and some which may be getting love for the first time.
The truth is, sports history doesn't get a lot of love. Sports are generally all about the here and now. Who's going to win the game tonight? Who's going to win the championship this year? And that's great! But there's also a long history of hockey that has been lost or that is being lost. We want to bring back to life the teams that are special in their own ways and need to be remembered. Vintage Ice Hockey is a home for all of those teams from long ago - both those fondly remembered and those forgotten.
To do that, we're creating apparel for these teams that, in some cases, simply doesn't exist anywhere else. We're also going to host a weekly blog that will look to shine a light on the players, teams, and fans of these teams and to give their stories a platform in the digital age.
If there's a hockey team that no longer takes the ice that is near and dear to you, we hope you join us in our journey to breathe life back into these teams. You can visit us at VintageIceHockey.com, and sign up for our mailing list which will bring the blog and other info directly to you inbox once a week.
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