Clinton Comets

Last updated
Clinton Comets
Comets logo web sm.jpg
City Clinton, New York (1927–1973),
Utica, New York (1973–1977)
League NYSAHL (1949–1949/50),
NYOHL (1950/51 – 1953/54),
EHL (1954/55 – 1972/73),
NAHL (1973/74 – 1976/77),
ACHL
Founded1927
Home arena Russell Sage Rink (?? – 1949),

Clinton Arena (1949–1973),

Utica Memorial Auditorium (1973–1977)
ColorsRed, White, and Blue
Franchise history
1927–1948 Clinton Hockey Club
1949–1973Clinton Comets
1973–1977 Mohawk Valley Comets
Championships
Playoff championshipsFive (1959, 1964, 1968, 1969, 1970)

The Clinton Comets were an American ice hockey team in Clinton, New York.

Contents

History

Founded in 1927–28 as the Clinton Hockey Club and nicknamed the Comets in 1949, the team played primarily at the Clinton Arena from 1949 until 1973. The team was founded by Ed Stanley, who acted as manager, recruited local high school students as players, and provided financing for the team to buy equipment and take road trips. In the 1933–1934 season, the Comets played in the National Amateur Championship at Madison Square Garden against the Hershey Bears. The team also received support from Albert I. Prettyman, an athletic administrator known for bringing college hockey to nearby Hamilton College. The 1940 Winter Olympics were scheduled for Sapporo, Japan, but were canceled because of the start of World War II, as well as the hopes of Comets players Wilfred Goering and Art Scoones who were trying out for the Olympic team.

From 1954 until 1973, the Comets participated in the Eastern Hockey League, dominating for ten of their nineteen seasons. Most notably, under head coach Pat Kelly, the Comets posted a 315–208–64 (wins-losses-ties) record of eight seasons. During that period, in the 1967–68 season, the Comets produced an awe-inspiring 57–5–10 record. The Comets won the EHL playoffs in 1958–59, 1963–64, 1967–68, 1968–69 and 1969–70.

Later, when the team began playing games in the Utica Memorial Auditorium, it changed its name to the Mohawk Valley Comets and played in the North American Hockey League.

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of the Clinton Comets include:

Other hockey teams in the Mohawk Valley

Related Research Articles

Patrick J. "Pat" Kelly is an American retired ice hockey coach who co-founded and served as the first commissioner of the East Coast Hockey League. He is the namesake of the Kelly Cup. Kelly also coached the Colorado Rockies for two years and the Birmingham Bulls in the late-1970s.

The Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) was a minor league hockey organization that operated between 1981 and 1987. The league was founded by Bill Coffey. The Bob Payne Trophy was awarded to the team who won the league playoff championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore Skipjacks</span> Former minor league hockey team in Baltimore, Maryland

The Baltimore Skipjacks were a minor league professional ice hockey team from Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The Skipjacks originated in 1979, and played as the Baltimore Clippers in the Eastern Hockey League for two seasons. The team was renamed to Skipjacks in 1981, and played the following season in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League. The Skipjacks then played eleven seasons as members of the American Hockey League (AHL), from 1982 until 1993. The Skipjacks were one of three AHL teams to have been based in Baltimore, including the Baltimore Clippers, and the Baltimore Bandits. The Skipjacks operated as a farm team to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals for five seasons each, and were previously a farm team to the Minnesota North Stars for two seasons, the Boston Bruins for one season. The team played its home games at the Baltimore Civic Center, which was renamed to the Baltimore Arena in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utica Devils</span> Ice hockey team in Utica, New York

The Utica Devils were a professional ice hockey team of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team was based in Utica, New York, and played its home games at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

Galen Russell Head was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who spent the majority of his career, which lasted from 1967 to 1976, with the Johnstown Jets of the Eastern Hockey League and North American Hockey League. Head played one game in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings during the 1967-68 NHL season and wore #15.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benny Woit</span> Canadian ice hockey player

Benedict Francis Woit was a Canadian ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks between 1951 and 1956. With Detroit he won the Stanley Cup three times, in 1952, 1954, and 1955

Martin Joseph "Pat" Egan was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman, most notably for the Boston Bruins and New York Americans of the National Hockey League. He went on to coach the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League to three straight Calder Cup championships, the only time that has ever been done.

Hector Joseph Lalande was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre. He played in 151 National Hockey League (NHL) games with the Chicago Black Hawks and Detroit Red Wings between 1954 and 1958. His most productive years were in the minors with the Clinton Comets where he had back-to-back 100-point seasons.

Frederick Austin Glover was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. He played 92 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks between 1949 and 1952, though most of his career, which lasted from 1947 to 1968, was with the Cleveland Barons of the American Hockey League (AHL). After his playing career he coached the Barons for several years, and coached in the NHL with the Oakland Seals/California Golden Seals and Los Angeles Kings between 1968 and 1974, also serving as general manager of the Golden Seals on two occasions during that time. He was the brother of Howie Glover, who also played in the NHL.

The Johnstown Red Wings were a professional ice hockey team based in Johnstown, Pennsylvania They were founded as a member of the Eastern Hockey League in the 1979-80 season. The Red Wings were used as an affiliate to the Adirondack Red Wings of the AHL. At the time, Adirondack was the primary affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings.

The Salem Raiders were a professional hockey team that played in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) and Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL). They were originally the Utica Mohawks from 1978 to 1980 then became the Salem Raiders for the 1980–81 season before transferring to the Atlantic Coast Hockey League during the 1981–82 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte Checkers (1956–1977)</span> Ice hockey team in Charlotte, North Carolina

The Charlotte Checkers were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The team began as the Baltimore Clippers in 1954, playing in the Eastern Hockey League. When the arena in Baltimore burned down, the team briefly played as the Charlotte Rebels, before permanently relocating to the Charlotte Coliseum in 1956, becoming the Charlotte Clippers. The team was renamed the Checkers in 1960, and played its final four seasons in the Southern Hockey League, before folding in 1977. The Clippers/Checkers franchise won five playoff championships in its existence, and were the first team to be based in the Southeast United States.

The Troy Slapshots were a professional ice hockey team based in Troy, New York. They were a member of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League in the 1985–86 season.

The Mohawk Valley Comets were a professional ice hockey team based in Utica, New York. They were a member of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League from 1985 until the league suspended operations until 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utica Comets</span> American Hockey League team in Utica, New York

The Utica Comets are a professional ice hockey team based in Utica, New York, with home games at the Adirondack Bank Center. They are members of the North Division in the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL) and affiliated with the National Hockey League's (NHL) New Jersey Devils. The team was established when the Vancouver Canucks relocated their AHL franchise to Utica for the 2013–14 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert I. Prettyman</span>

Albert I. Prettyman was a coach and athletic administrator at Hamilton College. During his coaching career he was head coach of many sports including basketball, track and field and football, but the majority of for his coaching work was in ice hockey. When he died the American Hockey Coaches Association called him "the father of college hockey." He was also director/coach of the 1936 USA Winter Olympics hockey team, winning the bronze medal. Prettyman was a member of two Olympic Committees and the founder, and lasting member of, the NCAA Hockey Rules Committee.

Kenneth Borden Smith is a Canadian former professional hockey player who played 648 games in the Eastern Hockey League, with the Philadelphia Ramblers, Long Island Ducks and Clinton Comets. He also played in the American Hockey League with the Baltimore Clippers, Springfield Kings and Cleveland Barons. He was later a coach after his retirement from hockey. He was inducted into the Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Coast Guard Cutters</span> Senior amateur ice hockey team

The United States Coast Guard Cutters were a senior amateur ice hockey team operated by the United States Coast Guard Yard on Curtis Bay, Baltimore. The team played in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League for parts of two seasons, using Carlin's Iceland for home games. The Cutters were a separate team from the established Coast Guard Bears of the United States Coast Guard Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Tottle</span> American ice hockey defenseman

Gordon Elwood Tottle was an American professional ice hockey player. As a defenseman, he played 456 games in the American Hockey League with the Springfield Indians. In 18 seasons of professional hockey, he was a first-team all-star in both the American Hockey League, and the Eastern Hockey League, and played for the United States men's national ice hockey team in the 1962 Ice Hockey World Championships.

Gregg Pilling is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. He was named coach of the year by the International Hockey League in 1977–78 season, after he led the Fort Wayne Komets to the Fred A. Huber Trophy as the regular season champions. He also won coach of the year awards in Southern Hockey League, and North American Hockey League, while guiding the Roanoke Valley Rebels and the Philadelphia Firebirds to league championships. Pilling made headlines as a coach for his colourful in-game protests and multiple ejections. Prior to coaching, he had a brief playing career, including a 1963 Memorial Cup championship with the Edmonton Oil Kings, and was voted the most valuable player in his final full season as a player.

References

  1. "Inductees » Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame". www.greateruticasports.com. Retrieved 2019-10-23.