Pittsburgh Hornets
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Pittsburgh Hornets | |
---|---|
Pittsburgh Civic Arena | |
Colors | Columbia blue, royal blue, white (1936–37) Red, white (1937–1952) Black, gold (1952–1954) Red, white (1954–1956, 1961–1967) Blue, gold (road uniforms, 1961–1963) |
Affiliates | Detroit Red Wings (1927–1945) Toronto Maple Leafs (1946–1956) Detroit Red Wings (1961–1967) |
Franchise history | |
1927–1936 | Detroit Olympics |
1936–1956 1961–1967 | Pittsburgh Hornets |
Championships | |
Regular season titles | 3 (1951–52, 1954–55, 1966–67) |
Division titles | 4 (1951–52, 1954–55, 1963–64, 1966–67) |
Calder Cups | 3 (1951–52, 1954–55, 1966–67) |
The Pittsburgh Hornets were a minor-league professional men's ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Contrary to popular belief, the Pittsburgh Hornets did not evolve from the
The Hornets, still a minor-league team for the NHL's
The Hornets disbanded after the
History
The team started as the
The Hornets were led by former Olympics coach Donnie Hughes. the Hornets won their first two franchise games against the Cleveland Falcons on November 7, 1936, at the Duquesne Gardens. During the 1938–39 season, Larry Aurie replaced Don Hughes as the second coach in team history. That year Don Deacon led the IAHL with 41 assists and 65 points. In 1940, the Hornets won 25 and made the playoffs and advance to the Calder Cup finals. The Hornets were originally the minor-league affiliate of the Red Wings who won the Stanley Cup in 1936. Larry Aurie, a member of that team, was a player-coach and led them to their first appearance in the Calder Cup Finals in 1940 where they were swept in three games by the Providence Reds.
At the start of the
Following Aurie's departure,
In 1948 the Hornets set the team all-time best record for goals scored in one season with 301 goals. Sid Smith became the first and only Hornets' player to score 50 goals in one season, finishing with 55 goals and 57 assists, the highest in the AHL, to earn the John B. Sollenberger Trophy for leading scorer. His 112-point total was also the highest in the league and the highest in Hornets' history.
However, in 1949 tragedy struck the team when Hornets star goaltender
Calder Cup Champions
During the 1951–52 season, Pittsburgh finished first overall in the AHL, finishing with 46 wins and 95 points. The Hornets then finally won their first Calder Cup on April 20, 1952, by beating the Providence Reds in six games on a goal by Ray Hannigan during the game's second overtime at the Rhode Island Auditorium. The AHL president, Maurice Podoloff, nor the Calder Cup Trophy, were present when the Hornets earned the championship. They were later presented with the Cup while traveling en route to Pittsburgh. It was also during the 1951–52 season that the Hornets wore black and gold jerseys for the first time.
The Hornets would return to the Calder Cup finals the next year only to lose again in Game 7 to the Cleveland Barons. However, during the 1954–55 season Pittsburgh defeated the Buffalo Bisons in six games to capture the club's second Calder Cup Championship. The Hornets finish first overall in the regular season, the second time in team history, with 70 points. Willie Marshall won the MVP in the playoffs with an AHL-best 16 points (9 goals, 7 assists).
A five-year hiatus
The first Hornets’ team ended after the 1955–56 season. On March 31, 1956, The Hornets played their final game at the Duquesne Gardens; a 6–4 win over the Barons. The Hornets franchise was suspended for five years because of Pittsburgh's urban renewal project, Renaissance I, called for The Gardens to be torn down. Demolition started on August 13, 1956, to make way for the Park Plaza apartments and a local fixture, Stouffer's Restaurant. Today Duranti's Restaurant features the only remaining evidence of the Gardens, with 2, 11-feet wide sections of exposed red brick wall. The wall would have been the front wall of the Gardens' visiting team's dressing room. However Duranti's closed in 2008, and the bricks were removed and stored for two years. Pittsburghhockey.net, an online Pittsburgh hockey museum, donated bricks to the Pittsburgh Penguins' current arena
The Gardens would be replaced as the home rink of the city's pro hockey team as the construction of the
The Hornets II
In 1961 the franchise returned as a minor league team for the Red Wings, the Hornets emerged from five years of inactivity and played their first game at the Civic Arena, on October 14, 1961, in front of 9,317 fans. The Hornets were back but the records during the next two years gave little to cheer for.
The Hornets set many AHL records during the 1961–62 season: Most times shut out in a season (9); most games lost in a season (58) and most games lost at home (27). The team also finished in the last place in AHL, finishing with the fewest wins in team history (10) and their lowest point total in team history (22). The next season the Hornets doubled their total of wins in their second season back from returning to the AHL. However, the team established the AHL's record for the longest winless streak. The team went 0–22–1 before beating the Hershey Bears on March 26. Following the 1962–63 season, owner John Harris sold the Hornets franchise to Bruce Norris, owner of the Detroit Red Wings. The purpose of the sale, Harris said, was to provide a better team for Pittsburgh fans. Norris, by having a 100% interest in the team, will make sure better players are available to the Hornets, Harris said in announcing the sale.
Things turned around dramatically during the 1963–64 season when the Hornets won 40 games, which was more than the previous two seasons combined under the Harris ownership. Goaltender Roger Crozier won the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award for being the AHL's Rookie of the Year. Crozier also won the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award for being the best goalkeeper in the AHL. It was the eighth time in the 23-year history of the team that a Hornets' goalie won the award.
Final season
On February 8, 1966, Pittsburgh was granted an
Mellon Arena banner
On February 3, 2001, the Pittsburgh Penguins minor-league affiliate, the
Logos and uniforms
The uniforms worn by the Hornets during their first season in Pittsburgh were Columbia blue, royal blue, and white.[2] The team that season was sometimes nicknamed the "Blue Shirts" by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in its reporting.[3][4] The front of the jersey featured a large circular crest with the Hornets' logo and team name. At the beginning of the second season, the team changed its colors to bright red and white.[5] From then until 1944, the Hornets' home jerseys were red wool with a white script "P" and the word "Hornets" sewn onto them. Starting with the 1944–45 AHL season, the team wore red wool jerseys for home games with a simple, block number on front and back, and a simple crew neck collar. The 1947–48 season saw the addition of a sleeve logo featuring a hornet head wearing a hockey helmet. The road versions of these sweaters were reversed; white body with red trim. The 1948–49 jersey took this style one step further by including seven stars on each sleeve, including a star below the hornet near the cuffs. The road versions of these sweaters were reversed: white body with red trim.
In 1952, the Hornets introduced a new black and gold color scheme that was familiar with the city's baseball team and football team. The colors were not new for hockey in Pittsburgh, having been worn by the Pittsburgh Pirates of the NHL from 1925 to 1928 (before a switch to blue and gold in 1928–29) and by different incarnations of the Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets. The Hornets' home jerseys were wool. The color scheme was black with gold trim. The jerseys featured tie-down collars and the familiar hornet in a helmet on the sleeves. The road jerseys consisted of a gold body and black trim. The Hornets returned to red and white uniforms in the 1954–55 season.
When the Hornets returned to the ice in 1961 after their five-year hiatus, they wore red and white wool jerseys with tie-down collars. A full circular crest trimmed in gold replaced the familiar helmeted hornet on the sleeves. The Captain's "C" or alternate captain's "A's" were worn on the right side of the chest. The home jerseys were red with white trim and featured the stars on the sleeves again. Meanwhile, Hornets' owner, John Harris, wanted his team to have a unique jersey for road games. The result was a blue wool jersey trimmed in gold. The jersey lasted two seasons. However, there were problems with how the blue color translated on black-and-white televisions. Home teams wore darker colors and, unfortunately, the Hornets' blue jerseys looked like the dark. Rare television coverage was too confusing for viewers who couldn't see any contrast between the teams on the television.
During the final years of the franchise, the Hornets wore the same durene jerseys used by their NHL affiliate, the Detroit Red Wings, with the exception of a circular Hornets crest.
Season-by-season results
- Detroit Olympics 1927–1936 (International Hockey League)
- Pittsburgh Hornets 1936–1940 (International-American Hockey League)
- Pittsburgh Hornets 1940–1956 (American Hockey League)
- Pittsburgh Hornets 1961–1967 (American Hockey League)
Regular season
"The Hornets will be a tough act to follow. We're replacing a championship winning team with a group of guys that might not be playing in the NHL if it weren't for expansion."
—
explaining the differences between the Penguins and the Hornets[6]
Season | Games | Won | Lost | Tied | Points | Winning Pct (%) |
Goals for |
Goals against |
Standing |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1936–37 | 48 | 22 | 23 | 3 | 47 | 0.490 | 122 | 124 | 2nd, West |
1937–38 | 48 | 22 | 18 | 8 | 52 | 0.542 | 100 | 104 | 2nd, West |
1938–39 | 54 | 22 | 28 | 4 | 48 | 0.444 | 176 | 166 | 4th, West |
1939–40 | 56 | 25 | 22 | 9 | 59 | 0.527 | 152 | 133 | 3rd, West |
1940–41 | 56 | 21 | 29 | 6 | 48 | 0.429 | 156 | 170 | 3rd, West |
1941–42 | 56 | 23 | 28 | 5 | 51 | 0.455 | 210 | 223 | 5th, West |
1942–43 | 56 | 26 | 24 | 6 | 58 | 0.518 | 183 | 203 | 3rd, West |
1943–44 | 52 | 12 | 31 | 9 | 33 | 0.317 | 140 | 181 | 3rd, West |
1944–45 | 60 | 26 | 7 | 27 | 59 | 0.658 | 267 | 247 | 3rd, West |
1945–46 | 62 | 30 | 22 | 10 | 70 | 0.565 | 262 | 226 | 2nd, West |
1946–47 | 64 | 35 | 19 | 10 | 80 | 0.625 | 260 | 188 | 3rd, West |
1947–48 | 68 | 38 | 18 | 12 | 88 | 0.647 | 238 | 170 | 2nd, West |
1948–49 | 68 | 39 | 19 | 10 | 88 | 0.647 | 301 | 175 | 4th, West |
1949–50 | 70 | 29 | 26 | 15 | 73 | 0.521 | 215 | 185 | 4th, West |
1950–51 | 71 | 31 | 33 | 7 | 69 | 0.486 | 212 | 177 | 3rd, West |
1951–52 | 68 | 46 | 19 | 3 | 95 | 0.699 | 267 | 179 | 1st, West |
1952–53 | 64 | 37 | 21 | 6 | 80 | 0.625 | 223 | 149 | 2nd, AHL |
1953–54 | 70 | 34 | 31 | 5 | 73 | 0.521 | 250 | 222 | 4th, AHL |
1954–55 | 64 | 31 | 25 | 8 | 70 | 0.547 | 187 | 180 | 1st, AHL |
1955–56 | 64 | 43 | 17 | 4 | 90 | 0.703 | 271 | 186 | 2nd, AHL |
Season | Games | Won | Lost | Tied | Points | Winning Pct (%) |
Goals for |
Goals against |
Standing |
1961–62 | 70 | 10 | 58 | 2 | 22 | 0.157 | 177 | 367 | 4th, West |
1962–63 | 72 | 20 | 48 | 4 | 44 | 0.306 | 200 | 317 | 4th, West |
1963–64 | 72 | 40 | 29 | 3 | 83 | 0.576 | 242 | 196 | 1st, West |
1964–65 | 72 | 29 | 36 | 7 | 65 | 0.451 | 228 | 256 | 3rd, West |
1965–66 | 72 | 38 | 33 | 1 | 77 | 0.535 | 236 | 218 | 3rd, West |
1966–67 | 72 | 41 | 21 | 10 | 92 | 0.639 | 282 | 209 | 1st, West |
Playoffs
Season | 1st round | 2nd round | Finals |
---|---|---|---|
1936–37 | bye | L, 2–3 Syracuse | |
1937–38 | L 0–2 Syracuse | ||
1938–39 | Out of playoffs. | ||
1939–40 | W, 2–1, Springfield | W, 2–1, Hershey | L, 0–3, Providence |
1940–41 | W, 2–1, Springfield | L, 1–2, Hershey | — |
1941–42 | Out of playoffs. | ||
1942–43 | L, 0–2, Indianapolis | — | — |
1943–44 | Out of playoffs. | ||
1944–45 | Out of playoffs. | ||
1945–46 | W, 2–1, Hershey | L, 1–2, Cleveland |
— |
1946–47 | W, 2–1, New Haven |
W, 2–0, Buffalo | L, 3–4, Hershey |
1947–48 | L, 0–2, New Haven |
— | — |
1948–49 | Out of playoffs. | ||
1949–50 | Out of playoffs. | ||
1950–51 | W, 3–0, Springfield | W, 3–0, Hershey | L, 3–4, Cleveland
|
1951–52 | W, 4–1, Hershey | bye | W, 4–2, Providence |
1952–53 | W, 3–0, Hershey | — | L, 3–4, Cleveland
|
1953–54 | L, 2–3, Hershey | — | — |
1954–55 | W, 3–1, Springfield | — | W, 4–2, Buffalo |
1955–56 | L, 1–3, Cleveland |
— | — |
Season | 1st round | 2nd round | Finals |
1961–62 | Out of playoffs | ||
1962–63 | Out of playoffs | ||
1963–64 | L, 1–4, Quebec | — | — |
1964–65 | L, 1–3, Buffalo | — | — |
1965–66 | L, 0–3, Cleveland |
— | — |
1966–67 | W, 4–1, Hershey | bye | W, 4–0, Rochester |
Franchise leaders
Goals: 130 (John "Peanuts" O'Flaherty, 1940–50 and Bob Solinger, 1949–56)
Assists: 253 (Frank Mathers, 1948–56)
Points: 319 (John "Peanuts" O'Flaherty, 1940–50)
PIM: 442 (Pete Backor, 1945–54)
Hall of Famers
Player
- Sid Abel 1969
- George Armstrong 1975
- Marty Barry 1965
- Andy Bathgate 1978
- Leo Boivin 1986
- Gerry Cheevers 1985
- Fernie Flaman 1996
- Doug Harvey 1973
- Tim Horton 1977
- Jack Stewart 1964
Builder
- Frank Mathers 1992 Coach
- Bill Torrey 1995 General manager
Other
- Howie Meeker 1998 Pittsburgh Hornets Broadcaster
- John Ashley 1981 On-ice Official
Notes
- ^ "Hornets Lose Sting as Gardens Get Tilled Over". Archived from the original on June 1, 2009.
- ^ Landucci, Fred (November 6, 1936). "Hornets Set for Opener in Cleveland". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 58 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "New Haven Routs Blue Shirts, 5-0". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. AP. December 28, 1936. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Taggart, Bert P. (March 27, 1937). "Hornets, Stars Resume Play-Offs Here Tonight". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Taggart, Bert P. (November 6, 1937). "Hornets, Reds Open Hockey Season at Garden Tonight". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 16.
- ^ 1936–37 Pittsburgh Hornets Jersey