International Hockey League
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- "IHL" redirects here. For the article about International Humanitarian Law, click here.
The IHL was originally a semi-pro league based around the Great Lakes and traditionally based in smaller cities such as Fort Wayne, Grand Rapids, Flint, Toledo, Muskegon and Port Huron. However, starting in the mid-1970s, IHL teams began to be the major affiliates of National Hockey League (NHL) teams, and from the late 1980s on, the IHL began to expand into major markets such as Houston, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Kansas City, San Diego, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Atlanta, Orlando, Denver, the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul and Phoenix. Its expansion into such markets was rapid, and as the smaller cities fell away (with many clubs, such as Fort Wayne, Peoria, Muskegon, Flint, and Kalamazoo joining lower leagues such as the United Hockey League or the East Coast Hockey League), the IHL was seen to be preparing a serious challenge to the NHL for the supremacy of North American professional hockey as NHL labor woes flared.
In response, many NHL clubs shifted their affiliations to the American Hockey League (AHL). With the loss of subsidized salaries, high expansion fees (by the end the league was charging as much as $8 million US for new teams), exploding travel costs and the NHL itself moving into some of its markets, the league's overexpansion proved a critical strain, and it folded after the 2001 season. Six of its franchises (the Chicago Wolves, Grand Rapids Griffins, Houston Aeros, Utah Grizzlies, Milwaukee Admirals and Manitoba Moose) were admitted into the AHL as expansion teams for the 2001-2002 season, and then promptly won the next three AHL Calder Cup titles, with at least one of the six teams having made the Calder Cup Finals in each of the past five seasons.
Playoff champions were awarded the Turner Cup trophy.
Competition in last season (2001)
Turner Cup
| Year | Winner | Finalist | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-01 | Orlando Solar Bears | Chicago Wolves | 4-1 |
| 1999-2000 | Chicago Wolves | Grand Rapids Griffins | 4-2 |
| 1998-99 | Houston Aeros | Orlando Solar Bears | 4-3 |
| 1997-98 | Chicago Wolves | Detroit Vipers | 4-3 |
| 1996-97 | Detroit Vipers | Long Beach Ice Dogs | 4-2 |
| 1995-96 | Utah Grizzlies | Orlando Solar Bears | 4-0 |
| 1994-95 | Denver Grizzlies | Kansas City Blades | 4-0 |
| 1993-94 | Atlanta Knights | Fort Wayne Komets | 4-2 |
| 1992-93 | Fort Wayne Komets | San Diego Gulls | 4-0 |
| 1991-92 | Kansas City Blades | Muskegon Lumberjacks | 4-0 |
| 1990-91 | Peoria Rivermen | Fort Wayne Komets | 4-2 |
| 1989-90 | Indianapolis Ice | Muskegon Lumberjacks | 4-0 |
| 1988-89 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | 4-1 |
| 1987-88 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | Flint Spirits | 4-2 |
| 1986-87 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | Muskegon Lumberjacks | 4-2 |
| 1985-86 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | Fort Wayne Komets | 4-0 |
| 1984-85 | Peoria Rivermen | Muskegon Lumberjacks | 4-3 |
| 1983-84 | Flint Generals | Toledo Goaldiggers | 4-0 |
| 1982-83 | Toledo Goaldiggers | Milwaukee Admirals | 4-2 |
| 1981-82 | Toledo Goaldiggers | Saginaw Gears | 4-1 |
| 1980-81 | Saginaw Gears | Kalamazoo Wings | 4-0 |
| 1979-80 | Kalamazoo Wings | Fort Wayne Komets | 4-2 |
| 1978-79 | Kalamazoo Wings | Grand Rapids Owls | 4-3 |
| 1977-78 | Toledo Goaldiggers | Port Huron Flags | 4-3 |
| 1976-77 | Saginaw Gears | Toledo Goaldiggers | 4-3 |
| 1977-76 | Dayton Gems | Port Huron Flags | 4-0 |
| 1974-75 | Toledo Goaldiggers | Saginaw Gears | 4-3 |
| 1973-74 | Des Moines Capitols | Saginaw Gears | 4-2 |
| 1972-73 | Fort Wayne Komets | Port Huron Wings | 4-2 |
| 1971-72 | Port Huron Wings | Muskegon Mohawks | 4-2 |
| 1970-71 | Port Huron Flags | Des Moines Oak Leafs | 4-2 |
| 1969-70 | Dayton Gems | Port Huron Flags | 4-3 |
| 1968-69 | Dayton Gems | Muskegon Mohawks | 3-0 |
| 1967-68 | Muskegon Mohawks | Dayton Gems | 4-1 |
| 1966-67 | Toledo Blades | Fort Wayne Komets | 4-2 |
| 1965-66 | Port Huron Flags | Dayton Gems | 4-1 |
| 1964-65 | Fort Wayne Komets | Des Moines Oak Leafs | 4-2 |
| 1963-64 | Toledo Blades | Fort Wayne Komets | 4-2 |
| 1962-63 | Fort Wayne Komets | Minneapolis Millers | 4-1 |
| 1961-62 | Muskegon Zephyrs | St. Paul Saints | 4-0 |
| 1960-61 | St.Paul Saints | Muskegon Zephyrs | 4-1 |
| 1959-60 | St.Paul Saints | Fort Wayne Komets | 4-3 |
| 1958-59 | Louisville Rebels | Fort Wayne Komets | 4-2 |
| 1957-58 | Indianapolis Chiefs | Louisville Rebels | 4-3 |
| 1956-57 | Cincinnati Mohawks | Indianapolis Chiefs | 3-0 |
| 1955-56 | Cincinnati Mohawks | Toledo-Marion Mercurys | 4-0 |
| 1954-55 | Cincinnati Mohawks | Troy Bruins | 4-3 |
| 1953-54 | Cincinnati Mohawks | Johnstown Jets | 4-2 |
| 1952-53 | Cincinnati Mohawks | Grand Rapids Rockets | 4-0 |
| 1951-52 | Toledo Mercurys | Grand Rapids Rockets | 4-2 |
| 1950-51 | Toledo Mercurys | Grand Rapids Rockets | 4-1 |
| 1946-50 | Chatham Maroons | Sarnia Sailors | 4-3 |
| 1948-49 | Windsor Hettche Spitfires | Toledo Mercurys | 4-3 |
| 1947-48 | Toledo Mercurys | Windsor Hettche Spitfires | 4-1 |
| 1946-47 | Windsor Spitfires | Detroit Bright's Goodyears | 3-0 |
| 1945-46 | Detroit Auto Club | Detroit Bright's Goodyears | 2-1 |
Teams
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See also
List of ice hockey leaguesExternal link
- [International Hockey League 1945-2001] Internet Hockey Database - Standings and Statistics
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