Baltimore Skipjacks
Baltimore Skipjacks | |
---|---|
City | Baltimore, Maryland |
League |
Atlantic Coast Hockey League American Hockey League |
Operated | 1981–1993 |
Home arena | old Baltimore Civic Center/Baltimore Arena/1st Mariner Arena/currently Royal Farms Arena, (1962) |
Colors | gold and black, red white and blue |
Affiliates |
Boston Bruins (1982–1983) Pittsburgh Penguins (1982–1987) Washington Capitals (1988–1993) |
Franchise history | |
1978–1982 | Erie Blades |
1982–1993 | Baltimore Skipjacks |
1993–2016 | Portland Pirates |
2016–present | Springfield Thunderbirds |
Championships | |
Regular season titles |
one (1983–1984) |
Division Championships |
one (1983–1984) |
The Baltimore Skipjacks were a minor professional ice hockey team originally beginning play in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League in 1981 and the American Hockey League, the following season of 1982. They played in Baltimore, Maryland, at the old Baltimore Civic Center (later the Baltimore Arena, then renamed the 1st Mariner Arena, now the Royal Farms Arena in downtown Baltimore's central business district adjacent to the 1950s-'60s-era redevelopment project of Charles Center, on the city block between West Baltimore, South Howard, West Lombard Streets and Hopkins Place/South Sharp and North Liberty Streets. The Skipjacks team was moved to Portland, Maine in 1993, and became the Portland Pirates. They also were the successors of the long-time Baltimore professional ice hockey team, the Baltimore Clippers, from 1962 to 1976, who earlier played in the American Hockey League at the same location and shared the same team fight song with minor name revisions.
History of Baltimore professional ice hockey
The original Skipjacks team played one season (1981–1982) in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League. From the 1982-1983 season to 1992-1993, the Skipjacks played in the American Hockey League. The 1987-88 season, they played as an independent team (no affiliation).
This city and franchise/team market area was previously home to the Orioles, Cutters, Blades, long-time Clippers and Bandits:
- Baltimore Orioles (1932–1933 / Tri-State Hockey League)
- Baltimore Orioles (1933–1942 / Eastern Hockey League)
- U.S. Coast Guard Yard (Arundel Cove, Curtis Bay, Anne Arundel County) Bears (1941–1942 / independent teams)
- U.S. Coast Guard Yard/U.S. Coast Guard Cutters (Arundel Cove, Curtis Bay, Anne Arundel County) (1942–1944 / Eastern Hockey League)
- Baltimore Blades (1944–1946 / Eastern Hockey League)
- Baltimore Clippers (1946–1955 / Eastern Hockey League)
- Baltimore Clippers / Charlotte Rebels (1955–1956 / Eastern Hockey League)
- Baltimore Clippers (1962–1974, 1975-1976 / American Hockey League)
- Baltimore Blades (1974–1975 / World Hockey Association)
- Baltimore Clippers (1976–1977 / Southern Hockey League)
- Baltimore Clippers (1979–1981 / Northeastern Hockey League (1978–1979), Eastern Hockey League)
This franchise was later replaced for two seasons by:
- Baltimore Bandits (1995–1997 / American Hockey League)
Team records
Single season
- Goals: 57 (Mitch Lamoureux, 1982–83)
- Assists: 81 (Mike Gillis, 1982–83)
- Points: 113 (Mike Gillis, 1982–83)
- Shut Outs: 4 (Jon Casey, 1984–85)
- Penalty minutes: 353 (Mitch Wilson, 1986–87)
- GAA: 2.63 (Jon Casey, 1984–85)
- SV%: .942 (Don Beaupre, 1990–91)
Career
- Career goals: Mitch Lamoureux, 119
- Career assists: Mitch Lamoureux, 133
- Career points: Mitch Lamoureux, 252
- Career penalty minutes: Gary Rissling, 868
- Career goaltending wins: Jim Hrivnak, 55
- Career shutouts: Jon Casey, 4
- Career games: Tim Taylor, 259
Season-by-season results
- Baltimore Skipjacks, 1981–1982 (Atlantic Coast Hockey League)
- Baltimore Skipjacks, 1982–1993 (American Hockey League)
Regular season
Season | Games | Won | Lost | Tied | OTL | Points | Goals for | Goals against | Standing | Head coach |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1981–82 | 48 | 22 | 23 | 3 | — | 47 | 204 | 189 | 3rd, ACHL | Morris "Moose" Lallo |
1982–83 | 80 | 35 | 36 | 9 | — | 79 | 362 | 366 | 5th, South | Lou Angotti |
1983–84 | 80 | 46 | 24 | 10 | — | 102 | 384 | 304 | 1st, South | Gene Ubriaco |
1984–85 | 80 | 45 | 27 | 8 | — | 98 | 326 | 252 | 2nd, South | Gene Ubriaco |
1985–86 | 80 | 28 | 44 | 8 | — | 64 | 271 | 304 | 7th, South | Gene Ubriaco |
1986–87 | 80 | 35 | 37 | — | 8 | 78 | 277 | 295 | 5th, South | Gene Ubriaco |
1987–88 | 80 | 13 | 58 | 9 | 0 | 35 | 268 | 434 | 7th, South | Gene Ubriaco |
1988–89 | 80 | 30 | 46 | 4 | — | 64 | 317 | 347 | 6th, South | Terry Murrary |
1989–90 | 80 | 43 | 30 | 7 | — | 93 | 302 | 265 | 3rd, South | Terry Murray & Doug MacLean |
1990–91 | 80 | 39 | 34 | 7 | — | 85 | 325 | 289 | 3rd, South | Rob Laird |
1991–92 | 80 | 28 | 42 | 10 | — | 66 | 287 | 320 | 5th, South | Rob Laird/Barry Trotz |
1992–93 | 80 | 28 | 40 | 12 | — | 68 | 318 | 353 | 4th, South | Barry Trotz |
Play-offs
Season | 1st round | 2nd round | Finals |
---|---|---|---|
1981–82 | L, 3-4, Mohawk Valley Stars | — | — |
1982–83 | Out of playoffs | ||
1983–84 | W, 4-0, Springfield | L, 2-4, Rochester | — |
1984–85 | W, 4-1, Rochester | W, 4-0, Binghamton | L, 2-4, Sherbrooke |
1985–86 | Out of playoffs | ||
1986–87 | Out of playoffs | ||
1987–88 | Out of playoffs | ||
1988–89 | Out of playoffs | ||
1989–90 | W, 4-2, Adirondack | L, 2-4, Rochester | — |
1990–91 | L, 2-4, Binghamton | — | — |
1991–92 | Out of playoffs. | ||
1992–93 | L, 3-4, Binghamton | — | — |
Notable Baltimore hockey teams alumni
- Don Beaupre, 17 NHL seasons
- Phil Bourque, two-time Stanley Cup champion: 1991, 1992
- Steve Carlson, one of the famed Hanson Brothers
- Claude Julien, current head coach of the Boston Bruins
- Olaf Kolzig, 2000 Vezina Trophy winner
- Ted Nolan, former head coach of the New York Islanders and current head coach of the Buffalo Sabres
- Michel Therrien, former head coach of the Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins
- Byron Dafoe, played 14 seasons in NHL, most notably with the Boston Bruins
- Keith Jones, played 9 seasons with Washington Capitals, Colorado Avalanche, and Philadelphia Flyers, and is currently an analyst for NBC Sports Network on cable television.
- Troy Loney, two-time Stanley Cup champion: 1991, 1992
- Bob Errey, two-time Stanley Cup champion: 1991, 1992, current FSN Pittsburgh analyst
- Jon Casey, Minnesota North Stars goalie
- Kenny Albert, announcer
- Barry Trotz, current Washington Capitals head coach
- Marty McSorley, Stanley Cup Champion with Edmonton Oilers, part of the Wayne Gretzky trade in 1988 between Oilers and Los Angeles Kings
- Bruce Boudreau, current Minnesota Wild Head Coach
- Scott Gordon, Head Coach USA Men's National Team, former Head Coach New York Islanders
- Chris Felix, Washington Capitals Defender
- Tim Driscoll, Princeton University
- Nick Kypreos, Calder Cup (AHL) champion (1988), Stanley Cup (NHL) champion (1994), current "Sportsnet" analyst
- Mike Gillis, former Vancouver Canucks President and General Manager
References
- The Internet Hockey Database - Baltimore Skipjacks
- The Official 1992-93 Baltimore Skipjacks Game Program.