Indy's title teams: The 1958 Chiefs

This is the 6th in a series looking at Indianapolis' championship-winning hockey teams. Previously: the 2009 Indiana Ice (USHL), the 2000 Indianapolis Ice (CHL), 1990 Indianapolis Ice (IHL), 1983 & 1982 Indianapolis Checkers (CHL). Next week: the 1950 Indianapolis Capitals.

After finishing second in 1956-57, Indianapolis Chiefs coach Leo Lamoureux had a definite goal in mind - close the gap on the Cincinnati Mohawks.

The Mohawks were the IHL's greatest dynasty. In the 1957 Turner Cup Finals, the Mohawks swept the Chiefs in three games, outscoring them 16-2. In the Mohawks' five years in the league, they had never been challenged for first place and only once challenged in a playoff series - going seven games with Troy in the 1956 final.

The 1958 Turner Cup champion Indianapolis Chiefs.

They were the team to aim for. And Lamoureux wasted little time trying to bridge the gap. Two weeks after the Chiefs had been swept out of the 1957 Turner Cup Finals, their coach was scouring Canada, looking for the half-dozen players who would turn the Chiefs from a good team into a Turner Cup contender.

Lamoureux knew championships. He had played on two Stanley Cup winners with Montreal in 1944 and 1946, leaving hockey to run a restaurant. He sold the restaurant in 1956 to take over the Chiefs, and he slowly built the team into his image.

Today in history: January 25

January 25 in Indianapolis hockey history

1956: The Chiefs set a dubious record – allowing 16 goals in a shutout loss to the Cincinnati Mohawks. The Mohawks’ 10 second-period goals remained an IHL record through the end of the league’s existence. Bob Lalonde was the goaltender, stopping 44 of the Mohawks’ 60 shots.

Today in history: December 28

December 28 in Indianapolis hockey history  

1958: The Louisville Rebels require a police escort out of the Coliseum as 50 fans swarm their locker room, thanks to a fight between Indianapolis’ Jean-Marc Picard and Louisville’s Moe Bartoli at the end of the game. The two would have a stick-swinging incident two weeks later. 

Birthday

Terry Sawchuk: A goaltender for the Capitals from 1948-50. He played 128 games for the Caps, posting a 3.02 GAA in those two seasons, to go along with a 69-37-12 record and five shutouts. He was named the AHL's Rookie of the Year in 1949, and he helped lead the Caps to a clean sweep of the 1950 Calder Cup playoffs with a 1.50 GAA. One of the greatest goaltenders in hockey history, Sawchuk got a brief callup to Detroit in 1950 to replace injured Harry Lumley. His play made Lumley expendable, and Sawchuk got the permanent callup that summer. He won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year in 1951, then won three straight Vezina Trophies as the league's top goaltender from 1952-54 -- and would win another in 1965. He won three Stanley Cups in his first five years with Detroit. He was either a First-Team or Second-Team All-Star each of his first five seasons with the Red Wings, and won four Stanley Cups. He would be traded to the Boston Bruins in 1955, then dealt back to the Red Wings two years later for another long stint. He would be traded to the Maple Leafs in 1964, and would share the Vezina Trophy with Johnny Bower -- his old nemesis from the AHL. In 1967, he and Bower helped lead the Maple Leafs to the Stanley Cup -- the most recent in their history. He played in 11 NHL All-Star games, was a First or Second Team All-Star seven times, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1971. He set the NHL record with 103 shutouts, which stood until Martin Brodeur broke it in 2009. In 971 NHL games from 1950-1970 with the Red Wings, Bruins, Maple Leafs, Kings and Rangers, Sawchuk posted a 447-330-172 record and a 2.51 career GAA. He also had a 54-48 playoff record with a 2.54 GAA and 12 postseason shutouts, as well as four Stanley Cup rings. A native of Winnipeg, Sawchuk was born in 1929. He died on May 31, 1970 as a result of internal injuries, likely suffered in a fight with his roommate.

Today in history: December 23

December 23 in Indianapolis hockey history
Birthdays
Don Busch: Chiefs defenseman in their heyday, from 1956-58. In 123 games, he had five goals and 18 assists, as well as 117 penalty minutes. He also played in 19 playoff games, garnering an assist as the Chiefs advanced to the 1957 Turner Cup Finals, then scoring two goals and two assists to help lead the Chiefs to the championship in 1958. He played professionally from 1955-60 before retiring. A native of Brandon, Man., he is 79.
Germain "Red" Leger: Center for the Chiefs from 1957-60. He had 61 goals and 86 assists in 120 games. He had a big playoff in 1958 when the Chiefs won the Turner Cup, with five goals and 13 points in 11 games. He followed that up with a 23-goal, 45-assist year in 1958-59, leading the Chiefs back into the playoffs, where he had seven points in five games. He had 20 goals in 38 games in 1959-60. He retired after his stint with the Chiefs. A native of L'Annonciation, Quebec, he was born in 1928.
Lloyd Maxfield: High scoring center for the Chiefs in 1961-62, their final season. Maxfield had 33 goals and 41 assists in 68 games for the Chiefs that year. He joined the team after two years with the Fort Wayne Komets and a year previously in the WHL. After the Chiefs disbanded, Maxfield played five seasons for the Port Huron Flags, posting three straight 100-point years and then becoming the team's player-coach. He led the Flags to the Turner Cup in 1966. A native of Saskatoon, he is was born in 1936.

 

Today in history: December 11

December 11 in Indianapolis hockey history

1955: The Chiefs end a dismal 15-game losing streak by beating the Fort Wayne Komets 3-2 in overtime. Jean-Marc Picard scores an unassisted goal 6:38 into overtime to win it, after Billy Kawulia scores two third-period goals – including one with 28 seconds left – to tie the game. The Chiefs would finish their inaugural year with an 11-48-1 record. 

Birthdays

Jason Mansoff: Ice defenseman in 1999-2000, totaling a goal and 12 assists in 24 games. The University of Maine graduate played in the ECHL, IHL and AHL before joining the Ice, then headed to Britain to play after his stint in Indianapolis. A native of Edmonton, Alberta, he is 39. 

J.C. Wells: Goaltender for the Ice in 2001-02, teaming up with Jamie Morris. He had a 2-14-2 record and a 4.55 GAA with the Ice. It was his only pro experience after graduating from Quinnipiac University. A native of Sheffield, Mass., he is 33.

Today in history: November 25

November 25 in Indianapolis hockey history

1959: After three and a half seasons in net, three playoff appearances and a Turner Cup championship (as well as a stint as assistant coach), goaltender Cliff Hicks is released by the Chiefs. Hicks backstopped 159 games – a team record. Chuck Adamson would replace him and be in net for 115 games, most of the rest of the team’s history. 

Birthday

Andy Cozzi: Right wing for the Checkers in 1985-86, where he had four goals and an assist in 14 games. The Miami University graduate also played the following two seasons with the Milwaukee Admirals before retiring. A native of New Rochelle, N.Y., he is 48. 

Today in history: Nov. 24

Happy Thanksgiving. Let's look back on this date in history.

1956: Chiefs coach Leo Lamoreaux fines the entire team $25 because “I want 60 minutes of hockey out of every player, not 45 or 50.” Fort Wayne scored forl goals in a seven-minute span in th second period and beat the Chiefs 5-4. 

Birthdays

Art Herchenratter: Capitals left wing in 1940-41, tallying a goal and six assists in 39 games. He also suited up in 10 games for the Red Wings that season. A strong defensive forward, his was one of many careers interrupted by WWII -- he played for AHL New Haven and AHA Omaha the next year, then went off to the war and returned to play one more season in 1946-47. A native of Kitchener, Ont., he was born in 1917. He passed away in 1989. 

Roy Sawyer: Capitals right wing in 1945-46. He started the year in Indy, then was traded to the St. Louis Flyers on Dec. 26 in a multiplayer deal. He had five goals and six assists total that season in 51 games for both teams. Sawyer played the next year with USHL Fort Worth and AHL Springfield, then retired. A native of Oshawa, Ont., he was born in 1920. 

Christian Laflamme: Ice defenseman in 1996-97, he had five goals, 15 assists and 62 PIMs in 62 games, helping lead the Ice to an IHL division title. The hard-hitting blueliner got the call to the Blackhawks that season, and stuck the next year. The Blackhawks' second-round pick in 1995, he played 324 NHL games between 1996-2004 with Chicago, Edmonton, Montreal and St. Louis, then played in Europe and senior hockey in Quebec through 2010. A native of St. Charles, Quebec, he is 35. 

Today in history: November 20

Birthdays

James Farelli: Right wing for the Chiefs in 1958-59, where he had two goals and five assists in six games. He played nine pro seasons from 1953-62. A native of Capreol, Ont., he was born in 1931. 

Ross Smith: Racers right wing for 15 games in 1974-75. He had a goal and six assists. He played three pro seasons from 1973-76, the latter two in the Racers system, primarily with their affiliate in Mohawk Valley. A native of Westlock, Alb., he is 58. 

Bogdan Savenko: Ice right wing in 1994-95, where he had 18 goals and 17 assists in 62 games. After his stint with the Ice, he played two more years in North America with AHL Syracuse and IHL Quebec, then headed to Europe to play in Sweden, the Czech Republic and Russia before retiring in 2002. A native of Kiev, Ukraine, he is 37.

Today in history: November 9

Birthdays
Jean-Marc Picard: Rugged Chiefs defenseman for 39 games in 1958-59, where he had nine goals, 25 points and 112 PIMs. He also helped lead the Chiefs to their third, and final, playoff appearance. He played a long minor pro career from 1955-71, his longest stint coming with WHL San Francisco from 1961-66. A native of Ste. Helene, Quebec, he was born in 1936.
Rob Davidson: Ice player in their first three CHL seasons from 1999-2002. A big guy -- at 6-foot-4 -- Davidson was often used to screen goaltenders and provide a large presence on the ice. He was the son of Ice coach Rod Davidson, who led the team all three years Rob played for the Ice. In 134 games, he had four goals, 15 assists and 271 PIMs. He also had a playoff goal in 18 postseason games and was part of the 2000 Miron Cup championship team. He continued to play minor pro and senior hockey through 2006. A native of Brantford, Ont., he is 34.

Today in History: November 8

Today in Indianapolis hockey history: November 8

1958: Billy Short scores with 2 seconds left to give the Chiefs a thrilling 3-2 victory over Toledo. Rene St. Hiliare scored with 1:25 remaining to tie the game. 

Birthdays

Jimmy Franks: The first goaltender to suit up in Indianapolis, Franks played for the Capitals from 1939-41. He had a 33-35-17 record and three shutouts with the Caps. He led the Capitals to a division championship in 1940, when he had a 2.23 GAA in 29 games. He had a 2.88 GAA in 56 games the following year. Franks broke into the NHL by subbing for Norm Smith for one game in the 1937 Stanley Cup playoffs, and got his name on the Cup as a result when the Red Wings won the trophy. He played one game for Detroit the following year, then made it back to the NHL in 1942 after being traded to the Rangers, where he played 23 games in 1942-43, and then went back to Detroit for 17 more games and to Boston for one game in 1943-44 during WWII. He had a 4.30 GAA in 42 NHL games. A native of Melville, Sask., he was born in 1914, and passed away in 1994. 

Bob Gracie: Capitals center in 1939-40, near the end of his career. Gracie had five goals and nine assists in 19 games at the end of the season after being traded from Cleveland in a deal for Don Deacon. He also had a playoff goal in the five-game loss in a best-of-5 to the eventual champion Providence Reds in the 1940 postseason. He joined the NHL with Toronto in 1930 and played 379 NHL games with the Leafs, Bruins, New York Americans, Montreal Maroons, Canadiens and Blackhawks. He had 11 goals and 25 assists with the Maroons in 1936-37, his best NHL season. He won the Stanley Cup in 1932 with the Leafs and 1935 with the Maroons. He retired after the 1947-48 season. A native of North Bay, Ont., he was born in 1910, and passed away in 1963. 

Mike Peluso: Member of the Ice from 1989-92, with nine goals and 12 assists in 85 games. He played the bulk of his time with the Ice in the Turner Cup championship season of 1989-90, where he had seven goals and 10 assists in 75 games. A noted "tough guy," Peluso also had 279 PIMs that season and 315 in his career with the Ice. He also had one assist and 58 PIMs in the 1990 Turner Cup playoffs, appearing in all 14 Ice games. He had two assists and 40 PIMs in the 1991 playoffs, as he played in five of the seven games in the epic series against the Fort Wayne Komets. Peluso made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks in 1989-90 and latched on mostly full-time the next year. One of the NHL's most feared fighters, he played nine seasons with the Blackhawks, Senators, Devils, Blues and Flames, with 1,959 PIMs in 458 games. He had a career-high 408 with Chicago in 1991-92. He also had 38 goals and 90 points. He won the Stanley Cup in 1995 with the Devils, as part of the "Crash Line" with Randy McKay and Bobby Holik. A native of Hibbing, Minn., he is 46. Today, he is a scout for the Edmonton Oilers. THN profiled him recently. 

Today in history: November 4

November 4 in Indianapolis hockey history

1939: The Indianapolis Capitals play the first game in Indianapolis hockey history and beat the Hershey Bears 4-3. The first goal was scored by Joe Carveth (unassisted) at 12:00 of the first period. Byron “Bucko” McDonald had the game-winner, and Jimmy Franks had the win in goal. The game also marks the debut of the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, which would be renamed the Pepsi Coliseum in 1990 and, 72 years later, is still the home of hockey in Indianapolis. 

1943: John Sorrell joins the Capitals as coach in 1943. He had been hired weeks before, and needed to arrange care for his young children, so Carson Cooper coached the first few games. A player/coach, he scored the game-tying goal in a 1-1 draw at Buffalo.

1950: The Capitals break a 9-game winless streak to start the year (0-8-1) by beating the Cleveland Barons 6-1. Gerry Reid would score twice and Fred Glover would have three assists. Two games later, goaltender Bill Brennan would be replaced by 30-year-old veteran “Sugar” Jim Henry, who would lead the Caps to a 38-29-3 record and soon be back in the NHL. 

1956: The Chiefs win their franchise-record seventh straight game, beating the powerful Cincinnati Mohawks 5-2. Marc Boileau scores two goals and adds an assist. 

Today in history: November 2

November 2 in Indianapolis hockey history

1957: Pierre Brillant posts his third consecutive 2-goal game to give the Chiefs a 5-2 victory at Fort Wayne. He had 6 goals and 3 assists in the first three games of the year, starting a season that would end in a Turner Cup championship. 

1978: Wayne Gretzky, Ed Mio and Peter Driscoll are sold to the Edmonton Oilers for a sum reportedly $850,000, which was supposed to keep the Racers afloat for the rest of the season. Four front-office staff members were also released. Team owner Nelson Skalbania was not present at the press conference, escorting the three players to Edmonton. Gretzky tallied three goals and three assists in eight games with the Racers. He would lead Edmonton to four Stanley Cups between 1983-88, and then also lead the Los Angeles Kings to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1993. He would become the greatest scorer in professional hockey history. 

1979: Richard Brodeur shuts out the Fort Worth Texans and Alex McKendry scores 50 seconds into OT to give the Chex a 1-0 victory. It is the franchise's first shutout and first OT game. 

Today in history: October 30

October 30 in Indianapolis hockey history

1942: Joe Turner, whose name would later grace the Turner Cup, plays his first game as a Capital. Turner shuts out the Washington Lions 1-0. Adam Brown – father of future Racers goaltender Andy Brown – scores the game’s only goal at 9:42 of the second period.

1960: Pierre Brillant -- the all-time leading scorer in Indianapolis hockey history -- scores his final hat trick as a member of the Chiefs, posting three goals and two assists in a 9-2 victry over Milwaukee. Howie Menard adds two goals and two assists. 

Birthdays

Michael Del Mauro: Ice forward in 2006-07, playing 36 games and totaling seven goals and three assists. He parlayed his USHL tenure into a four-year career at Harvard University, where he had 18 points in a four-year career. A native of Watchung, N.J., he is 24. 

Today in history: October 28

October 28 in Indianapolis hockey history

1956: Chiefs goaltender Cliff Hicks posts the second of back-to-back shutouts, beating the Troy Bruins 2-0. The previous night, he beat Toledo 4-0. He made 65 saves in the two wins. His shutout streak would eventually reach 186:56. 

Birthdays

Kevin Morrison: Left wing for the Racers from 1977 through the aborted 1978 season. In 80 games, he had 17 goals and 42 assists. Morrison played 459 games in the WHA and NHL, primarly with the San Diego Mariners from 1974-77. He had three 20-goal seasons in a row from 1973-76, his best year being a 24-goal year with the New York Golden Blades -- who moved across the Hudson and became the Jersey Knights for the second part of the year. After the merger, he played 41 games with the NHL Colorado Rockies. He had 97 goals and 235 assists as a major-league player. He was the Rangers' third-round pick in 1969. A native of Sydney, N.S., he is 62. 

Dave Bassegio: Member of the Ice in the 1989-90 championship season. Bassegio joined the team late in the year after starting with AHL Rochester. He had one goal and seven assists in 10 regular-season games, then contributed two goals and four assists in 10 postseason games en route to leading the Ice to the Turner Cup title. That was his rookie year -- he had been a standout at Yale University. Bassegio played professionally through 2000, primarly in the AHL and IHL. His best year was a 46-point season for the Houston Aeros in 1996-97. Since retirement, he coached in the ECHL and AHL, matriculating to head coach of the AHL Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Peoria Rivermen for one season each. He was the Sabres' fourth-round pick in 1988. A native of Niagara Falls, Ont., he is 44. 

Lubos Krajcovic: Ice right wing from 1999-2002, totaling 25 goals and 30 assists in 120 games. He also had a big postseason in 2000, tallying two goals and six assists to help lead the Ice to the Miron Cup in their maiden season in the CHL. Prior to joining the Ice, he played in the USHL for Sioux Falls, two seasons at Michigan Tech and one year in the UHL. A native of Krupina, Slovakia, he is 35. 

Today in history: October 21

1962: The Chiefs open their final season at home, losing 4-1 to the Minneapolis Millers. Maplehurst Dairy distributes 140,000 tickets on milk cartons. Many of the 3,161 in attendance used them, and saw a bloody game. Indy’s Bernie Gould was given a five-minute major for drawing blood, and the Chiefs’ Gould, Bobby Rivard and Doug Monro left the game with injuries, as did Minneapolis’ Augie Kukulowicz, who suffered a broken jaw. 

Today in history: October 20

October 20

1946: Capitals beat Philadelphia 10-0. Gerry Couture team-record 5 goals and 7 points. Les Douglas totaled 1 goal and 5 assists. Red Almas had the shutout in goal.

1956: Pierre Brillant scores his first goal as a Chief, scoring with 1:39 left to beat Cincinnati 3-2 on the road. Brillant would post 204 goals and 181 assists in his 4+ years with the Chiefs. He would become Indianapolis' all-time leading hockey scorer. 

1978: Wayne Gretzky scores his first professional goal at 6:07 of th second period, he used Al Hamilton to screen goaltender Dave Dryden and fired a backhander from 25 feet out. Thirty-four seconds later, Gretzky’s centering pass deflected into the net. The Racers also had their first-ever penalty shot that night, a missive from Kevin Nugent, which Dryden turned aside. Gretzky’s goals gave the Racers a 3-1 second-period lead, but Edmonton scored three times in the third to beat the Racers 4-3. 

Today in history: July 23

Birthday post

Lyall Wiseman: Right wing who played 61 games for the Capitals in 1949-50, totaling 15 goals and 30 assists. He also played in six of the Caps' postseason games with one assist -- all wins, as the team swept its way to the Calder Cup that season. Wiseman joined the Caps after two seasons at the "AA"-level Omaha, but that would be his final North American pro season. He would spend much of the 1950s playing senior hockey in Canada. A native of Montreal, he was born in 1927. 

Roger Hayfield: Left wing who played for the Chiefs in their first two years, from 1955-57. In 81 games, he had 23 goals and 17 assists. He would be traded to the EHL's Washington Lions in 1956-57 after 22 games in Indy. Hayfield's 21 goals in 1955-56 led the Chiefs' first team. It was his highest-scoring year of pro hockey. Hayfield continued to play in Washington through 1959. A native of Quebec City, he was born in 1930. 

Jeremy Tejchma: Forward who played for the Ice's inaugural USHL team in 2004-05. In 58 games, he totaled five goals and 12 assists. He split the next season between USHL Waterloo and NAHL Cleveland, and played one year at Wayne State University. A native of Muskegon, Mich., he is 25. 

Today in history: July 20

A couple more birthdays

Maurice Lamirande: Left wing who played for the inaugural Chiefs team in 1955-56, tallying 17 goals and 23 assists. After that season, he went to Great Britain and played four seasons. A native of Chicoutimi, Quebec, he was born in 1930. 

Joe Beaudette: Forward who played six games for the Ice in 2007-08. He spent most of that year with NAHL Fargo-Moorhead, and then played one more year in the NAHL. A native of Blaine, Minn., he is 23. 

Today in history: July 17

One more birthday today

Hank Therrien: Right wing who played for the Chiefs in several stints between 1959-62. He started the 1959-60 season with the Chiefs, went to Milwaukee, and came back to the Chiefs by the end of the following year. He played the full 1961-62 season in Indy, totaling 16 goals and 14 assists. He had 59 goals and 107 assists in 158 games for the Chiefs in those three seasons. The Chiefs folded after that season, but Therrien posted a 33-goal season with Green Bay of the old minor pro USHL. He played in Green Bay through 1967, when he retired. Therrien also played for the US National Team in 1965-66. A native of Chapleau, Ontario, he was born in 1935. 

Today in history: July 8

Five birthdays

Len Ronson: Winger who played for the Chiefs in the 1956-57 season before being dealt to the Huntington Hornets at midseason. It was the first year in US minor pro hockey in what would become a long, high-scoring career. He would make a name with the cross-state Fort Wayne Komets, with whom he had a 62-goal season in 1959-60. The next year, Ronson made his NHL debut with the New York Rangers, scoring two goals. He would return to the NHL in 1968-69, playing five scoreless games for the Oakland Seals. He played the latter part of his career with WHL San Diego, with whom he played from 1966-73. He had 12 20+-goal seasons and three seasons with at least 45 goals. A native of Brantford, Ontario, he is 75. 

Karl Dykhuis: The Blackhawks' first-round pick (16th overall) in 1990, Dykhuis played 184 games for the Ice from 1992-95. The big -- 6-3, 214-pound -- defenseman had 14 goals and 64 assists as an Iceman, and also amassed 271 PIMs. In 1995, he was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers, where he would become an NHL mainstay through 2003-04. He went to Europe during the lockout year of 2004-05 and played two more seasons. All told, Dykhus played 644 NHL games between 1992-2004 for Chicago, Philadelphia (in 2 stints), Tampa Bay and Montreal. He played in the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals for the Flyers and the 1991 Canadian World Junior Champion team. A native of Sept-Isle, Quebec, he is 39. 

Glen Featherstone: Ice defenseman in 1997-98, tallying 10 goals, 28 assists and 187 PIMs in 73 games. He set professional career highs in all three scoring categories that season. Featherstone had been an NHL veteran. A 6-4 215-pound defenseman, Featherstone was drafted in the fourth round by the Blues in 1986 and matriculated to the team in 1988-89. He played 384 NHL games with the Blues, Bruins, Rangers, Whalers and Flames between then and 1997. After his year with the Ice, he played three more years with the Chicago Wolves before retiring in 2001. He helped the Wolves win the 2000 Turner Cup. A native of Toronto, he is 43. 

Adam Cardwell: Ice center in their inaugural USHL season of 2004-05. He played 27 games in Indianapolis, tallying a goal and four assists. He'd play the next three years with Wichita Falls of the Tier II NAHL, and parlay that into a career with Alaska-Fairbanks. He played 37 games with the Nanooks between 2008-10. A native of Long Beach, Calif., he is 24. 

Mike Cichy: High-scoring center who was dealt to the Ice partway through the 2008-09 season. He had a 24-23-47 line in just 30 games with the Ice, and then had six goals and a USHL-record 19 assists in 13 playoff games, helping lead the Ice to the USHL Clark Cup title. He was a USHL First-Team All-Star and the league's Playoff MVP that season. Combined with his games at Tri-City that year, he had 34 goals and 32 assists. He was drafted in the seventh round by the Montreal Canadiens that summer. Cichy will be starting his junior year at the University of North Dakota this fall, playing for ex-Indianapolis Ice player Dave Hakstol. A native of New Hartford, Conn., he his 21.