Thunder playoff win adds to Adirondack hockey history

GLENS FALLS — The Adirondack Thunder's seven-game winning streak in the first round of the playoffs came with plenty of drama.

It fits right into Glens Falls' professional hockey history.

Ever since hockey arrived here in 1979, the playoffs have brought long overtime, unconventional results, record-breaking performances, and on-ice intrigue. Much of that history was built with his four-time Calder Cup champion, the AHL's Adirondack Red Wings.

As the Thunder enter the second round of the series, let's take a look back at the history they've made.

The Red Wings won the Calder Cup in their second year of existence despite posting a 35-40-5 record during the regular season. The 1980-81 team was full of veterans who were dumped by Detroit. The roster included Peter Mahovlich, Dave Hanson, Ted Nolan, Bill Hogabohm, Greg Jolly, and a young Jody Gage.

All three playoff series involving the Red Wings were played in six games, including the finals against the Maine Mariners. It was his 5-2 victory at the Civic Center watched by 6,162 people that clinched the title. At the time, the building only had about 4,440 seats (today's top row had not yet been added), and at that game he had over 1,700 fans standing.

The Red Wings lost in the first round the next three years and missed the playoffs in 1985. This was the only time in 20 years that they missed the postseason. But in 1986, the magic returned.

Hershey was the Wings' opponent in the Calder Cup final. Everyone remembers that series in Game 4 — the Red Wings won in triple overtime, 3-2, taking a 3-1 series lead. It was a strange and memorable night.

“Happy Trumpeter” Claude Scott fell through the glass onto the ice during the second period while performing. The shot cracked Adirondack goaltender Mark LaForest's mask. Coach Bill Dineen was injured on a puck malfunction. As the game went into a third overtime, the ice was shrouded in fog.

Eddie Johnston defeated Hershey goaltender Ron Hextall at 12:32 a.m. to end the five-hour game. With Game 5 scheduled for the next day, the team's propeller-powered charter flight took off from the Warren County Airport around 3 a.m. Smuggled by the player.

The Wings lost Game 5 in Hershey, but three days later ended the series with a 7-3 victory in front of 6,401 fans at the Civic Center.

Adirondack won its third Calder Cup in 1989, and Hershey was back in the spotlight. But this time, the historic semi-final series came to a climax.

The Red Wings lost their first two games on home ice. The Bears took a 3-0 lead in the series with the victory at Hersheypark Arena, but were unable to get a shutout in Game 4. The Wings won the final four games, including two overtime wins on home ice.

In Game 7, Adam Graves scored the winning goal, resulting in a 1-1 tie in OT. The reason this shot remains memorable is precisely because it wasn't very noticeable. He was simply taken off the blue line as usual as his shift drew to a close. The building erupted.

“I think we're a team of destiny,” captain Murray Eaves said. “We can't do anything but win the Cup.”

The Wings faced New Haven in the final. That's when the circus comes into play.

The Ringling Bros. Circus had two divisions that performed simultaneously in different cities. Coincidentally, Glens Falls and New Haven were hosting circuses during his same week in May. Therefore, between the fourth and fifth games he had a week's break, which became known as the circus break. When the series resumed, the Wings won 10-7, winning their third Calder Cup in five games.

The AHL added two teams to the playoffs in 1991, with the fourth and fifth place teams in each division playing a two-game qualifying series. If the series is tied, super overtime will be played after the second game to decide the series.

This concept had obvious flaws. Overtime could have occurred after the explosion. That became reality when the Wings won Game 1 of the qualifying series and Hershey jumped out to a big early lead in Game 2, eventually winning 11-1. After a while, it became clear that both teams were well on their way to going into overtime.

Hershey defeated the Red Wings with a goal seven minutes into OT. Shortly after, the AHL eliminated the super overtime format.

The Red Wings' fourth Calder Cup came with another troubling innovation in the playoffs. The AHL became his three-division format. After two rounds of district playoffs, the team with the best record received a bye, and the other two district winners played a best-of-three series.

In 1992, Adirondack and Rochester faced off in a three-game playoff, but before that, the longtime rivals got into an argument over the schedule for Game 1. The Red Wings wanted a Sunday home game, but Rochester insisted on playing it on Monday. The issue was decided by a committee made up of three AHL non-playoff teams. The vote went in favor of Rochester.

Adirondack advanced through the series, winning Game 3 and advancing to the Calder Cup final against St. John's. The Red Wings, led by manager Barry Melrose, flew to Newfoundland on the Detroit Red Wings' charter jet, Red Wing One.

St. John's had a rough two-plus week wait, with the Red Wings winning the first two games at “The Rock.” The Leafs then regained their legs and won their next two games at Glens Falls.

It's been that way throughout the series. The road team won all seven games, which is believed to have been a first in professional hockey. Goaltender Alan Bester was named MVP after the Red Wings won for the fourth time, 5-2, in Game 7 at St. John's.

post starThe next day's headline was “Lord, Sweet Lord.”

The Red Wings reached the district final in 1993, playing Game 7 at home against Springfield. The series was a storybook for Springfield, but a nightmare for the Red Wings.

Defenseman Gord Krupke gave Adirondack the lead with 1:15 left in regulation time, and it looked like he was going to be the unlikely hero of another dramatic playoff victory. However, Springfield tied the score in the final minute when their goaltender came off the ice, and Paul Thiel scored in overtime to give Springfield a 6-5 victory.

The Wings outscored Springfield 63-37. Red Wings players were shocked by the loss.

“(Springfield) played hard, and I have a lot of respect for them,” defenseman Stewart Margnas said. “They must have had God or something on their side.”

The following season, the Red Wings made it to the second round again, but lost to Portland in six straight games. Their best days are already behind them.

The Red Wings went 1-16 in postseason games over the last five years and never made it past the first round again. Playoff attendance dwindled as the years went on. The team's last game was a 2-1 loss to Rochester in 1999 in front of 1,732 fans at the Civic Center.

The Adirondack Icehawks (later renamed the Frostbite) joined the United Hockey League in 2000, but never made it past the first round. They played in two triple overtime games, setting a UHL record for length. Both were Adirondack losses. His second of those was in 2005, lasting 117 minutes, making it the longest game in Civic Center history.

Subsequent AHL teams, the Phantoms and Flames, never made the playoffs. His 2007 AHL playoff series was also held at the Civic Center, with the Albany River Rats hosting Hershey. Glens He didn't care about anyone in the Falls.

The ECHL's Adirondack Thunder were born in 2015, ending the drought.

The Thunder advanced to the second round in 2016, ending Glens Falls' long losing streak in the first round. Two years later, they defeated Worcester and Manchester to reach the third round, but lost to Florida in the semifinals.

Which brings us to the present.

The Thunder have already made playoff hockey history in Glens Falls with their seventh straight win over Maine. They drew the largest first-round playoff crowd since 1981. They also accomplished two things the Red Wings never did. They won a shutout in Game 7, and the goaltender (Isaac Poulter) achieved his third consecutive shutout in the series.

Need more history? The ledger is open.