Continental Hockey League history and statistics

The Continental Hockey League was a semi-professional hockey league that existed from 1972 until 1986. The league had humble beginnings. It started as almost a recreational league in the Chicago area composed of former youth hockey players. The players were not paid, and the games were usually just on weekends.

However, over time, the talent in the league improved. The league also began to branch out geographically, and games were even held mid-week. There was signifigant player turnover though, due to conflicts with work schedules, other committments, etc.

The mid to late 70's were a time of relative stability for the Continental league. A core group of cities, Chicago, Peoria, Kenosha, and Springfield were the mainstays of the league, while other citiessuch as Madison, Pekin, and Rockford came and went. But the teams were relatively stable and the players were the same from year to year.

There were several occasions where teams temporarily moved or di... [Click for more]sbanded. One season the Kenosha Flyers had to play in Zion, IL, because their rink was not available. The Chicago Cardinals disbanded one season because of rink availability -- most of the players went to Kenosha -- and another season they played in Hammond, Indiana.

Some of the league's barns were less than desirable. The rink in Peoria had a ceiling held up by air pressure, and there was only one shower for both the home and visiting team!

A future NHL player even played in a Continental League game. Goalie Bob Janecyk, who was from Chigago, played a game with the Chicago Cardinals in 1979-80. He made it to the AHL the next season, and later played several NHL seasons with the Los Angeles Kings.

With the demise of the WHA and several smaller minor leagues in 1979, the Continental Hockey League saw it's talent pool increase. Many players who would have hoped to catch on with a WHA farm team were now without a job, and the Continental Hockey League was a viable option. It began the transition from a beer league to a lower lever minor league.

Several new teams joined the fold in the early 80's, which represented a eastern geographical shift of the league. Grand Rapids played two seasons, and the Danville Dashers joined up -- Danville may have had some ties to the Peoria Prancers of the IHL, since their names and logos were very similar.

Janesville Wisconsin had a short forgettable stint in the league. The team actually finished its season in Rockford, Illinois, and the newspaper reported this fact several weeks after they had been playing there.

An important addition to the league was the Troy, Ohio Sabres. The Sabres had professional management and a good rink to play in. They were the start of a major geographic expansion of the league. In the mid-eighties, Findlay, Ohio; Billings, Montana; and Minot, North Dakota entered.

With the Minot and Billings teams came the involvement of Lou B.,who owned both teams. Hockey historians will remember him as the mastermind behind the Intercontinental Major Hockey League, which was rumored to start in 1981. Mr. B. allegedly walked away with the startup money of that league, causing it to fold. Well, he struck again, walking away with the advertising revenue from the Billings Marlboros, causing them to fold as well!

By the mid-eighties, the league's talent was just below that of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League, which put it about 4 pro levels down from the NHL. Many of the players in the league went on to play in theAtlantic Coast Hockey League and some even made it on to the East Coast Hockey League, the ACHL's successor.

The geographic expansion was directly responsible for the death of the league. Operating expenses rose with the increased travel, and the league voted to disband.

The league evolved into the All-American Hockey League in 1986-87.

Sources: Terry Mankus, Steve Giannangelo, doctoral thesis, Madison newspapers, Kenosha newspapers, Janesville newspapers, John Guy.