Jim Mancuso

Hockey in Springfield (Ma) (Images of Sports) Jim Mancuso

Springfield has a dynamic hockey history that dates back 80 years, beginning with the Springfield Indians. One of the first professional hockey teams in the United States, the Indians were an inaugural member of the Canadian-American Hockey League. The Indians helped form the American Hockey League, where Springfield won seven Calder Cups, including a record three in a row from 1960 through 1962. Major-league hockey followed in the mid-1970s, when the New England Whalers came to town. Today, the Springfield Falcons carry on the city's great hockey legacy. Several hall of famers have skated for Springfield-based teams over the years, including Gordie Howe, Brian Kilrea, Chuck Rayner, Earl Seibert, Eddie Shore, Billy Smith, and Lorne "Gump" Worsley. Hockey in Springfield is the story of the teams, players, and coaches who make up one of the richest hockey traditions in all of North America.