Idaho Steelheads Retired Numbers

The Idaho Steelheads are a relatively new franchise in the hockey world but have achieved great success in their decade and a half. The Steelheads began life in the West Coast Hockey League in 1997-98. After the demise of the WCHL, Idaho joined the ECHL for the 2003-04 season.  The Steelheads are affiliated with the Dallas Stars of the NHL and the Texas Stars of the AHL. The team plays out of the 5,000 seat CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho.

The Steelheads have retired two jersey numbers to date. Number 4 is retired for Jeremy Mylamok and number 22 is retired in honour of Cal Ingraham.

Jeremy Mylymok

Mylymok played professional hockey from 1995-96 to 2005-06. The final six years of his career were spent with the Steelheads, three years in the WCHL and three in the ECHL. In his second last year with the club, Jeremy acted as player/assistant coach.

In his first year with Idaho, 2000-01, Mylymok totalled 63 points from the blue line while sitting 208 minutes in the penalty box. The Steelheads reached the WCHL finals and went the distance before bowing out to the San Diego Gulls in seven games. The Steelheads reached the finals again in 2001-02 before losing in six to the Fresno Falcons.

In the final year of the WCHL, 2002-03, Jeremy helped Idado to a first overall finish in the six team league with 52 wins and 108 points. However, the Steelheads were upset in the first round by the same Fresno Falcons from the year before. Fresno finished fourth in the WCHL during the regular season, 29 points behind Idaho.

The Steelheads were redeemed the following season, their first in the ECHL. The team took out the Florida Everblades in the finals, four games to one for their first of two Kelly Cup championships to date. It was the second pro championship for Mylymok, after winning a Turner Cup with the Chicago Wolves of the IHL in 1997-98. The Wolves beat the Detroit Vipers in seven games.

Cal Ingraham

Ingraham played the final four of his seven years of professional hockey with the Idaho Steelheads. He played pro from 1995-96 to 2001-02 with his first three years in the ECHL with the Tallahassee Sharks.

His stature was small at 5’5” and 160 lbs. but his scoring ability was large. In his four years with Idaho, Ingraham scored 175 goals and assisted on 206 for 381 points over 274 regular season games. Cal reached 50 or more goals and 100 or more points in the three years between 1998-99 and 2000-01. In the first year, his 50 goals placed him fourth in the WCHL and his 110 points placed him sixth. The following year, he finished third in the league with 52 goals and fifth with 101 points. In 2000-01, he tied for the league lead with 50 goals and placed third with 102 points.

In 2000-01, despite the Steelheads losing in the finals to the San Diego Gulls, Ingraham was an offensive force with nine goals, 14 assists for 23 points in 13 games.

John Muckler and His 3 Championships

John Muckler coached in professional hockey from 1960 to 2000 so the odds were for him winning a championship or two behind the bench. Actually, Muckler led three teams to playoff championships in three different professional leagues.

John played junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey Association for three years from 1951-52 to 1953-54 with the Windsor Spitfires and Galt Black Hawks. His pro playing career consisted of eight years in the Eastern Hockey League with the Charlotte Clippers, New York Rovers and Long Island Ducks. With the Ducks, he was player/head coach from 1960-61 to 1962-63.

As a coach, Muckler found himself behind benches in the EHL, CHL, NHL and AHL. At the highest level, he coached the Minnesota North Stars, Edmonton Oilers, Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers. Of course, most notable are his years in Edmonton.

Long Island Ducks - EHL

His first championship came in 1964-65 while coaching the Long Island Ducks in the EHL. The team finished the regular season second in the North Division, 17 points behind the division leading Clinton Comets. The Ducks were third overall with the Nashville Dixie Flyers finished first with 108 points.

Long Island faced the Jersey Devils in the opening round and won 3-1. In the semi-finals, they upset the Clinton Comets four games to two. In the finals, they played giant-killer once again, taking down the Dixie Flyers in just five games.

Dallas Black Hawks - CHL

Well over a decade later, Muckler won his second championship, this time in the Central Hockey League. His Dallas Black Hawks finished second in the six team league behind the Salt Lake Golden Eagles. Salt Lake finished with 101 points while the Black Hawks were eight behind with 93. Dallas used eight different goaltenders during the regular season, including Gary Bromley, Eddie Mio, Dunc Wilson and Curt Ridley. They had the most goals for and were the most penalized team in the CHL.

Dallas met the Kansas City Red Wings in the opening round and swept the Detroit affiliate in four games. In the finals, they met up with the Golden Eagles and lost just one game to take the championship.

Edmonton Oilers - NHL

Yet another decade and more passed before John’s third championship. In 1989-90, he was behind the bench for the Mark Messier led Edmonton Oilers. Messier finished second in the race for the Art Ross Trophy with former teammate Wayne Gretzky. Mark had 129 points while Gretzky had 142 with the Los Angeles Kings.

The Oilers finished second in the Smythe Division with 90 points, nine behind the first place Calgary Flames. In the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Winnipeg Jets gave Edmonton a scare, going up 3-1 in the series. The Oilers roared back with three straight to advance. The next round was a four game sweep of the Los Angeles Kings. In the semi-finals, Edmonton found themselves in trouble again, down 2-1 to the Chicago Black Hawks before again winning three straight to take the series. The Oilers took the Boston Bruins in five games in the finals to capture the Stanley Cup.

 

The 1967-68 Los Angeles Kings: In the Beginning...

It all began for the Los Angeles Kings in 1967-68. The team was one of six to be admitted into the National Hockey League, doubling the league in size. It was the first time the NHL had consisted of more than six teams since the Brooklyn Americans folded after the 1941-42 season.

Like the other five expansion teams, the Kings were a rag-tag bunch of career AHL veterans, untested rookies and NHL players in the twilight of their careers. The six new teams were packed in the Western Division. The difference between first and fifth in the West was just six points. The Oakland Seals fell away from the pack, finishing with just 15 wins and 47 points.

Los Angeles finished second in the West in that first season with 72 points over 74 games, just one point behind the first place Philadelphia Flyers. The Kings lost their first ever playoff round to the Minnesota North Stars. The series went seven games with the North Stars romping 9-4 to oust the Kings at the Forum in L.A. Los Angeles held 2-0 and 3-2 leads in the series but could not hold on for the victory.

Eddie Joyal led the club in assists and points during the regular season with 34 and 57 while playing the full 74 game schedule. Joyal played his first NHL game in 1962-63 with the Detroit Red Wings and appeared sparingly through the years with Detroit and the Toronto Maple Leafs before becoming a regular with the Kings. He also played half a season with the Philadelphia Flyers before ending his pro career in the WHA with the Edmonton Oilers.

Bill Flett had been stuck in the minors since turning pro in 1963-64. 1967-68 was his first season in the NHL and he led the Kings in goals with 26. Flett went on to play nearly 900 major league games between the NHL and WHA. He left the Kings midway through the 1971-72 season for the Philadelphia Flyers. He also played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Atlanta Flames and Edmonton Oilers.

In goal, the Kings platooned a rookie and one of the greatest goaltenders to play the game. Wayne Rutledge played in 45 games in his first NHL season, while Terry Sawchuk played in 36. Rutledge was relegated to a backup role over the next two seasons with Los Angeles and eventually became a WHA mainstay, playing with the Houston Aeros during their entire history. Sawchuk, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, was on the downside of his great career and would play just 22 games over the next two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers.

Brian Kilrea is also in the Hockey Hall of Fame, but for what he accomplished as a builder in the Ontario Hockey League. Previous to 1967-68, Killer had played just one NHL game, with the Red Wings in 1957-58. He played just 25 games with Los Angeles but one of his three goals with the club was the first ever scored for the franchise. Kilrea went on to coach the Ottawa 67’s from 1974 to 2009.

There was one other Hall of Famer on the team but he stood behind the bench. Head Coach Red Kelly had just come off a Stanley Cup victory as a player with the Toronto Maple Leafs the year before. After a career that spanned from 1947-48, Kelly retired after hoisting the Cup and took a different direction within the game. He coached the Kings for two seasons and went on to coach the Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1970’s.

Anchoring the defense was one of many long time American Hockey League veterans getting their first start in the NHL. Bill White played in the AHL as early as 1959-60, while still a junior with the OHA’s Toronto Marlboros. He went on to play over 600 regular season games and nearly 100 playoff games in the NHL with Los Angeles and the Chicago Black Hawks.

Bill also ended up behind the bench after his playing career was over. He spent one year as head coach of Chicago in 1976-77 before two years in the OHA. In his first season behind the bench with the Oshawa Generals, he was named coach of the year.