Clinton Comets
The Clinton Comets were an American ice hockey team in Clinton, New York.
| Clinton Comets | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Clinton, New York (1927–1973), Utica, New York (1973–1977) |
| League | NYSAHL (1949–1949/50), NYOHL (1950/51 – 1953/54), EHL (1954/55 – 1972/73), NAHL (1973/74 – 1976/77), ACHL |
| Founded | 1927 |
| Home arena | Sage Rink (?? – 1949), Clinton Arena (1949–1973), |
| Colors | Red, White, and Blue |
| Franchise history | |
| 1927–1948 | Clinton Hockey Club |
| 1949–1973 | Clinton Comets |
| 1973–1977 | Mohawk Valley Comets |
Founded in 1927–28 as the Clinton Hockey Club and nicknamed the Comets in 1949, the team played primarily at the Clinton Arena from 1949 until 1973. The team was originally started by Ed Stanley who acted as manager to build a team from local high school students and helped to provide finances for the team to buy equipment and take road trips. He quickly was able to build a very successful team which in the 1933–1934 season played in the National Amateur Championship at Madison Square Garden against the Hershey Bears. Stanley, along with Albert I. Prettyman who brought college hockey to nearby Hamilton College went on to be the only two people from the same town or city on the 1940 Olympic hockey committee. The 1940 Winter Olympics were scheduled for Sapporo, Japan but were canceled because of the start of World War II, as well as the hopes of Comets players Wilfred Goering and Art Scoones who were trying out for the Olympic team.
From 1954 until 1973, the Comets participated in the Eastern Hockey League, dominating for ten of their nineteen seasons. Most notably, under head coach Pat Kelly, the Comets posted a 315–208–64 (wins-losses-ties) record over eight seasons. During that period, in the 1967–68 season, the Comets produced an awe-inspiring 57–5–10 record. The Comets won the EHL playoffs in 1958–59, 1963–64, 1967–68, 1968–69 and 1969–70.
Later, when the team began playing games in the Utica Memorial Auditorium, it changed its name to the Mohawk Valley Comets and played in the North American Hockey League.
Notable alumni
Notable alumni of the Clinton Comets include:
- Ed Giacomin, who went on to become a Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender with the New York Rangers.
- Benny Woit, former player for the Detroit Red Wings.
- Pete Babando, former player for the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins and Chicago Black Hawks.
- Pat Kelly, went on to later become head coach of the Colorado Rockies, was the founder and first league commissioner of the East Coast Hockey League. He also had the ECHL's championship trophy named after him, the Kelly Cup.
- Len Speck, who played on the team from 1961–1971
- Jack Timmins, player-coach from 1954-58, went on to become General Manager of the Tidewater Red Wings, Detroit's American League affiliate, Commissioner of the North American Hockey League and retired from the National Hockey League Central Scouting Service.
- Jack Kane, who went on to get inducted into the Greater Utica Sports Hall Of Fame, in 1997.[1]
Other hockey teams in the Mohawk Valley
- Utica Mohawks of the Eastern Hockey League (1978–80)
- Mohawk Valley Stars of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League (1981–84)
- Mohawk Valley Comets of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League (1985–87)
- Utica Devils of the American Hockey League (1987–93)
- Utica Bulldogs of the Colonial Hockey League (1993–94)
- Utica Blizzard of the Colonial Hockey League (1994–97)
- Mohawk Valley Prowlers of the United Hockey League (1998–2001)
- Mohawk Valley IceCats of the North Eastern Hockey League (2006–07)
- Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (2013–present)
References
- "Inductees » Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame". www.greateruticasports.com. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
- Mancuso, Jim and Zalatan, Fred. The Clinton Comets: From The Chenango Canal to National Champions. Utica, NY: Mancuso Publishing, 2005.
- Mancuso, Jim and Zalatan, Fred. The Clinton Comets: An EHL Dynasty. Utica, NY: Mancuso Publishing, 2004.
- "Clinton Comets." The Internet Hockey Database. 15 Aug. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation. 14 Apr. 2007 .