Power Play

Professional hockey's three-decade journey in the North Country.

Story and photos by Josh Schermerhorn

The defender loses control of the puck.  The center swipes it and heads for the goal on a breakaway.  The crowd goes silent as the opposing star skates toward their goalie, Johan Backlund. The ice crumbles beneath the skater’s blades as he winds up.  Like a loaded gun, he uncorks a slap shot destined for the back of the net. The goalie will not be outdone, and miraculously snags it with his glove. The crowd erupts as the whistle blows. Those cheers are for the Adirondack Phantoms, Glens Falls, N.Y.’s new minor-league hockey affiliate to the Philadelphia Flyers. 

Glens Falls is a town that is not a stranger to competitive hockey.  In 1980, the Adirondacks were engulfed in hockey’s cold war as Lake Placid hosted the Winter Olympics. Amidst the ‘Miracle on Ice’, when the American hockey team defeated the Soviet Union in one of the great upsets in sports history, the area was being introduced to hockey on a professional level. At the same time, the National Hockey League’s Detroit Red Wings were looking for a place to put a farm team.  

The prestigious club picked Glens Falls, New York as the home. In 1979, the American Hockey League introduced the Adirondack Red Wings, who played in the Glens Falls Civic Center, a 4,800-seat arena built that same year. Though many start-up teams in professional sports struggle soon after creation, the Red Wings did not. Over their first 12 seasons in Glens Falls, the team won three division championships and four Calder Cups, the AHL’s version of the NHL’s Stanley Cup, the most prestigious title in professional hockey. 

“There were many memorable moments while I was with the Red Wings.”

Though their competitive teams began to decline later in the 1990’s, their games were still popular among the community. 

“It was a great time to watch some hockey, socialize, and bond with the family,” says local Patrick Barber, whose father held season tickets for the Red Wings. “I don’t remember specifically about the hockey games, but I remember the Civic Center was abuzz whenever the Rats were in town. Those games were usually fast-paced and the crowd really got into it.”

Those “Rats” are the Albany River Rats, who at the time were the New Jersey Devil’s AHL team. During the 1990’s, the River Rats could be considered one of the best teams in the league, winning seven divisions and one Calder Cup in 1995, the same year the Devils won the Stanley Cup. 

The Red Wings had teams that were not only successful, but star-stacked with names still recognizable in the NHL today. A fan-favorite, Norm Maracle, was drafted in 1993, playing goalie for the team during the later 1990’s.  Chris Osgood, a goalie more known in the NHL, has made his home between the pipes on the Detroit Red Wings alongside Dominic Hasek, winning multiple Stanley Cups.

ESPN sports analyst Barry Melrose, a former NHL player and coach, had a lot of involvement with the team. 

“I started playing hockey at four or five, and love to do it the most,” says Melrose.  He progressed to play junior hockey in his native Canada, then made it to the NHL to play for Winnipeg, Toronto, and Detroit. 
Playing for the Red Wings of the AHL led him to Glens Falls, where he won a Calder Cup as a player.  However, his involvement in hockey was far from over. 

“I love hockey and didn’t want to leave it,” says the current Glens Falls resident. “I really got interested in why teams win and lose, or why teams look really good on paper but don’t win.” 

Melrose became a player-assistant coach in his last year of playing, than began his tenure as head coach of Adirondack, leading them to a Calder Cup victory in 1992.

“There were many memorable moments while I was with the Red Wings,” says Melrose. “There are a lot of interesting stories in the AHL when you basically live on a bus traveling. The bond of the group was great.”

In the late 1990’s, the Red Wings’ slumping performances and diminishing crowds pushed for the team to move to Toledo, Ohio. However, promises of a new 10,000-seat arena fell through, leaving the franchise to split.  The Red Wings left Glens Falls in 1999, leaving the town without hockey for the first time in 20 years.

“Judging by the attendance, I would be surprised if they left.  The support seems to be there for the Phantoms.”

The void was quickly filled with the Ice Hawks, who played from 1999-2004. After a quick stop by the Adirondack Frostbite during the 2005-06 season, their United Hockey League disbanded, once again leaving the town with no hockey.

“The problem was people felt that the hockey was inferior,” says Melrose.  “Therefore, they weren’t committed to a lower level of hockey.”

With hockey absent in the area for nearly a decade, an attempt to return to professional standards was made in 2009.  Prompted by the closing of their arena in Philadelphia, the Flyers farm team needed a home.  An arena was supposed to be constructed in nearby Allentown, P.A., but was not built in time. 

“You can’t lose things when you’re in Glens Falls.  Whether it’s a business, park, or anything, the center loses something.  The town is very lucky to get hockey back, and hopefully they will support it.”

The Flyers’ AHL affiliate, the Phantoms, decided to try Glens Falls for a three-year stint.  Though the team is supposed to move to Allentown after the 2011-2012 season concludes, there is no promise that building will be built. 

“Now that high school sports are done, the crowds have been excellent, and the atmosphere is just like old times,” says local Andrew Winchell, who played junior hockey for the River Rats and Hudson Valley in high school and college. 

“The game is different now, being played more with finesse than big hitting and fights.  However, there seems to be a lack of passion in the play,” Winchell says after having been to a couple games this season. “Judging by the attendance, I would be surprised if they left. The support seems to be there for the Phantoms.”

“If the crowds build, there’s a chance hockey will stay in Glens Falls,” says Melrose.  “Hockey is very important for Glens Falls culturally and economically. The historic moments people have of hockey are important to the community. 

“You can’t lose things when you’re in Glens Falls. Whether it’s a business, park, or anything, the center loses something. The town is very lucky to get hockey back, and hopefully they will support it.”

Have you ever been to a Red Wings game?