Cape Cod Cubs
The Cape Cod Cubs became the Cape's first professional hockey club when they began play in 1972-73. They competed in the Eastern Hockey League at the Cape Cod Coliseum (EHL). The EHL was a rough and tumble league a few tiers below the main league that inspired the film Slapshot.
The Cubs' initial off-ice hires instantly gave them legitimacy. The team's general manager was Jack Crawford, who played for Boston for many years, then coached the Providence Reds to an AHL championship, and worked behind the bench for several notable minor league teams. They also hired Bronco Horvath as coach, who had previously played for Boston and was coming off a season as the head coach of the London Knights.
The Cubs would enjoy a fantastic inaugural season, finishing 36-29-11 and winning the Central Division. Crawford tragically fainted during a Cubs game in January 1973 and died shortly thereafter. The Cubs defeated the Long Island Ducks in the first round of the playoffs, but faced the Syracuse Blazers in the second round. The Blazers were a buzzsaw that year, going 63-9-4 and sweeping the Cubs en route to the EHL title.
The EHL would be upended in the offseason when the league's southern clubs split off to create the Southern Hockey League (SHL). The EHL would fold, and many of the surviving clubs would create the North American Hockey League in its place (NAHL).
The Cubs dropped from the 12-team EHL to the seven-team NAHL, where they finished 34-39-1. Both the record and attendance were dismal, and the Cubs fired Horvath in the middle of the season and hired Nick Polano as his first head coach. Polano went on to coach in the big leagues with Detroit. The Cubs finished fourth and qualified for the playoffs, but were defeated in the second round by the Long Island Cougars.
In an effort to improve their fortunes, the Cubs would rebrand as the Cape Codders and seek a new major league affiliation for the 1974-75 season.
The Cubs' initial off-ice hires instantly gave them legitimacy. The team's general manager was Jack Crawford, who played for Boston for many years, then coached the Providence Reds to an AHL championship, and worked behind the bench for several notable minor league teams. They also hired Bronco Horvath as coach, who had previously played for Boston and was coming off a season as the head coach of the London Knights.
The Cubs would enjoy a fantastic inaugural season, finishing 36-29-11 and winning the Central Division. Crawford tragically fainted during a Cubs game in January 1973 and died shortly thereafter. The Cubs defeated the Long Island Ducks in the first round of the playoffs, but faced the Syracuse Blazers in the second round. The Blazers were a buzzsaw that year, going 63-9-4 and sweeping the Cubs en route to the EHL title.
The EHL would be upended in the offseason when the league's southern clubs split off to create the Southern Hockey League (SHL). The EHL would fold, and many of the surviving clubs would create the North American Hockey League in its place (NAHL).
The Cubs dropped from the 12-team EHL to the seven-team NAHL, where they finished 34-39-1. Both the record and attendance were dismal, and the Cubs fired Horvath in the middle of the season and hired Nick Polano as his first head coach. Polano went on to coach in the big leagues with Detroit. The Cubs finished fourth and qualified for the playoffs, but were defeated in the second round by the Long Island Cougars.
In an effort to improve their fortunes, the Cubs would rebrand as the Cape Codders and seek a new major league affiliation for the 1974-75 season.
