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On December 17, 1977 the Grand Rapids Owls were relocated from
Dayton during mid-season. The Owls played in the old Stadium
Arena located in downtown Grand Rapids. The arena became an
important part of Owl history. The ice surface in the arena was
several feet shorter than most IHL arenas; this
"short-coming" became a notorious advantage for the
Owls.
The first full season in Grand Rapids was a season of excitement. The Owls had been perenial basement dwellers during their years in Columbus and Dayton; however, the 1978-79 season saw the Owls post the best record in the IHL by winning 50 games! They set an IHL record by recording a 27-game home ice unbeaten streak; a record which still stands entering the 1997-98 IHL season. In addition to being the best team in the league, they offered an interesting collection of personalities on their roster - most notably was John Flesch who often donned very "interesting" haircuts. The Owls reached the Turner Cups finals that season against their chief rivals the Kalamazoo Wings. The K-Wings won the championship.
The 1979-80 season was a disappointing (and last) season for
the Owls as they finished with the league's second worst record.
The season was filled with rumors of the Owls moving to other
cities due to the poor conditions of Stadium Arena. At the
conclusion of the season, it was announced that the Owls were
going on a one-to-two year hiatus while a new stadium was being
planned for Grand Rapids. Well over fifteen years later, the
stadium had never been constructed and the Owls never returned
from hibernation.
Finally in the fall of 1996, the new Van Andel Arena was completed. The IHL returned to Grand Rapids as the Grand Rapids Griffins became an expansion team for the 1996-97 season.
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Ed "Mo" Bartoli (1977-78 - 1978-79) (77-64-19) Nelson LeClair (1979-80) (27-41-12) |
Ed "Mo" Bartoli (1977-78 - 1979-80) |
year w l t pct. 1977-78 27 43 10 .400 4th 1978-79 50 21 9 .681 1st#@ 1979-80 27 41 12 .413 4th Total 104 105 31 .498 # won Fred A. Huber Trophy (regular season champion) @ lost Joseph Turner Memorial Cup (playoff runner-up) |
1978-79 beat Milwaukee, 4-3
beat Fort Wayne, 4-3
lost to Kalamazoo, 4-3
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