They were Jet-setters
It’s hard to say where the history ends and the amplification of memories begins, but make no mistake: It was one of the biggest moments for hockey in the city of Spokane.
The year was 1970 and the Spokane Jets became the first American team to win the amateur championship of Canadian hockey, the Allan Cup. For the decisive game in the old “Boone Street Barn,” they sold standing-room-only tickets – and then some.
“The fire marshal showed up and said, ‘That’s it. You’ve already sold standing-room-only tickets and nobody else can come in,’ ” recalls Don Scherza, a member of that team. “(Team owner, Frank) Dr. Jurdy told the ticket sellers, ‘After the fire department leaves, let ‘em all in.’ “
A lot of those fans poured onto the ice when Spokane earned the title, setting off a celebration for hockey here not likely seen since. The Jets won the title again just two years later.
Today, the Spokane Chiefs will “turn back the clock” and honor the ‘70 and ‘72 champion Jets before the team’s 7 p.m. game with the Kootenay Ice and wear replica jerseys of the ‘72 team in the game.
Fittingly, the Ice hail from Cranbrook, British Columbia, which was also home to one of Spokane’s biggest rivals in the senior amateur days – the Cranbrook Royals. In fact, some of Spokane’s best players from those teams came down from Cranbrook to play for the Jets.
“It was the place that players wanted to play,” said Scherza, who played on both teams and has been helping to coordinate tonight’s festivities. The retiree helps out at Chiefs games on the statistical crew, along with other legends of Spokane’s glory days.
The Western International Hockey League was a working man’s league of players, ages 21 and older, who played hockey for a living but also went to college or held down jobs by day.
They were all originally from Canada and many ended up marrying local women and settling down in Spokane. They began business careers here, started the Spokane Oldtimers program, and raised kids who left their own junior hockey legacies.
On hand tonight will be players from both teams, including: Dave Cox, Russ Gillow, Vince Collins, George Talotti, Buddy Bodman, Charlie Goodwin, Ken Gustafson, Dwight Carruthers, and Ron Huston. Huston was a former Royal who ended up playing in the National Hockey League before closing his hockey career with the Spokane Flyers.
Also acknowledged during a pregame ceremony will be front-office staff member Georgia Wolfe; a former owner, John Young; sportswriters Chuck Stewart and Mike Lynch; trainer Carl Cirullo; public address/radio play-by-play man Tom Mableson; and 1972 coach Norm Johnson.
Al Rollins, the coach of 1970 team, and some of the teams’ members are deceased – as the Jets’ youthful heroes age into mortality.
“So, it’s probably a good thing the Chiefs are having this when they are,” said Scherza, who played on the “flea line” with Tom Rendall and Gail Holden. The line earned its nickname because its members were diminutive but gritty and energetic.
“The ‘70 team probably had more heart and the ‘72 team probably had more talent,” said Scherza.
The franchise was born out of the vision of Jurdy and other local investors who brought hockey back to Spokane for the first time since it had pro teams in the early days. Players played for roughly $700 per month and included former juniors who had finished their careers or ex-pro players who wanted to stay in the game.
To win the Allan Cup, a WIHL team had to win the league title in a seven-game series, then beat the champions of Alberta and Manitoba/Saskatchewan, respectively, in consecutive five-game series’ to advance to the best-of-7 Allan Cup.
Because of travel costs, the home team for the final series was alternated between the Eastern and Western champions. Spokane got to host all the games in its 1970 and 1972 title runs. They were rugged affairs that featured several line brawls before energized, capacity Coliseum crowds.
“The fans in Spokane were amazing. They were worth two goals a game how much they inspired us,” said Scherza.
The Jets’ feat would be duplicated in 1976 and 1980 by the Spokane Flyers, who will be honored by the Chiefs in future ceremonies. The promotion is part of a five-year plan by the team to honor Spokane’s hockey legacy.
The Allan Cup itself will be present tonight – on loan from the Hockey Hall of Fame – with the names of Spokane’s winners engraved on it. It will be a history lesson of sorts for younger Chiefs fans, many of whom weren’t even born in 1970.