History/Origins

Hockey Notes: From Soo Canadians Official Program 70-71

Skates made of wood were first used by hunters about 200 A.D. Later in Finland hunters used skates made from the leg bones of deer. Early bone runners were later replaced by iron and then steel.

The first historical record of a game played on ice involves the Bury Fen team in England in 1813 which played a game known as Bandy with a curved willow stick and hard rubber ball.

Hockey received its name from a French word ""Hocquet" meaning a shepherd's crooked or curved stick.

The modern game of hockey was first played in Kingston and Halifax in about 1860. Rules were first set up by McGill University students in Montreal in 1879.

History of the Iron Ranger Hockey Club
(from the official game program of the 1969-70 season).

The Marquette Iron Rangers were born in the spring of 1964 when several men in Marquette decided it was time Marquette again had senior hockey. The Sentinels folded up in the spring of 1961 after operating for almost 15 years and there was no senior hockey to speak of for three years. During this time Dewey St. Cyr, Jack McCracken, Dick Sondregger, Less Roberts and Bill Todd used to go to Green Bay and watch the Bobcats play in the USHL.

In April of 1964 these men plus a few others got together and decided to apply to the USHL for a franchise. The league awarded Marquette a franchise provided they could sell $20,000 worth of tickets by June 1, 1964. In a spectacular crash drive the men selected a name (Iron Rangers) and sold $16,000 worth of season tickets in less than a month. This did not quite meet the league requirements and for a short time things looked bad. However, the Rangers were saved by the timely financial pledges of the Most Reverend Thomas L. Noa and L.W. Brumm. Marquette was accepted into the league on the 17th of June, 1964.

The next item of business was uniforms, equipment, players, and a coach. Uniforms were ordered and it was announced that every local player interested in a tryout would be given one and Oakie Brumm was hired as coach. After tryouts for more than 80 players, Brumm selected seven Canadians and seven local boys as the major part of the team for the initial season.

The Iron Rangers finished their first season in the basement of the strong USHL but not before they had furnished anxious moments for each team in the league. Their first year record was 10 wins and 16 losses, but out of the 16 losses eight were by one goal and six of these were in overtime. For their efforts the Iron Rangers were very highly received in each league city and Bob Cox was chosen on the league All-Star team while Brumm was named "Coach of the Year". Cox was also named Most Valuable Player on the Ranger team.

The second season saw the Iron Rangers move from last to second place while playing a 29-game schedule. Major credit for the advance must be given to new goalie Brian Lunney who saved the day time after time with spectacular saves. Bob Cox, Wayne McQuaig, and Lunney were named to the league All-Star team. Cox led the team in scoring closely followed by McQuaig. Roger Venasky was picked as the team's Most Valuable Player.

The third year(1966-67) the Iron Rangers ran into tough opposition in Waterloo (1-7-0) and Rochester (3-5-0) to end up fourth in a four team league. Bob Cox again led the team in scoring with 42 points followed by Sopher and McQuaig with 34 points apiece. Great defensive and offensive play by Barry Cook resulted in his being named Most Valuable Player by his teammates.

The team moved up to second place with a 19-14-1 record. The fourth year (1967-68) saw a new leader arrive in Jerry Sullivan as he won the league scoring championship with 65 points and was chosen Most Valuable Player by his teammates.

In 1968-69 the Rangers climaxed all their hard work by finishing in first place. Brian Lunney tightened up in goal and received the players' Most Valuable Player for his fine play. Sullivan won his second scoring championship with 87 points. Line-mates Ozzie O'Neill and Wayne McQuaig tied for second place in the league scoring race giving Marquette a 1, 2, 3 finish.

A second League Championship was the result of Marquette's sixth season with Ozzie O'Neill leading the way with numerous important goals, many in overtime. The Rangers clinched the league title with ten games remaining to be played in their thirty game schedule. Ozzie O'Neill was chosen the most Valuable Player by his teammates and Jerry Sullivan won his third straight scoring championship.

A History of Hockey In Marquette.
2-12-56.
Click here to view an historic picture of hockey at the Marquette Branch Prison.

...A game of ice polo was played on open rinks between Marquette, Negaunee, and Ishpeming teams...It couldn't be determined just when the name of ice polo was dropped and the name Hockey substituted, just how many men were on a team, nor what the rules were. In about 1886, it was noted that roller skating was very popular and almost every town in the Upper Peninsula had a rink, so that roller polo was a popular sport, and that no doubt brought about the same game on ice, when any ice was available. The young athletes could transfer from one to the other probably preferring the former because it was played under more comfortable circumstances, could be indulged in no matter what weather, and admission could be charged. The game was just as rough, or more so, than the outside variety according to the brief accounts found. This was many years before sports pages, of course, and often just a few brief paragraphs, with no lineups, would be printed. It was mentioned that in 1886, Marquette, Ishpeming, Negaunee, Houghton, Calumet, and Escanaba had roller polo teams in a sort of informal league. A rubber ball was used, the sticks were small, almost like walking canes, and according to one account, the ball was put in play in the center of the rink and both teams rushed for it, so you can see that it was no mild affair. In the 1890's it was still called polo, but was played on ice also, and several accounts tell of games at either the Ideal ice rink in Marquette, the Cleveland, or the Bancroft in Ishpeming. In one game at the Cleveland rink, played in March of 1891, Ishpeming won by a score of 3 to 1 in five innings, with Pearce doing all the scoring for the winners. It was remarked that the Marquette poloists were great on their own ice pond but couldn't stand up[ against Ishpeming on their smooth, well-frozen rink. To skip along a little farther, nothing much was said about this sport until February 1913, when a newly organized Negaunee team played two or three games with Marquette. The harbor ice was thick enough by that time that the city rented a horse and a scraper and a space about 100 x 150 feet was cleared near the end of Washington Street. The game was played with seven men then, and some of the positions had different names. The rover was the seventh man and he could roam where he pleased. About 1915 the city took over the Cinder Pond and kept cleared and flooded and even built a warming house there, and the street car company had a rink across from their car barns at the end of Presque Isle Avenue. Not much else was said of hockey except for an exhibition game in 1917. That year, what was described as the city's first winter carnival was held. The bobsledding on Front Street, the dog sled races on Washington, and the skating races were followed by a hockey game. The city had secured the Soo and Calumet teams for an exhibition game.

Did you Know?
The first indoor ice rink in Marquette was built near, what is now, Lake Shore Boulevard near Ridge and Arch Streets.

A hockey team from Marquette used old Iron Ranger uniforms in 1966 and beat a team from Peking, IL 15-3: The team consisted entirely of the Olson Brothers of Marquette.

History of The League

The United States Hockey League has been the stronghold of hockey in the northern Midwest of the United States and southern regions of Canada for more than 25 years. With the drop of the puck for the 75-76 season, the league will be skating into its 29th year.

Since its debut in 1947 as the American Amateur Hockey League, the league has progressed and changed its name several times.

In 1952, it became the Minnesota Hockey League, and in 1956 the name was changed to the United States Central Hockey League. In 1962, it adopted its present identity-the United States Hockey League.

Many cities have held franchises in the USHL. Some of these included Minneapolis, Rochester, St. Paul and Hibbing, Minnesota; Lincoln, Nebraska; Dundee, Illinois; Grand Forks, North Dakota; Madison, Wisconsin; Sault St. Marie, Canada; Chicago, Illinois and Thunder Bay, Ontario.

The league presently consists of two divisions. The northern division includes Green Bay, Traverse City, Marquette, and Calumet. The southern division includes Waterloo, Sioux City, Milwaukee, and Central Wisconsin.

The 48-game league schedule consists of each team playing each other six times. The league playoff format features the top two teams in each division playing off in a best two-out-of-three series. The winners then meet for the league championship which is the best three-out-of-five series.

The USHL has long been a producer for major league hockey. Such familiar names as Bruce Gamble, Lou Nanne and Gump Worsley have been promoted to the National Hockey League. The most recent celebrity has been Mike Curran, who moved directly from the Green Bay Bobcats to the U.S. Olympic Team to the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the World Hockey Associatiation.

All USHL owners are to be congratulated for their persistent efforts to make the league competitive, stable, and exciting. It is hoped that the fans in all cities appreciate this dedication, and that they will help make this 29th year a banner one for all franchises.

The Mining Journal
April 20, 1964
Fans Can Put City Club Into U.S. Hockey League
Franchise Granted, But 800 Tickets Must Sell By June

The success or failure of recent efforts to put a Marquette club into national hockey competition has been effectively placed in the hands of area hockey fans.

The Marquette Hockey Club successfully obtained a franchise from the United States Hockey League in Green Bay, Wisc Saturday, after officials of the club presented a strong case for membership in the national league.

The franchise is provisional, however, and is completely dependent upon the support of area hockey fans in this area as the USHL gave the Marquette club membership only upon the condition that season tickets can be sold for all seats in the Marquette arena by June 1.

Advanced sales to this degree would show the financial soundness of the plan to the League and would complete the Marquette Club's obligation.

In explaining Marquette's application to officials of the USHL Saturday, League Commissioner Harold Trumble of St. Paul, Minn. said, "We are more than happy to welcome Marquette as a member of our league, but we must be realistic about it's financial condition".

"All the other teams in the league have gone to considerable trouble and expense to start the United States Hockey League, and a financially weak team that could not complete its games could not be considered an asset to the league.

The Mining Journal
April 20, 1964
City Hockey Club Elects Officers, Ticket Sale Drive Will Begin Without Delay

Marquette's chances of successfully fulfilling the terms of their United States Hockey League franchise took a giant step forward last night with the election of an executive committee and the formation of plans for the forthcoming season ticket drive.

Elected to Official positions were Leonard St. Cyr, President; William Todd, Vice President; Richard Sondregger, Secretary-Treasurer; Les Roberts, Vice President; Del Meister, Vice President; and Wyndal Hudson, Executive Secretary.

Appointed to the board of directors by the officers were Jack McCracken and James A. Russell. The officers plan additional appointments in the near future to bring Marquette's board of directors somewhat in line with other teams in the league.

Sales Begin Soon
Ticket sales (some 800 season ticket must be sold to fulfill the terms of the provisional contract granted the Marquette Hockey Club by the U.S.H.L.) are slated to begin the early part of next week, and will be available to the public on a first-come first-serve basis.

The exact cost of season tickets has not been determined as yet, but is expected to range $25 to $50 per ticket, depending upon location. Fans will not be required to pay the full amount immediately, but will be required to make a small down-payment and sign a promissory note for the balance. This is, in a practical sense, the only was team officials could devise to
handle the situation, as certain evidence of actual sales must be demonstrated to league headquarters on the first day of June.

The price range is based on 15 home games and the ticket office for the hockey squad will be the Chamber of Commerce building on South Front Street.

Recruiting Going On
Todd, Sondregger, and Roberts will be in Houghton Wednesday night for the purpose of contacting potential players for the Marquette team. Each team in the league is allowed seven Canadians. Marquette's closest source is Michigan Tech, where graduating seniors with varsity hockey experience are available.

In addition to the efforts to obtain Michigan players, the Marquette club has also contacted Jimmy Jacobsen, former Sentinel defensive star and lately MSU's best defenseman, along with Tom Lackey, a native of the American Soo and leading scorer for MSU two years ago.

Marquette's squad will have to include at least seven American players, and local candidates will be given every opportunity to try out for the team.

The Mining Journal.
Friday April 24, 1964
Marquette Hockey Club Now U.P. Hockey Club, Tickets Will Go On Sale Wednesday

Officers and Directors of the Marquette Hockey Club met last night at the Chamber of Commerce building, and wound up a productive conference with a new name and a definite date set for the beginning of a season ticket sale drive.

In recognition of the regional nature of the plans to enter a team in the United States Hockey League this summer, both from the standpoint of player recruiting sources and hockey fans alike, the Official renamed themselves the Upper Peninsula Hockey Club.

In view of the June 1st deadline set by the USHL for the advance sale of 800 season tickets, as a provision to the franchise granted the club, officials set Wednesday as the kickoff date for the sale.

Three locations have been set for ticket offices. The Marquette Chamber of Commerce will serve as headquarters, with offices in Ishpeming and Negaunee. Representatives of the club will visit other U.P. communities to explain their efforts to put a club into the U.S.H.L and to sell tickets to townspeople there.

Two directors of the club will speak tomorrow morning on "The Community Speaks", a 9:30 airing on WDMJ, The Mining Journal Radio Station, in continuing efforts to acquaint U.P. hockey fans with the unique opportunity inherent in the U.S.H.L franchise.

Although the ticket drive is scheduled to begin Wednesday, those who have specific seat locations in mind can reserve seats by contacting the Chamber of Commerce in Marquette at any time before Wednesday.

Season Ticket prices will range from $25 to $50, in gradients of $5, and will depend upon the location of the seat in the arena. Provision has been made for the sale of tickets on a down-payment basis, with a promissory note covering the balance, due before Sept. 15, 1964.

A Part of the History of the Iron Rangers as Told by Leonard "Oakie" Brumm.
Interview for www.marquetteironrangers.com.
Oakie (at Schloegel's Restaurant in Marinette, WI. Summer 2000): Well, Dewey St. Cyr and I promoted it really. Leonard St. Cyr and I were neighbors. I had been playing in Waterloo and Des Moines, and there wasn't any senior hockey in Marquette. I was renting my house out, and the second year I rented my house the people who rented my house, college kids, pretty near ruined it. So I decided I wasn't going to go away to play hockey anymore, and the people in Marquette wanted a senior team. So we got Dewey St. Cyr, myself, and Jack McCracken, and Bill Todd…there were other people. We put the organization together, and there's a story in the program of who finally backed the team. We had to guarantee so many tickets for the league…when you read the story in the program as to how it got to start…Bishop Noah and my Dad put the final guarantee on it so it would be a success. And that's the way it started.

The Mining Journal. 1964.
25 Turn Out For Rangers Tryout Camp

The Marquette Iron Rangers opened their training camp last night with 25 prospects trying out on the Palestra ice. Over 100 spectators turned out to get a birds-eye view of the local hockey talent in practice.

Local players looking impressive in practice were Ken Bullock, Rick Olds, and Mike Greenleaf. This trio came up through the ranks , as far as hockey is concerned, having played in the Marquette Junior Hockey Association.

Canadians playing for the Iron Rangers showed plenty of poise. They appeared to be ready to go right now and will prove a great asset to the Iron Rangers.

Two of the lines in practice looked real good, especially the one centered by Bucky O'Neill, former Sentinel.

Fans are welcome to attend the tryout sessions which are being held each evening in the Palestra.

Iron Rangers Tag 5-3 Loss On Scrappy Green Bay 'Cats
Mining Journal. Winter 1964.

The Marquette Iron Rangers made their home debut an impressive one last night as Player-Coach Oakie Brumm's sextet scored early and late in the penalty-marred contest to whip Green Bay, 5-3 before a capacity crowd at the Palestra.

It was sweet revenge for a 5-3 loss to the same Bobcats last Saturday, as Coach Brumm stated after the victory over the veteran Bobcat sextet. "We have been waiting since last May 1st for this", meaning the date when the Iron Rangers organized.

The Iron Rangers wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as Rick Olds took a cross-rink pass from Roger Venasky and beat Oysstein Mellerud at 1:40 for the first counter.

Rangers Grab 2-0 lead

Before the Bobcats could get their bearings the Rangers had another marker, this time off the stick of Barry Cook who scored on a rebound after Mike Greenleaf hit the pads of mellerud from 15 feet out. The home fans were hardly seated, the clock reading
2:48 and the home team was leading, 2-0.

The Iron Rangers kept the Bobcats in check and after 10 minutes had elapsed, Johnny Mayasich's charges had only a single shot on All-American Bill Rowe, stellar Marquette Goalie. Mellerud was forced to stop seven in the same period of time.

The Bobcats came to life after that. Ken Ruohonen came close to scoring after taking a short pass from his wingman, Hank Therrien. Seconds later Mayasich hit the post as the Bobcats really put on the pressure.

Yewman Beats Howe

At 14:52, Gordy Yewman and Jack Poole teamed up with Yewman beating Rowe with a close-in shot to put the Cats back in the game 2-1.

Marquette missed a great opportunity to add to its total early in the game as "Fuzzy" Frenette was called for elbowing at 5:40 and before he could serve out his penalty, Tom Neveau was also "ticketed" for the same infraction at 6:15, leaving the Bobcats two men short.

The Iron Rangers cashed in at 19:25 as hard-skating Venasky upended Mellerud, a busy Norwegian if we ever saw one, and gave the hometown sextet a 3-1 first period margin.

The second stanza was all Green Bay, but only on the scoreboard, as the Iron rangers peppered Mellerud with everything but snowballs, but couldn't score.

Green Bay, in the meantime, tallied twice to knot the game at 3-3. Jackie Poole got one by Rowe at 9:35 on a shot that went over the back of Jacobson, who had dropped in front of Rowe to protect him.

Marquette kept Mellerud on edge for quite a spell but he was fantastic on a few of the shots, especially on a breakaway by Bob Cox along with Venasky midway through the period. Mellerud was real busy in the second stanza, with 13 saves to his credit.

Cats Tie Score

George Hill put the Bobcats back into the running as he meshed one at 19:20 to tie the score at 3-3 which was the way the third period ended and final 20 minutes of action began.

This set the stage for the "bell ringer" as the Bobcats got off on the wrong foot right from the start. Ruohonen had been penalized as the buzzer sounded and that left Green Bay short-handed.

Brumm Hits

That was only the beginning of the end for the favored Bobcats. After hitting the post twice during the "power play", Coach Oakie Brumm showed the 'Cats that he can still bulge the twine as he whistled in a thirty-footer past Mellerud to give the Iron Rangers the added incentive they needed to win.

Behind 4-3, the Bobcats put on pressure and tried in vain to knot the count, but failed. The Iron Rangers had a scare at 5:28 when hustling Matt Oreskovich, attempting to grab the puck in the Green Bay zone after a long chase with two Bobcats, hit the Green Bay net along with a Green Bay player and laid on the ice for nearly ten minutes. He skated away, however, and received a deserving ovation from the Marquette fans.

Rough 3rd Period

Olds and Frenette went to the "cooler" for a little punching around but no damage was done while they were off. The fans were brought to their feet with 4:15 showing on the clock as the referees had their hands full after Venasky was bounced around by two Bobcats in succession. After falling to the ice, he got plenty of support from his teammates but the Bobcats also brought in reinforcements. This led to the "serving of time" for five players and long delay in the game as the officials decided who was going off and what for.

Both teams played with two men short for the next two minutes. Green Bay found themselves with two in the 'sin bin' as coach Mayasich was nailed for tripping at 3:10.

The Iron Rangers salted the game away on a "picture play" at 19:22 as Rick Olds hit his second counter of the night on a neat pass from play-making Bob Cox. Marquette has now evened its season mark at 2-2.

The next home contests for the Iron Rangers will be against the league-leading Rochester sextet on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 19-20. They travel to Rochester for a contest tomorrow night.

Sixteen penalties were called in the contest by referees Bob Gilray and Bob Kasubeck. Rowe had an easier night of it, having been called on to save 20, while his opponent Mellerud, saved 28.

730 Fans Cheer Favorites As Iron Rangers Tangle
Mining Journal. Winter 1964.

More than 700 Marquette hockey fans cheered on their favorites last night at the Palestra as the Iron rangers tangled in an intra-squad game wchich was won by the "Blacks" coached by Jim Jacobson, 8-3. Playing Coach Oakie Brumm led the "Whites" in a fast-paced contest.

Kravis Scores First

Bruce Kravis, the American Soo speedster, hit the first marker of the game when he bulged the twine at 6:58 of the first period on a pass from Brumm to give the "Whites" an early lead. Three minutes later Jim Jacobson of Marquette tied the score at 1-1 as he hit a 40-footer on a pass from Richie Olds. The "Whites" took the lead once again as Bob Cox, Kimberley, B.C. center, beat Chip Yokum at 10:38.

Both teams played hard throughout the game and only fine play in nets by the two youngsters, Chip Yokum and Don DeVooght,
kept the score down. Brumm was impressed by the desire of the younger players on the team as they checked hard and at times
tempers flared, much to the delight of the fans.

Leading 2-1 going into the second period, the "Whites" led by Kravis, Bucky O'Neill, Ron McNabb, Jim Bystrom, Joe Parkinen, and Ron Bannon on the forward lines and Brumm, Ron Johnson and Mark Gilson on defense just could not keep pace with the speedier "Blacks".

Hill Ties Score

George Hill, ex-Michigan Tech Captain from Flin Flon, Man. tied the game at 2-all at 9:58 of the second stanza as he skated in on DeVooght alone and slipped the rubber disk past him.

Bob Cox had two opportunities to get the "Whites" back in the game but was foiled both times by the fine goaltending of Yokum of Dearborn.

Big Wayne McQuaig put the game on ice for the "Blacks" as he hit a pair of consecutive goals, the first unassisted at 12:27 and the second on a pass from Hill at 16:32.