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Dallas Black Hawks (CHL, 1974-75)

Continuing to stay out west, here's a program from the Dallas Blackhawks of the old Central Hockey League.




1974-75 Adams Cup Finals--Dallas vs. Salt Lake Golden Eagles
     Before the arrival of the NHL's Stars, Dallas had a long, successful run as a minor-pro hockey city. The Dallas Black Hawks were one of the old Central Hockey League's more successful franchises. Existing from 1967-82, the Hawks made it to 10 CHL Finals series, winning four Adams Cups.
     As you can tell by the logo, the Black Hawks were an affiliate of the Chicago Black Hawks. They wore jerseys that were nearly identical to the parent club. The only difference was the shoulder patch, which featured a capital D with crossed tomahawks.
     Bobby Kromm was GM/Coach of the Dallas Black Hawks for their first 8 years of existence. Kromm guided the Hawks to six CHL Finals series, winning three Adams Cups. After such a stellar run in Dallas, Kromm would move up to the WHA's Winnipeg Jets for two seasons (winning one Avco Cup) and the Detroit Red Wings for three seasons.
     Kromm's 1974-75 squad was it's usual powerful self. Having won the previous year's Adams Cup, the Hawks finished in first place in the Southern Division, with a strong 40-30-8 record. They were 10 points ahead of second place Oklahoma City, and 9 points behind league-leading Salt Lake. Dallas was the second-highest scoring team in the CHL, with 302 goals. The Hawks were led by Jim Koleff, who notched 77 points on the strength of 35 goals. Six others scored at least 20 goals.
     On defense, the Hawks were the second-best team in the league, allowing just 259 goals. They used three different goaltenders that season. Michel Dumas led the way for Dallas, going 26-20-6 with a 3.10 GAA and 4 shutouts. Mike Veisor and Bernie Germain picked up the remainder of games in net.
     The Hawks continued their postseason success in 1974-75. Earning a first-round bye, the Hawks annihilated Oklahoma City in 3 straight games in Round Two, outscoring the Blazers 19-4. Dallas then battled Salt Lake in a thrilling seven-game finals series. There would be no repeat for the Hawks, as they lost Game 7 in OT, 5-4.
     Nice program, short and to the point. It's 32 pages, loaded with black-and-white pics and ads. It includes lyrics to O Canada, The Star Spangled Banner and Here Come the Hawks. This team was dominant for most of their existence, to say the least. One player of note on the Hawks roster is Kirk Bowman, who also played for the Flint Generals. Salt Lake had goaltender Ray Martyniuk, a first-round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens who never reached the NHL.
     Notice I'm writing the team's nickname as "Black Hawks" (with a space)? That was the correct way to spell Dallas and Chicago's team nicknames back then. It was in the late 1980s that Chicago removed the space in their nickname and became "Blackhawks".


Sources:
Central Hockey League Statistics: 1974-75 (from hockeydb.com)
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