| Winston-Salem Polar Twins | |
|---|---|
![]()  | |
| City | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | 
| League | Southern Hockey League | 
| Operated | 1973–77 | 
| Home arena | Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum | 
| Colors | White, silver, black | 
| Affiliates | WHA (1973–74) NHL (1974–77)  | 
The Winston-Salem Polar Twins were a minor league professional ice hockey team, based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The team was a founding member of the Southern Hockey League in 1973, and played home games at the Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum.[1][2] The initial owners of the team were a group of 15 investors, led by Ed Timmerman and Eldridge Hanes.[1] In the 1973–74 season, Winstom-Salem finished fourth place, and lost in the first round of the playoffs under player-coach Don Carter.[3] In 1974, Forbes Kennedy was brought in to coach, and improved results two years in a row, despite losing in the first round of the playoffs both seasons.[3] In December 1975, the Polar Twins were sold to Jim Crockett Jr.[1] Player-coach Ron Anderson took over in the fourth season, and the team was in last place in January.[3] On January 7, 1977, during the team's fourth season, Crockett announced he was folding the team.[1][2]
Major league affiliations
The Polar Twins were affiliated with the World Hockey Association in the 1973–74 season, and with the National Hockey League from 1974 to 1977.[4]
| Years | Affiliations | 
|---|---|
| 1973–74 | Edmonton Oilers, New York Golden Blades, Jersey Knights | 
| 1974–75 | New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings | 
| 1975–76 | New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues | 
| 1976–77 | New York Rangers | 
Notable players
Notable Polar Twins players that also played in the National Hockey League or World Hockey Association:[5]
- Ron Anderson
 - Randy Andreachuk
 - Ron Ashton
 - Bernie Blanchette
 - Bob Boyd
 - Ken Brown
 - Brian Carlin
 - Bob Champoux
 - Howie Colborne
 - Roger Cote
 - Gary Cunningham
 - Brian Derksen
 - Gary Doyle
 - Bob Fitchner
 - Derek Harker
 - Rich Hart
 - Don Herriman
 - Greg Holst
 - Jim Jones
 - Dennis Kassian
 - Jamie Kennedy
 - Bill Laing
 - Rick Lalonde
 - John Mazur
 - Bob McAneeley
 - Jim McCrimmon
 - Bill Morris
 - Jim Murray
 - Terry Ryan
 - Blaine Rydman
 - Ron Serafini
 - Danny Sullivan
 - Jim Watt
 - Don Wheldon
 - Bill Young
 
Results
Season-by-season results:[3]
| Season | GP | W | L | T | Pts | Pct | GF | GA | PIM | Standing | Playoffs | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973–74 | 72 | 26 | 44 | 2 | 54 | 0.375 | 283 | 363 | 1273 | 4th, SHL | Lost in round 1 | 
| 1974–75 | 72 | 32 | 40 | 0 | 64 | 0.444 | 300 | 345 | 1831 | 3rd, SHL | Lost in round 1 | 
| 1975–76 | 72 | 30 | 29 | 13 | 73 | 0.507 | 252 | 251 | 1127 | 3rd, SHL | Lost in round 1 | 
| 1976–77 | 42 | 11 | 30 | 1 | 23 | 0.274 | 130 | 193 | 585 | 7th, SHL | folded | 
| TOTALS | 258 | 99 | 143 | 16 | 214 | 0.415 | 965 | 1152 | 4816 | 
Franchise leaders
All-time and season leaders:[6]
- All-time regular season
 
- Games played: Bill Morris, 186
 - Goals scored: Ken Gassoff, 83
 - Assists: Ken Gassoff, 135
 - Points: Ken Gassoff, 218
 - Penalty minutes: Brian Molvik, 318
 
- Single-season records
 
- Goals scored: Bernie Blanchette, 39 (1973–74)
 - Assists: John Campbell, 59 (1975–76)
 - Points: John Campbell, 92 (1975–76)
 - Penalty minutes: Ron Fogal, 248 (1974–75)
 
- Postseason records
 
- Goals scored: Bill Morris, 6 (1974)
 - Assists: Bill Morris, 8 (1974)
 - Points: Bill Morris, 14 (1974)
 - Penalty minutes: Greg Holst, 42 (1975)
 
References
- 1 2 3 4 Crossley, Drew (2014-08-30). "Southern Hockey League 1973 Archives". Fun While It Lasted. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
 - 1 2 "Southern Hockey League [1973-1977] history and statistics". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
 - 1 2 3 4 "Winston-Salem Polar Twins hockey team [SHL] statistics and history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
 - ↑ "Winston-Salem Polar Twins Parent Team affiliate history". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
 - ↑ "Winston-Salem Polar Twins [SHL] all-time player list". hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
 - ↑ "Winston Salem Polar Twins Stats". statscrew.com. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
 
