Nostalgia: The Detroit Vipers

I’m still relatively new to hockey compared to most everyone else here. I attended my first hockey game on March 1, 2008 to watch a friend play on our local junior hockey team. As I watched the game, I remember thinking to myself, “where has hockey been all my life”. No one in my family is into sports and that was my first real exposure to hockey. I started watching the Wings shortly after that and was honored to see them win the cup a few months later. It took me a while to understand what was going on and follow the plays, and I’m still learning more every time I watch. I love hearing about other’s experiences with hockey and hearing stories of history in the making. I would love to see a series dedicated to this subject.

This is excellent. Thank you for sharing.

I was lucky enough to grow up in an absolutely hockey-rabid family and going to Red Wings games were just kind of part of the deal. Back in those days, the Red Wings were — like you said before the Vipers years — absolutely shitty. We’re talking point-and-laugh shitty, so it wasn’t hard to get tickets and we were fortunate to have friends with season tickets that didn’t always use them and gave them to us.

But, like you, the Vipers held a special place in my heart. I was 12 when they were born and loved going to see IHL-level hockey (and still love going to AHL-level hockey). Those kids wanted it so bad, and played balls-out every single night because this WAS their shot. Not everyone is lucky enough to be drafted at the top of their class and inserted into the (Oilers) lineup.

Remember the blimp that would float around the arena dropping stuff like gift certificates? People went coocoo bananas for that thing.

Keep the nostalgia coming. And if you need artifacts, talk to TPL Mom. You should see the collection of stuff she has from the ’60’s and ’70’s Red Wings. We’re talking random photographs posing with Nick Libbett and programs from games when Mickey Redmond sincerely may have been the first to score 50.

Great post – loved it.

I was long gone from Detroit by 1994 when the Vipers were playing – but I do remember them and I think I even watched them on TV here in KC via the FSD channel one or two times (nothing else on – probably a Saturday mid-day, and I’ll bet it was the IHL playoffs…not much on TV, i may as well watch some hockey).

Nostalgia time – I saw Gordie Howe play too. But it was at Olympia with the Wings (yes, I’m that old) – and one time, I think after a Saturday afternoon game, I made my Dad stay so I could get autographs. Yes, I got Gordie’s autograph on the program from that day – Gary Bergman was on the cover (see, I told you I was that old).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UADFjv3NlTU

This is from their championship video in 1997. I was at their clinching game at the Palace and the Turner Cup Champions hat is hanging on my wall right next to the Stanley Cup Champions hat of that same year…amazing

My in-laws have had Chicago Wolves season tickets for a long time, and they always used to tell me about the old Vipers-Wolves battles in the IHL. I wasn’t that big into it (in Toronto it’s NHL or nothing for the most part), but I did see a playoff game between the Vipers and Wolves in 1998. I think the Vipers won, but I remember feeling weird cheering against a Detroit-based hockey team.

When the IHL folded, the Wolves were fortunate to be merged into the AHL and promptly won the Calder Cup, showing that the IHL teams were better.

Petrella, the blimp thing is still done here at the Wolves games. They used to drop coupons for US Cellular, but now it’s for cookies, definitely a trade up. They also do a t-shirt toss in every intermission. I’m 0-for-8 years.

Keep the nostalgia stuff coming. This is awesome.

Miroslav Satan.

with the Vipers at the Palace, Ambassadors (which became the Jr. Wings then Whalers) and the Detroit Falcons at Fraser Ice Arena. I think I saw more live hockey from 94-97 than I have in the years since

people laugh when i say they should bring the vipers back.

much like you i couldnt afford to go to wings games when i was little so my dad took me to go see the vipers a few different times. one more memorable time i was sitting kinda in the upper rows of the lower level and half way through the game i noticed a few kids crowding around someone a few rows over. after i finally got a better look i recognized that it was kirk maltby. like you said he told us that his little brother played for the vipers so he came to watch him. he was the nicest guy ever and i thought it was pretty cool that he didnt ask for special seats or anything… he was just sitting right up there with everyone on a not so packed night. my dad bought me a little vipers goalie stick and i had maltby sign it. that was one awesome memory for a 9 or 10 year old at the time and i still have the stick to this day. i loved the vipers and i think they would of been an awesome teem to have in the nhl… maybe not the players but the logo and the jerseys… and the GIANT viper they skated out of lol. obviously they would of had to move far away from detroit but come on they would of been better than the florida panthers or Atalanta.

and a ref got pelted with a puck straight to the head. It was a pretty gruesome scene with a puddle of blood all over the ice at least spanning a couple feet in diameter.

The writer seems to have gone to a good share of Viper games maybe you could add to my story because that is all I remember.

I dearly miss the old IHL. The Orlando Solar Bears were the reason I got into hockey. My father and brother talked me into going to a game back in 96. After a couple of months and two more games, I was hooked. Hated the Vipers for a long time as they always had the Bears number. Until we came back from that 0-3 hole of course.