The Spokane Comets were a minor professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two o ...

team that was located in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the ...

. They played in the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior ...

(WHL) from 1958 to 1963. In April 1961, the franchise considered a move to San Francisco in view of the financial loss of the last three years but after several meetings, it finally stayed in Spokane. The 1962-63 team was coached by

Roy McBride Roy McBride (1921 - October 14, 2007) was a former professional ice hockey player and coach. Career McBride started his professional career in 1940 as a player in the Eastern Hockey League with the Washington Eagles. He did not play between 1941 ...

who piloted the team to a 30-38-2 record. In June 1963 the Spokane franchise was purchased by a group led by the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Divi ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

which relocated them to become the

Denver Invaders The Denver Invaders were a minor pro ice hockey team that played in Denver, Colorado in the Western Hockey League (WHL) during the 1963–1964 season. In June 1963, the Spokane Comets WHL franchise was purchased by a group led by the Toronto Mapl ...

and act as their farm team. Spokane quickly generated the

Spokane Jets The Spokane Jets were a senior men's ice hockey team that played out of Spokane, Washington. They played in the Western International Hockey League (WIHL) from 1963-64 through 1973-74. Prior to 1963 the Spokane Flyers were the city's entry in the W ...

, which commenced play in the

Western International Hockey League The Western International Hockey League (WIHL) was a senior level ice hockey league that featured teams from the Western United States and Western Canada. It operated from 1946–62 and 1963–88. It grew out of the West Kootenay League, whic ...

in the 1963–64 WIHL season. The previous hockey team to play in Spokane had been the

Spokane Flyers Spokane Flyers could mean: * Spokane Flyers (senior), a former senior ice hockey team in the Western International Hockey League *Spokane Flyers (junior) The Spokane Flyers were a junior ice hockey team that played one and a half seasons in the W ...

, who played in the senior amateur WIHL until the pro Flyers joined the WHL as the

Spokane Spokes The Spokane Spokes were a minor league professional ice hockey team that operated from 1958-1959 in the Western Hockey League. After the 1958-1959 season the team was renamed Spokane Comets. Roster * C Gene "Max" Mekilok * LW/C Earl "Ching" ...

. The pro team's nickname was changed to the Comets in 1959–60.

Season-by-season records

Comets who played in the NHL

Norm Beaudin Norman Joseph Andrew Beaudin (born November 28, 1941) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played 25 games in the National Hockey League and 335 in the World Hockey Association, most notably for the Winnipeg Jets. He also pl ...

* Gilles Boisvert *

Gerry Brisson Gerald Joseph Brisson (September 3, 1937 – January 16, 2013) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger. He played 4 games in the National Hockey League with the Montreal Canadiens during the 1962–63 season. The rest of his caree ...

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...

Roy Edwards Allan Roy Edwards (March 12, 1937 – August 16, 1999) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played 236 games in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins between 1967 and 1973. Internat ...

Bill Folk William Joseph Folk (July 11, 1927 – April 21, 1976) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played 12 games in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) a ...

Emile Francis Emile Percival Francis (September 13, 1926 – February 19, 2022), nicknamed "The Cat", was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and general manager in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers f ...

Bill Johansen William Odd Johansen (July 27, 1928 – March 21, 2001) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre. He played in one NHL game for the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1949–50 season, on November 26, 1949 against the Boston Bruins. Born in Osl ...

* Earl Johnson *

Eddie Johnston Edward Joseph Johnston (born November 24, 1935) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and former coach and general manager in the National Hockey League. His professional career spanned fifty-three years (twenty-two as a player ...

Forbes Kennedy Forbes Taylor Kennedy (born August 18, 1935) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 603 games National Hockey League (NHL) with five teams between 1956 and 1969, recording 70 goals and 108 assists for 178 points and 888 p ...

Connie Madigan Cornelius Dennis "Mad Dog" Madigan (born October 4, 1934) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey defenceman notable for being the oldest rookie in National Hockey League (NHL) history. Dennis was born in Port Arthur, Ontario. After p ...

Cesare Maniago Cesare Maniago (born January 13, 1939) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Maniago played the majority of his National Hockey League (NHL) career for the Minnesota North Stars, for whom he stands second all-time in games playe ...

Seth Martin Seth Martin (May 4, 1933 – September 6, 2014) was a Canadian ice hockey player. He played professionally for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League. He was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fam ...

Ernie Wakely Ernest Alfred Linton Wakely (born November 27, 1940) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Career Wakely was a goaltender in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens and St. Louis Blues. He also played for ...

* Carl Wetzel *

Steve Witiuk Stephen Witiuk Sr. (January 8, 1929 – November 30, 2022) was a Canadian ice hockey player. He played 33 games in the National Hockey League with the Chicago Black Hawks (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , m ...

References

{{reflist
The Spokesman-Review - 6 Oct 1962The Spokesman-Review - 8 Oct 1962The Spokesman-Review - 8 Oct 1962The Spokesman-Review - 8 Oct 1962Spokane Daily Chronicle - 26 Nov 1962Spokane Daily Chronicle - 26 Nov 1962The Spokesman-Review - 21 Dec 1963

External links

Sports in Spokane, Washington Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States Ice hockey teams in Washington (state) Western Hockey League (1952–1974) teams