Saginaw Gears (IHL)

Lore & Background

The Saginaw Gears were a minor-league ice hockey franchise based in Saginaw, Michigan, that played in the defunct International Hockey League (IHL). The Gears existed from 1972 to 1983 and played their home games at Wendler Arena in the Saginaw Civic Center (now known as The Dow Event Center). The team made the playoffs for nine straight seasons, from 1973 to 1982, and reached the Turner Cup Finals five times in that stretch, winning multiple championships.

Several players from the Gears went on to play in the National Hockey League, including John Gibson, Lou Franceschetti, Bob Froese, Greg Hotham, Mario Lessard, and Mike Palmateer. In 1974–75, longtime NHL forward/defenceman Reg Fleming joined the Gears in time for the 1975 playoffs. Head Coach Don Perry also made it to the NHL, coaching the Los Angeles Kings from 1981 to 1984. Marcel Comeau was the 1980–81 IHL's top scorer and most valuable player. Dennis Desrosiers was a 10-year veteran of the Gears, a high-scoring right wing and tough guy, who later became a color commentator for the Saginaw Spirit and had a decades-long career as a coach.

IHL hockey would later return to the Tri-Cities when the Flint Generals were moved to Saginaw to become the Saginaw Generals for the 1985–1986 season.

Reader's Guide

The Saginaw Gears represent a significant chapter in minor-league hockey history, particularly within the International Hockey League. Their consistent playoff appearances over nine consecutive seasons and five Turner Cup Finals appearances underscore their competitiveness during their 11-year existence. The team served as a developmental pipeline to the NHL, producing several players who later played at the highest level, including goaltenders Bob Froese, Mario Lessard, and Mike Palmateer, as well as skaters like John Gibson, Lou Franceschetti, and Greg Hotham. The Gears also featured notable figures such as Reg Fleming, who joined for the 1975 playoffs, and head coach Don Perry, who later coached the Los Angeles Kings. The franchise's legacy is further marked by a unique piece of trivia: the Turner Cup replica at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto has Saginaw misspelled as 'Sagimaw' for the 1976-77 championship. After the Gears ceased operations in 1983, IHL hockey returned to the area when the Flint Generals moved to Saginaw to become the Saginaw Generals for the 1985–1986 season, continuing the region's hockey tradition.