Troy Slapshots
| Troy Slapshots | |
|---|---|
| City | Troy, New York |
| League | Atlantic Coast Hockey League |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Operated | 1985–86 |
| Home arena | Houston Field House |
| Owner(s) | Rudy Slucker |
| General manager | Joe Selenski |
| Head coach | Joe Selenski |
| Affiliates | Saginaw Generals (IHL) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1985–86 | New York Slapshots |
| 1986 | Troy Slapshots |
The Troy Slapshots were a professional ice hockey team based in Troy, NY. They were a member of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League in the 1985–86 season.
The Slapshots were based out of Staten Island during their inaugural season. By the time the 1985–86 ACHL season started, an arena had not been built so the Slapshots played all of their games on the road. The Phil Esposito Sports & Entertainment Center, located in Staten Island's Travis section, was scheduled to be the home of the Slapshots and was supposed to be operational by their December 7 home opener, but the start of construction was delayed until early November. The arena ended up never being built. Instead, they opened their season in New Jersey and finished their season playing their "home" games primarily in Virginia, competing as a traveling team.
The New York Slapshots were coached by Dave Schultz, a former NHL veteran who spent the majority of his career with the Philadelphia Flyers during their Broad Street Bullies days. Schultz would lead the Slapshots to a 21–38–0 record in his lone season with the Slapshots.
The following year, owner Rudy Slucker announced that the Slapshots would be playing their games at the Houston Field House, a 5,367 seat arena located on the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The Houston Field House was a familiar site to some, as it was the site of the leaguewide rookie camp and at the time was the largest arena being used in the league
The Slapshots opened their season on October 25, 1986 in front of a crowd of 1312 fans. The Slapshots would beat the Mohawk Valley Comets 8–5.On hand for opening night pregame ceremonies were: Slucker (who dropped the ceremonial puck); Troy mayor Robert Conway; Chamber Of Commerce President John O'Connor; RPI coach Mike Addesa.
The Slapshots would only end up playing four home games before folding. At one point in the Slapshots' brief season, they played "in front of an estimated 120 people" and with the exception of opening night, never played in front of more than 300 people. They would play their last game on November 15, 1986, where they scored a 3–2 shootout victory over the Erie Golden Blades .
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