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The 1960s
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The 1960s turned out to be 10 seasons of up and down performances. Tied into a relationship with the Boston Bruins, the early 60s produced four post-season Calder Cup opportunities for the Reds.
Key players from the Bruins included defensemen Larry Hillman and Matt Ravlich, both of whom later became NHL stars. The Reds were also graced by the Bruins' assignment of Ferny Flaman, who was named player-coach and then general manager. Flaman today is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Perhaps the biggest star of the early 1960s was a young goaltender named Ed Giacomin, who was owned exclusively by the Reds. Sought by three of the NHL's six existing teams, he was traded to the New York Rangers for three veteran players. Eddie went onto NHL stardom and was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987.
A clever, high-scoring line emerged during that decade. Stan Baulk became set-up center for the popular and effective "B-Line" The colorful Jimmy Bartlett played left wing and Pierre
Brilliant, "The Ramouski Rifle," right wing. The line consistently pestered opponents with timely goals.
After a slump in the mid-60s, the Reds rebuilt as an independent team, with little or no help from a NHL affiliation. Many old timers were traded or released and the Reds' success was revived in 1967-68.
Marcel Paille and Ross Brooks tended goal. The defense was rebuilt with veterans Adam Keller, Moe
Mantha, Ray Clearwater and Wayne Muloin. Up front were veterans John Sleaver, Bob Leduc and Jim
Mikol.
But player-coach Dave Creighton and his linemates, veteran Eddie Kachur and young Brian Perry, carried most of the offense. The Reds made the playoffs, defeated Springfield in the first round, but were downed in the semi-finals by the Quebec Aces who were stocked with talent from the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers. Creighton was named MVP in the AHL and Kachur led the circuit
with 47 goals.
The following season the Reds made the playoffs, but an ownership transfer was underway. Legendary owner Louis A. R. Pieri had passed away in 1967 and his estate had taken over operation of both the team and the slowly deteriorating Auditorium, built in 1926.
Then entered George M. Sage, a successful bus line entrepreneur, who stepped forward and purchased the building and team. He was an avid hockey enthusiast and a visionary for the redevelopment of downtown Providence. Sage soon was a driving force behind the construction of the Providence Civic Center at LaSalle Square, where the Reds moved to in 1972.
Next: The 1970s >>
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