A Piece of Minor League History: The Troy Uncle Sam's Trojans

BOULDER, Colorado -- My friend Andrew hails from Lake George, NY, and he likes to make fun of some of the more run-down cities upstate, like Troy, which he and his brother like to refer to it as "Troylet." So I took notice of this little item in the back of this week's Hockey News:

Hometown Hockey: Troy, NY

This small town in upstate New York may not be on everyone's radar, but the hockey lineage there is as fascinating as anywhere else. The seminal local team was the Troy Uncle Sam's Trojans, an Eastern League squad that lasted just one season (1952-53), but has a great story behind it. The Uncle Sam character has roots in Troy, where the stars-and-stripes icon was apparently based on local meatpacker Samuel Wilson. When Troy got a team, it was only natural Uncle Sam be a part of it. Locals currently cheer the NCAA's RPI Engineers, whose alumni include Adam Oates.

Other than for its name, the club was not very notable. Center Art Stone, who would later star for the Ft. Wayne Komets of the IHL, was the lone standout for the Trojans that season, scoring 52 goals and 55 assists for a club that finished in last place. Right winger Vic Howe managed a cup of coffee in the NHL, playing in 33 games for the New York Rangers scattered over three seasons, but defenseman Bill Moe became a Rangers regular for five seasons, playing in 231 NHL games.

The Eastern League was also the home of the Johnstown Jets, the team that was the inspiration for the film "Slap Shot" (the name was changed to the also alliterative Charlestown Chiefs of the Federal League in the movie). My hometown New Haven Blades played in the rough-and-tumble EHL, though they did not join the league until it was reformed in 1954, after the Trojans had folded. New Haven's longest continuously-operating hockey franchise was the Eagles (1926-51), who played in the Canadian American Hockey League and then the American Hockey League. They were succeeded briefly by the New Haven Tomahawks (1951-52) and the Nutmegs (1952-53) before the Blades came town and stayed until the EHL folded in 1974.

If you would like to buy some Trojans merchandise, check out this website, which sells t-shirts with all manner of logos from defunct minor league franchises. You should also check out the Hockey Database's great collection of team logos.