29 replies to this topic

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

At quick glance, it's not hard to see that the 1975-76 Kansas City Scouts, in their second year in the NHL, were pretty bad...they finished 12-56-12.

But they actually started off 3-2-1 that season, and were 11-21-4 after 36 games...not terrible for a second-year expansion team. At the very least, they seemed to be a lock to better the 15 wins and 41 points the inaugural '74-'75 squad managed in its first NHL season. But things got beyond ugly after those first 36 games...

Do the math...in their last 44 games, the Scouts went 1-35-8. ONE WIN IN 44 GAMES?! And that lone win came against the equally putrid second-year Washington Capitals (11-59-10 in '75-'76).

Can't imagine ever watching the Devils going through something like that...pretty much impossible with parity and the shootout, but still...yikes...

Edited by Colorado Rockies 1976, 11 September 2012 - 06:36 AM.

[roomtemp]

Yeah we tend to ignore much that went on before New Jersey

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Yeah we tend to ignore much that went on before New Jersey

In fairness, so did the New Jersey Devils for many years. They carried themselves more like an expansion team, expunging the history of the Scouts and Rockies from their record books...whenever a goal-scorer is moving up the single-season record books, you'll never hear former Rocky Wilf Paiement's 41 goals in 1976-77 mentioned, or that the franchise did make the playoffs before 1987-88. The Devils only really started paying attention to the Scouts/Rockies history with the opening of the Prudential Center (the jersey display, the paintings of Kemper Arena and McNichols Arena, etc).

[SMantzas]

Hahaha wow. 1 win in 40+ games is just....brutal. Has to be the worst stretch of hockey any team has ever played.

Does NJ still hold the rights to the Colorado Rockies and KC Scouts uniforms? I would love a throwback night, but of course that won't happen with Uncle Lou lol

['7']

The Scouts/Rockies/Devils between 1974 and 1987 is one of the worst stretches a professional franchise has ever had in the history of sports. 1 playoff appearance (in a season where they won like 19 out of 82 games) moving twice, paltry fan support. Very few teams were as "off the grid as this one was)

Re: recognizing the scouts/rockies heritage. There wasnt a long proud history to lean on. I dont think they explicitly ignored it...rockies that carried over to the Devils had ther previous statistics counted into their career devils stats. There was just very little to look back on...so they tried to begin anew as Devils

[Triumph]

The Scouts/Rockies/Devils between 1974 and 1987 is one of the worst stretches a professional franchise has ever had in the history of sports. 1 playoff appearance (in a season where they won like 19 out of 82 games) moving twice, paltry fan support. Very few teams were as "off the grid as this one was)

Re: recognizing the scouts/rockies heritage. There wasnt a long proud history to lean on. I dont think they explicitly ignored it...rockies that carried over to the Devils had ther previous statistics counted into their career devils stats. There was just very little to look back on...so they tried to begin anew as Devils

I mean, there are some really bad stretches in pro sports, it's just that, much like the Scouts/Rockies/Devils, few remember after they pass.

The Phillies from 1918 to 1948 finished 4th once, 5th twice, 6th 4 times, 7th 8 times, and 8th (last) the rest, which is 16 times. They finished 12 back one year, but the closest to that was 26 back. Most years they finished between 30 and 50 games behind 1st place. Of more recent vintage, the Pirates, Orioles, and Royals have suffered through awfulness.

But that 1 win - good lord. Hockey is such a game of luck, how can one NHL team be that much worse than another? The talent pool must've been incredibly tiny.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

The Scouts/Rockies/Devils between 1974 and 1987 is one of the worst stretches a professional franchise has ever had in the history of sports. 1 playoff appearance (in a season where they won like 19 out of 82 games) moving twice, paltry fan support. Very few teams were as "off the grid as this one was)

Re: recognizing the scouts/rockies heritage. There wasnt a long proud history to lean on. I dont think they explicitly ignored it...rockies that carried over to the Devils had ther previous statistics counted into their career devils stats. There was just very little to look back on...so they tried to begin anew as Devils

They went 19-40-21 (seasons were 80 games back then). They actually didn't play that badly against the Flyers in their three game series...goalie Doug Favell played his ass off (think he faced 42 and 45 shots in the two games, allowing a total of 6 goals in the series), and the Rockies actually took the Flyers to OT in Game 1, in Philadelphia no less. They lost both games by scores of 3-2 (OT) and 3-1.

And yeah, when you consider a team like the Flyers won back-to-back Cups in '74 and '75 after breaking into the NHL in '67...it took the Scouts/Rockies/Devils 14 years just to finish a season with a .500 or better record. The first ten seasons were really the most embarrassing for the franchise...they literally made NO progress in their first ten years of existence. The '74-'75 Scouts finished with 41 points. The '83-'84 Devils finished with 41 points. There were some better seasons in between, but they never won more than 22 games in any given season in those 10 years.

It's more fascinating to look back on what this franchise was, than to try to remember the old days fondly...like you say, the cupboard is barren in that regard...the team FINALLY was making strides from not being pathetic starting with the '84-'85 season, but it still had a long way to go to get to respectability...this team started from about as low a beginning as a team could.

One win in 44 GP is crazy, no matter how one slices it...you'd think a team would win 5 games by accident over that long a stretch...even that paltry total would put a team on pace for a god-awful 8 or 9 wins in an 80-game season. I wonder what it was like to play for a team like that...Richie Ashburn retired after playing for the '62 Mets (they went 40-120) even though he hit .306, and he said the reason he did it was because the constant losing was killing him.

Edited by Colorado Rockies 1976, 10 September 2012 - 07:08 PM.

[David Puddy]

It's nearly impossible to be that bad in the NHL since the lockout. Other sports... NFL and NBA... not so much. The NFL regularly has 2-14 teams (.125 winning %). There are fewer 1-15 and 0-16 teams, but it happens. In the NBA, there are always sub-.300 teams, and most of the time, there's someone very close to or under .200. The worst teams in the NHL (post-lockout) and MLB rarely dip below .300.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

It's nearly impossible to be that bad in the NHL since the lockout. Other sports... NFL and NBA... not so much. The NFL regularly has 2-14 teams (.125 winning %). There are fewer 1-15 and 0-16 teams, but it happens. In the NBA, there are always sub-.300 teams, and most of the time, there's someone very close to or under .200. The worst teams in the NHL (post-lockout) and MLB rarely dip below .300.

Only one 0-16 team in the NFL to date...the Lions. But yeah, though it's not like it's a yearly event, I've seen my share of 1-15 and 2-14 teams...the Patriots were 1-15 in 1990 and 2-14 in 1992, before Parcells came in and turned the franchise around. From '94 on they've had just one losing season.

For the record, 1-35-8 calculates to a .114 "winning" percentage. Imagine if they had started the season that way...can't imagine an NHL season being half-over and seeing a team with 1 win that far into the season.

Yeah, the NBA is notorious for having a handful of God-awful teams year in and year out...always a huge disparity between the worst team and best team, record-wise. The NHL used to be that way too, but the best teams are no longer great, and the worst teams are no longer a cinch to lose almost every night. It would take a LOT of incompetence to ice a team as bad as, say, the '83-'84 Devils (56 losses in 80 GP) in this day and age.

Edited by Colorado Rockies 1976, 11 September 2012 - 06:32 AM.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Hahaha wow. 1 win in 40+ games is just....brutal. Has to be the worst stretch of hockey any team has ever played.

Does NJ still hold the rights to the Colorado Rockies and KC Scouts uniforms? I would love a throwback night, but of course that won't happen with Uncle Lou lol

Don't know if they hold the rights to the Rockies and Scouts unis, but I used to be in favor of the Devils doing one Rockies and one Scouts throwback night a season, especially now that more and more Rockies and Scouts jerseys can be seen at any given home Devils game. I've since changed my tune on that though...I think the one throwback night a year wearing the Christmas classics is enough. Keep it simple. And the Christmas throwbacks really mean something to a lot of Devils fans, especially the late 30-somethings and older, who have clear and fond memories of the days when those WERE the Devils' uniforms (I'm 42.). The Rockies and Scouts are little more than footnote curiosities to most Devils fans...a lot of Devils fans don't even recognize Scouts or Rockies jerseys upon seeing them, and many others aren't aware that the Devils didn't come into the league as an expansion team, even with the Devils paying homage to the Scouts and Rockies at The Rock. The Scouts played their last game in 1976, the Rockies in 1982...a lot of current Devils fans weren't even born yet. There's a small group of fans/NHL historians like me who have since done research on the Scouts and Rockies out of interest, but it's a REAL small group...I'm going to guess that 95% of fans attending games couldn't care less about the Scouts and Rockies or their respective histories, and since the teams were all so bad over those eight years, like '7' said, there's nothing terribly compelling about them.

[SMantzas]

This is true, but if Vanderbeek was interested in making a quick buck, he'd "showcase" them in a game.

[Satans Hockey]

I'm not a fan of wearing KC or Colorado jerseys. It's a minor league gimmick.

[DevsMan84]

Don't know if they hold the rights to the Rockies and Scouts unis, but I used to be in favor of the Devils doing one Rockies and one Scouts throwback night a season, especially now that more and more Rockies and Scouts jerseys can be seen at any given home Devils game. I've since changed my tune on that though...I think the one throwback night a year wearing the Christmas classics is enough. Keep it simple. And the Christmas throwbacks really mean something to a lot of Devils fans, especially the late 30-somethings and older, who have clear and fond memories of the days when those WERE the Devils' uniforms (I'm 42.). The Rockies and Scouts are little more than footnote curiosities to most Devils fans...a lot of Devils fans don't even recognize Scouts or Rockies jerseys upon seeing them, and many others aren't aware that the Devils didn't come into the league as an expansion team, even with the Devils paying homage to the Scouts and Rockies at The Rock. The Scouts played their last game in 1976, the Rockies in 1982...a lot of current Devils fans weren't even born yet. There's a small group of fans/NHL historians like me who have since done research on the Scouts and Rockies out of interest, but it's a REAL small group...I'm going to guess that 95% of fans attending games couldn't care less about the Scouts and Rockies or their respective histories, and since the teams were all so bad over those eight years, like '7' said, there's nothing terribly compelling about them.

Agree 100% with this.

I too also see several people wearing more and more of their jerseys but most are usually cheap chinese knockoffs. I have seen plenty of Rockies jerseys where the mountain comes in all shades of colors and all sizes.

I own several home and away Rockies jerseys and a couple of KC Scouts jerseys. (They are either CCM's or M&N). Most people who approach me at games ask what team my jerseys are and plenty of times when I tell them, they do not even know they were the same franchise as the Devils.

I love researching the histories of both teams, but to be blunt there isn't much to research. KC was around for only 2 seasons and the Rockies for 6 seasons, so there is not much to write about. Still fun though and the jerseys are fun to wear to see the curious looks other fans give you lol.

Edited by DevsMan84, 11 September 2012 - 08:36 AM.

[Triumph]

This is true, but if Vanderbeek was interested in making a quick buck, he'd "showcase" them in a game.

Meh. I don't really think Rockies and Scouts jerseys would fly off the shelves. They're a curiosity, nothing more.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Meh. I don't really think Rockies and Scouts jerseys would fly off the shelves. They're a curiosity, nothing more.

True. I have my share of Rockies and Scouts jerseys, and though I think the Rockies jerseys are pretty cool-looking, the Scouts ones are kind of garish. But yeah, I don't think if the Devils ever wore either jersey for a throwback game, it would lead to more Rockies and Scouts jerseys being sold.

I bought my CCM Rockies jerseys a long time ago...glad I did, because I bought them when you could choose between home and away, and authentic and replica. I think the only ones available now from CCM are away (blue) replicas. Kinda shows that yeah, demand wasn't terribly high for Rockies jerseys.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Agree 100% with this.

I too also see several people wearing more and more of their jerseys but most are usually cheap chinese knockoffs. I have seen plenty of Rockies jerseys where the mountain comes in all shades of colors and all sizes.

I own several home and away Rockies jerseys and a couple of KC Scouts jerseys. (They are either CCM's or M&N). Most people who approach me at games ask what team my jerseys are and plenty of times when I tell them, they do not even know they were the same franchise as the Devils.

I love researching the histories of both teams, but to be blunt there isn't much to research. KC was around for only 2 seasons and the Rockies for 6 seasons, so there is not much to write about. Still fun though and the jerseys are fun to wear to see the curious looks other fans give you lol.

As far as cheap jerseys go, when Arthur Imperatore owned the Rockies (he was the first owner who wanted to move the Rockies to NJ), he actually had the flag/mountain logo and the player name and number screen-printed onto the jerseys...anything to save a buck...

[DevsMan84]

As far as cheap jerseys go, when Arthur Imperatore owned the Rockies (he was the first owner who wanted to move the Rockies to NJ), he actually had the flag/mountain logo and the player name and number screen-printed onto the jerseys...anything to save a buck...

That's very true and I think the first seasons first set of jerseys jerseys were made by Champion and the mountain was colored silver if I remember correctly. (I think in training camp and preseason they even wore old Scouts jerseys with the logos ripped off and the mountain logo screened on). It wouldn't be until later that season or next season that they settled with the colors and logos.

I was mostly talking about the cheap chinese knockoffs of these jerseys I see at the games where they use too dark shade of blue and the mountain logo is either too big, too small, too wide or too narrow.

[Chuck the Duck]

I'm still waiting for them play a game in the traditional white "home" christmas tree jerseys.

[DevsMan84]

True. I have my share of Rockies and Scouts jerseys, and though I think the Rockies jerseys are pretty cool-looking, the Scouts ones are kind of garish. But yeah, I don't think if the Devils ever wore either jersey for a throwback game, it would lead to more Rockies and Scouts jerseys being sold.

I bought my CCM Rockies jerseys a long time ago...glad I did, because I bought them when you could choose between home and away, and authentic and replica. I think the only ones available now from CCM are away (blue) replicas. Kinda shows that yeah, demand wasn't terribly high for Rockies jerseys.

What's great is that the CCM blue replicas are not even that accurate (yeah I know I am a nitpicker). The logo is a tad too small, the patches on the shoulders are too big and the striping is off.

The M&N jerseys are more accurate but with their ghetto cut I can never find one that fits me well. The 52's are too big and the 48's are a tad too small.

I'm still waiting for them play a game in the traditional white "home" christmas tree jerseys.

I have a weird feeling that the Devils are saving them for a WC where most likely we would be the away team.

But since I am convinced they will never be in a WC I won't be holding my breath.

[Chuck the Duck]

I have a weird feeling that the Devils are saving them for a WC where most likely we would be the away team.

But since I am convinced they will never be in a WC I won't be holding my breath.

Good point.