1961–62 USHL season
| 1961–62 USHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | United States Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Number of games | 26–9 |
| Number of teams | 5 |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Rochester Mustangs |
| Clark Cup Playoffs | |
| Finals champions | Rochester Mustangs |
The 1961–62 USHL season was the inaugural season of the United States Hockey League as a senior league. The Rochester Mustangs won the regular season championship and the Clark Cup as postseason champions.
New league
In 1961, the United States Central Hockey League collapsed after both the Minneapolis Jr. Millers and St. Paul Jr. Saints folded.[1] The two remaining teams, the Des Moines Oak Leafs and Rochester Mustangs banded together and formed a new semi-professional circuit called the United States Hockey League. The new league had no connection to a previous league of the same name.
The new USHL welcomed a former member of the USCHL, the Green Bay Bobcats, who had left to play as an independent club. Then, to swell the ranks, two expansion teams were added: the Milwaukee Metros and Minneapolis Rebels. However, due to the short time given for the Rebels to form, the team was unable to find a home venue and played entire on the road for the year.[2]
Member changes
Due to financial problems, the Milwaukee Metros folded on January 16, after only 9 games. In order to balance out the schedule, two wins by Rochester over the Metros were dropped from the standings.
Regular season
Final standings[3]
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; PTS = Points; y = clinched league title
| Team | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Rochester Mustangs | 25 | 19 | 6 | 0 | 38 | 163 | 106 |
| Green Bay Bobcats | 25 | 17 | 8 | 0 | 34 | 154 | 107 |
| Des Moines Oak Leafs | 26 | 10 | 16 | 0 | 20 | 137 | 158 |
| Minneapolis Rebels | 21 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 8 | 69 | 128 |
| Milwaukee Metros | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 36 | 83 |
Clark Cup playoffs
Missing information
The Rochester Mustangs won the Clark Cup
References
- ^ "United States Hockey League [1947-1979] history and statistics". Hockey DB. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ^ "1961-62 United States Hockey League Standings". Hockey DB. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ^ "USHL Standings". Ushl2011.stats.pointstreak.com. Retrieved 2013-09-04.