Stuff for Sports Fans

This year, the hockey world lost one of it is greats at just 38 years old. John Spoltore will live on as a legend in the Ontario Hockey League and exceptionally in the East Coast Hockey League.

Spoltore played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 1988-89 to 1991-92, all with the North Bay Centennials. His 342 career points is a team record. His 84 helps in his final season with the team is a franchise record. John led the Centennials in scoring in his last three seasons.

He exploded offensively in his final season in the OHL with 131 points on 47 goals and 84 helps in 61 regular season games. This total was good for fourth in the league. That year, Eric Lindros led the OHL with 164 points but Spoltore and the Centennials got their revenge on Lindros and the Generals by knocking them off 4-1 in the quarter finals. The Centennials went to the seventh game of the Robertson Cup before bowing out to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. John added another 41 points in 21 playoff games.

Spoltore would take home the hardware in that final OHL season. He was awarded the William Hanley Trophy as the league’s most sportsmanlike player. He likewise was honoured with the Leo Lalonde Memorial Trophy as the league’s top overage player.

Undrafted, John played three seasons in the Canadian university system with Laurier after graduating from the Ontario Hockey League.

Spoltore stormed into his professional hockey career with the Louisiana IceGators of the ECHL in 1995-96. As a rookie, he put up 101 points for Louisiana on 30 goals and 68 assists. The following season he only played nine regular season games but played 17, adding 23 points, in the IceGators run to the Kelly Cup Finals where they would at last bow out.

Here’s a list of John’s accomplishments in the ECHL (over only 6 seasons!):

• Louisiana IceGators team leader in points three seasons in a row from 1996-97 to 1998-99.
• League scoring leader in 1998-99 with 109 points.
• League scoring leader in 1999-00 with 119 points.
• 3rd all-time ECHL career helps leader with 390.
• 17th all-time ECHL career points leader with 532 (1.56 per game).
• 92 helps in 1999-00 is 2nd most eminent single season total in ECHL history (the record is 93).
• ECHL’s most eminent helps per game intermediate (min. 200 assists) with 1.15.
• ECHL record for most 100 point seasons with 4.
• Tied with the most successive 100 point seasons with 3.
• Number 1 on the ECHL’s most career playoff helps list with 69.
• ECHL record for most helps in one playoff season with 26 (1999-00 with Louisiana).
• 2nd on the ECHL career playoff points list with 101.
• ECHL record for most points in one playoff season with 34 (1999-00 with Louisiana).

Spoltore expended one season in the WCHL with the San Diego Gulls in 2001-02. Of course, he led his team in points with 113.

John expended five seasons in Germany from 2002-03 to 2005-06, playing in the 2.Bundesliga and the Oberliga (tier 2 and 3, underneath the DEL). In his initial three seasons, he led his teams in scoring.

Spoltore returned for one more season of pro hockey in North America, fifteen years after graduating from the Ontario Hockey League, in 2006-07. He split his season amid the Chicago Hounds and Bloomington PrairieThunder of the now-defunct UHL.

Old Time Hockey Alumni T Shirt

Turn back the clock and get jersey status of this all-time hockey great in the ease of a T-Shirt in this Ron Hextall Philadelphia Flyers NHL Alumni T-Shirt from Old Time Hockey. Features screen printed distressed logo on front and name and number on back and Old Time Hockey Alumni jock tag on front left.

Old Time Hockey Alumni T Shirt Picture

Old Time Hockey Alumni T Shirt Picture

Old Time Hockey Alumni T Shirt Pic

Old Time Hockey Alumni T Shirt Pic