BOISE, Idaho — THIS DAY IN SPORTS…October 17, 1997, 25 years ago today:
The first game in the history of the Idaho Steelheads, who were making their debut in the West Coast Hockey League against the defending champion San Diego Gulls. Alain Savage, who would be the Steelheads’ leading scorer and fan favorite during that first season, instantly endeared himself to the locals by registering a hat trick in the 7-3 Steelies win. It was one of only 10 losses that season for the Gulls, who would repeat as WCHL champions the following spring. The Steelheads, meanwhile, went 27-30-7 and finished third in their division under Dave Langevin, who coached just that one season.
The Steelies were founded by Diamond Sports, which had enjoyed huge success on the field and at the gate in minor league baseball in the 1990s with the Boise Hawks. The Steelheads would play in the WCHL until 2003, winning three division title and twice advancing to the Taylor Cup Finals. Then the league was absorbed by the ECHL for the 2003-04 season. Idaho is the only franchise from the old WCHL remaining in the ECHL.
In their inaugural ECHL season, the Steelheads capped an unlikely but spectacular run through the playoffs by winning the Kelly Cup. The Steelies beat the Florida Everblades four games-to-one, clinching with a 5-2 win before a raucous standing-room-only crowd in the Bank Of America Centre. The Steelheads were on the brink of elimination in the first round against Las Vegas—then future NHL goalie Dan Ellis returned from an AHL callup and put together a remarkable 13-3 record with three shutouts to earn Kelly Cup Playoff MVP honors.
The Steelheads repeated three years later by defeating Dayton four games-to-one in the Kelly Cup Finals in another improbable run behind MVP goalie Steve Silverthorn. Idaho went into the postseason as the fourth seed in the National Conference and started with a first round series win over Stockton. Then they knocked off the best team in the league, Las Vegas, in six games—and the second-best team, Alaska, in five.
Today the Steelheads are a staple of the Boise sports scene. They returned to the ice a year ago after a wrenching season off due to COVID-19 and picked up right where they left off, with sellouts commonplace after Christmas in Idaho Central Arena. The 2022-23 season opens Friday night on the road against the Iowa Heartlanders.
Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.
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