St. Paul Vulcans

The St. Paul Vulcans are a defunct Junior A ice hockey franchise that was based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The franchise was a charter member of the United States Hockey League (USHL) that started play with the 1979-80 season. The franchise was renamed the Twin Cities Vulcans for the start of the 1995 season. In 2000, the team was renamed the Tri-City Storm and moved to Kearney, Nebraska and still play there currently as of 2015.
==History==
The Vulcans franchise began as the Minnesota Jr. Stars of the Thunder Bay-Minnesota Junior A Hockey League in 1971. A year later, the league changed its name to the Can-Am Junior Hockey League. The team also changed their name to the St. Paul Jr. Stars. Their rival, the Thunder Bay Vulcans, sponsored by an organization in St. Paul, dropped their sponsorship of the franchise when they announced they would be playing exclusively in Canada the next season. At the start of the 1973 playoffs, the Vulcan organization began funding the Jr. Stars and their name was changed to the St. Paul Vulcans. Despite the name change, the Vulcans were league champions in 1973 and for their only time in team history, entered into the Canadian Centennial Cup playdowns. In the Eastern Centennial Cup Quarter-final, the Vulcans squared off against the Central Junior A Hockey League's Pembroke Lumber Kings. The Lumber Kings downed the Vulcans 4-games-to-1 to end their playoff run.
Due to disagreements between the American and Canadian teams in the CAJHL, the league was divided into the Thunder Bay Junior A Hockey League (again) and the Midwest Junior Hockey League. The Vulcans would be one of the stronger members of the MWJHL. In 1977, the MWJHL would merge into the United States Hockey League - introducing junior hockey to what would become America's top tier of junior hockey.
==Season-by-Season Standings==
Season 	GP	W 	L 	T	OTL	GF 	GA 	P 	Results
1971-72	24	12	11	1	- 	-- 	-- 	25	3rd TBMJHL
1972-73	32	27	3 	2	- 	170	79 	56	1st CAJHL
1973-74	60	38	21	1	- 	343	263	77	3rd MWJHL
1974-75	60	33	25	2	- 	305	298	68	3rd MWJHL
1975-76	50	25	24	1	- 	272	230	51	3rd MWJHL
1976-77	48	29	18	1	- 	239	203	59	1st MWJHL
1977-78	51	16	35	0	- 	209	287	32	3rd USHL-MW
1978-79	50	12	38	0	- 	170	255	24	4th USHL-MW
1979-80	48	10	38	0	- 	205	303	20	4th USHL-N
1980-81	48	28	19	1	- 	291	223	57	3rd USHL-N
1981-82	48	26	21	1	- 	263	251	53	4th USHL
1982-83	48	18	28	2	- 	242	294	38	6th USHL
1983-84	48	37	8 	0	3 	246	160	77	1st USHL
1984-85	48	31	16	0	1 	263	198	63	4th USHL
1985-86	48	33	13	0	2 	258	178	69	2nd USHL
1986-87	48	21	22	4	1 	236	228	47	8th USHL
1987-88	48	29	15	4	0 	277	181	66	3rd USHL
1988-89	48	38	10	0	0 	306	171	76	2nd USHL
1989-90	48	27	19	1	1 	229	197	56	6th USHL
1990-91	48	28	16	3	1 	228	182	60	4th USHL
1991-92	48	31	12	2	3 	255	179	67	3rd USHL
1992-93	48	26	19	2	1 	212	201	55	5th USHL
1993-94	52	20	28	0	4 	175	183	44	7th USHL
1994-95	48	31	14	2	1 	211	166	65	3rd USHL
1995-96	46	18	21	3	4 	169	184	43	8th USHL
1996-97	54	25	26	3	0 	190	211	53	4th USHL-N
1997-98	56	19	32	5	0 	162	242	43	6th USHL-N
1998-99	56	22	34	0	0 	183	246	44	4th USHL-C
1999-00	58	31	19	0	8 	203	174	70	5th USHL-W
===Playoffs===
*1972 Lost Final
:Minnesota Jr. Stars defeated Westfort Hurricanes 2-games-to-none 
:Thunder Bay Vulcans defeated Minnesota Jr. Stars 4-games-to-none 
*1973 Won League, Won TBAHA Jack Adams Trophy final, Lost Dudley Hewitt Cup quarter-final
:St. Paul Jr. Stars defeated Minneapolis Bruins by default (Bruins forfeit late in Game 1)
:St. Paul Jr. Stars defeated Thunder Bay Centennials 4-games-to-none CAJHL CHAMPIONS, JACK ADAMS TROPHY CHAMPIONS
:Pembroke Lumber Kings (CJHL) defeated St. Paul Vulcans 4-games-to-1
==League championships won==
*1973-74
*1975-76
*1977-78
*1983-84
==Vulcans who played in the NHL==
*Jim Boo
*Jeff Brubaker
*Jim Cunningham
*Joe Dziedzic
*Dave Hanson
*Matt Henderson
*Paul Holmgren
*Phil Housley
*Jim Johnson
*Chris Kenady
*Trent Klatt
*Chris McAlpine
*Jon Rohloff
*Todd Rohloff
*Shaun Sabol
*Dean Talafous
Category:American ice hockey teams
Category:Defunct Teams
Category:United States Hockey League team
Category:Minnesota Junior Hockey League team
Category:Established in 1973
Category:Disestablished in 2000