“The long-awaited Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena (“the Arena”) opened on August 29, 1973. An exhibition hockey game was played a monthe later before 4,620 curious spectators to officially introduce the sport to the area. Then came the regular season, featuring the newly formed Broome Dusters of the North American Hockey League. After just five games, a love affair was born between the team and its fans that surprised everyone.” – Introduction, Hockey in Broome County.
Hockey became a passion for local fans and has continues to be so to this day. When the Dusters disbanded, they were followed by the Whalers (AHL), Rangers (AHL), B.C. Iceman (UHL), and the Senators (AHL). Hockey in Broome County tells this fascinating story with more than 200 photographs and engaging text. Relive the heroics of the Dusters’ Rod Bloomfield, “the little guy that everyone picked on.” Then skip ahead to the crowd-pleasing toughness of the Whalers’ Randy MacGregor and the brilliance of the Senators’ Jason Spezza.
Local authors Marvin A. Cohen and Michael J. McCann, whose previous works include Baseball in Broome County, have compiled this special album with images from the Senators and local collectors to capture Broome County’s love affair with the game of hockey. It includes chapters covering local teams from the Broome Dusters (1973-1980) to the Binghamton Senators (2002-2005).
If you don’t already love hockey, you might just find yourself falling for it after reading this book!
This book can be found in the Local History Collection located in Special Collections on the second floor of the Glenn Bartle Library (off of the North Reading Room).