It was one of those typical Michigan fall-to-winter days, gloomy and gray. Inside, what was then the Saginaw Civic Center, it was even gloomier and decidedly much colder. The mercury and sodium lights high atop what is now known as the Dow Event Center, cast an almost apocalyptic aura and were a stark contrast to the pallor outside. This is what greeted a rag-tag assemblage of youngsters with National Hockey League (NHL) aspirations; aging veterans in the twilight of their careers, and a small group of anticipatory fans checking out what would become their "Saginaw Gears,” the newest addition to the International Hockey League (IHL).
The “Saginaw Gears,” a name chosen through a Saginaw News sponsored contest, proved to be a perfect fit for a community that relies heavily on the numerous General Motors plants, auto parts suppliers and foundries throughout the city. Also greeting this band of misfits was Head Coach, Don Perry, a tough taskmaster, who would later distinguish himself as the coach of the Los Angeles Kings.
Wren Blair, a self-proclaimed hockey guru, best known as the man who in 1962 found and signed NHL Hall of Famer, Bobby Orr (destined to become the greatest junior hockey player ever to come out of Canada, at the age of 14), was attempting to bring the sport of hockey to this blue-collar, lunch box carrying Saginaw fan base. At the time Wren was heavily involved with the Minnesota North Stars and a team in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL), the Clinton Comets.
Most of those attempting to make the Gears were either veterans from the EHL ice wars or NHL draft picks. Perhaps Saginaw Township sportswriter Len Boers said it best: “Obviously, there remains a lot more to Wren Blair than the mere reflection of a smooth-talking, superbly attired executive; he’s also a proven coach, a skillful manager, a highly successful businessman, a talent-wise scout and a super host. Like the late actor, Lon Chaney (the man of a thousand faces), or perhaps like Michigan weather, Wren Blair presents many fronts to the world. He is consistently adaptable, a multi-talented man of many moods and interests, mercurial in temperament; he’s uniquely complex, inquisitive, occasionally moody, at times stubbornly – almost violently opinionated, always ambition bitten and the owner of an abundant supply of ego; and through it all, a hard-nosed, go-for-broke, explosive kind of guy. A man sometimes difficult to understand and often controversial; but, fun-loving, and likable, possessing a strong streak of sentiment for all those who are on his ‘team’. He is an intensely loyal and charismatic man with an Old World charm that makes you like and admire him even when you are in direct disagreement with him.”
Blair began his coaching career in the City Mercantile League in his adopted home of Oshawa, Ontario. In his early hockey management years Blair’s team won an unprecedented 10 championships in 13 seasons, ranging from the World Amateur title in 1958 (with the Senior B Whitby Dunlops in Oslo, Norway) to the Eastern Canada junior crown in 1966.
Up to this time, Saginaw sports fans were content supporting high school sports (mainly basketball) and wandering down to Hoyt Park, sitting on the hill, to catch some of the finest fast-pitch softball pitchers in the world. Unbeknownst to the most die-hard sports aficionados of the Saginaw sports scene, this day would forever change the local high school athletic programs, as well as providing entertainment to a core group of loyal supporters.
Playing for Wren in Clinton, NY was Dennis Desrosiers, a sometimes-volatile right-winger who would be the first player ever signed to play for the Saginaw Gears. Blair purchased the rights to Desrosiers and as the owner and general manager of this new franchise, brought him to Saginaw.
The Saginaw Gears honored their “plank owners,” a term recognizing its first year players with a team picture distributed just prior to the end of their initial season. Those pictured represent a “who’s who” of Saginaw hockey and the start of a ten-year “love/hate” relationship with the city and its fans.

The Task Master and Master Tasker

Don Perry (Head Coach) – Coach Perry played hockey for nineteen years, spent mostly in the rough and tumble EHL. He would prove to be an excellent fit for the hard working, Union heavy, industrialized blue-collar town like Saginaw. He epitomized the stay-at-home defenseman that was so predominant before the more offensive minded young bulls started showing up on rosters in the NHL. He wanted defensemen that would sacrifice their bodies to block shots, wearing their hematomas like war medals and ribbons. If there was any doubt about his toughness, one only had to look at his accumulation of penalty minutes (1,935 minutes in 949 games putting him third in all-time PIM in the EHL). It was no wonder that Dennis Desrosiers would be the type of player that Perry would look to carry the Gears banner.
Coach Perry would take the reins of the Gears and coach them for nine seasons. He would lead them to a Turner Cup Championship in 1976-77. During his tenure with Saginaw, he would compile 357 wins, 276 losses and 67 ties. He took the Gears to three final playoff series and missed the postseason play just 3 times.
Perry was once quoted about winning. “I don’t lose well … I hate losing … winning is the only way!” After going into the playoffs for the past three seasons, twice into the final round, Coach Perry had finally reached the pinnacle of IHL hockey-dom during the 1976-77 campaign. He had coached a team that had the Turner Cup in their possession. That summer Don and his wife Marge (also director of Special Promotions) would have a more relaxing summer vacation at their summer home on Lake George, New York.