May 1, 2018
The Long Island Ducks personified an era and a brand of hockey. From 1959 to 1973, they fought, checked, and slashed their way through the Eastern Hockey League and the Long Island Arena in Commack.
If this sounds vaguely familiar, think back to the 1977 film Slap Shot with Paul Newman. Newman's character, Reg Dunlop, was based on the Duck's defensiveman John Brophy.
Chrs Vaccaro, head of the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame, relates the story of this storied franchise. Connie Currie tells her own story of watching the Ducks play and what it was like inside that big drafty barn of a stadium when the pucks were flying.