COMETS HONOR MOHAWK VALLEY STARS SATURDAY NIGHT

Feb 4, 2025

Luann Horton-Murad, the long investor, executive manager of the Utica Comets was once a part of the upstart Mohawk Valley Stars. The team began in the Atlantic Coast Hockey Leaguein 1981 and skated away with the league championship in 1982. 

 

The idea, which started with her late husband and Utica legend, Bill Horton, was the restart the tradition of professional hockey in Utica; picking up where the Clinton Comets left off many years earlier. Luann gives us an incredible insight to starting the team alongside the coach, general manager and husband to get the team off the ground with the necessary players and investors. After the dust settled, the team was embraced by the city of Utica and stood alone as league champions.

 

 

Tell us what your role with the team when it started?

 

I was the office manager. I was the one pulling tickets, talking with fans and doing all that was necessary to help get the team going from the ground up. I was there to support Bill and we had to do everything. We had a very small office staff. There was nothing I didn’t do. The total number of employees was five!  

 

Was there any time where you thought it was too much?

 

No… we never looked at it that way. We just kept forging ahead.

 

Bill Horton had a tremendous impact that continues to this day. Can you describe what he went through to make it all happen?

 

You must remember, back then, the Auditorium was a closed facility. He had to the get the Aud opened. It was in shambles. Broken seats… etc. He had a lot of stamina. He’s been referred to as revered GM and coach, but he had a fighting spirit. That’s what made it all happen. That’s why the Bill Horton Award is given by the team to the player with the most heart. Bill gave everything he had. He saved hockey two other times it was folding in the area. Having the Aud reopened was the reason the Utica Devils came here. The path was from the Stars all the way to the Comets in the AHL.

 

Going back in the story even further, he had to find all the ownership to make this happen. He went to many people to show them the perspectives. The main owner was Victor Ehre, the CEO of Utica National Insurance Company. There were others but it was all Bill that made this happen. He had a dream very similar to Robert Esche and I really saw that in Rob because he had the same fighting spirit and the same heart when he wanted to bring the AHL to Utica. It was the same vision as my late husband. Keeping hockey alive in the Mohawk Valley. 

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Tell us about how Bill forged relationships with NHL teams to get affiliated players to play for him?

 

We had two working agreements with the Hartford Whalers and the Philadelphia Flyers… we had players come from there with include Mark Marchand and Jeff Pyle. Bill was known primarily back then for being a hockey player and he used his connections around the hockey world to forge the affiliation deals and ultimately to get hockey going again.

 

Talk about what the championship in 1982 and what it was like and having Bill named coach of the year?

 

After such a struggle it was amazing. It was truly the icing on the cake. It was all the hard work that paid off.

 

Believe it or not during the finals, the Aud was booked for a circus so, we had to move to Clinton Arena. It was so packed you couldn’t get another sole in the building. People were hanging form the ceiling. It was a game against Salem against Pat Kelly… who was a legend of the Clinton Comets. Bill had to get a police escort because traffic was backed up all the way to New Hartford to get down to route 12 and to the arena.  That’s where it was, and they made it happen. It was an amazing experience. 

 

 

How did the city of Utica embrace the team?  

 

The support was a slow build, but the city did embrace us. The place needed renovation so that was the biggest deterrent. There was a time where over 700 seats were broken and couldn’t be sold! It took time but we made it happen. Our front office was in a concession stand! But, once things got going, we had tremendous support. 

 

 

What does this Retro Night mean to you?

 

Extremely heartfelt. To see his vision truly come through. It’s the reason we have the AHL team here now.