Mohawk Valley Stars Get Rings From 81-82 Championship Season

Bill Horton's champion Mohawk Valley Stars finally got their rings on Saturday, more than three decades after winning the Atlantic Coast Hockey League's Payne Trophy at the Clinton Arena in 1982.

They are the area's last team to win a professional hockey championship, and the presentation came just hours before the Utica Comets were preparing for the puck drop in Game 1 of the AHL's Calder Cup Final.

Many of the former Stars were on hand to get their rings at the Utica Professional Hockey Alumni Association's 5th Annual Golf Tournament. Team members from that championship team knew they'd be presented with rings on Saturday, but the UPHAA board also surprised them with new jerseys.