Musketeer Mission Statement


This Site is
**************************************Under Construction*************************************
We are in the process of rebuilding and reformatting all of the BatchellerPad, USHLstuff and MusketeersStuff web pages.
 I am busily chipping away at this project but remember – I am an old dog learning a new trick!!!

What is MusketeersStuff.com ??? 

This year the Sioux City Musketeers will celebrate 53 exciting and memorable seasons of hockey!!!  MusketeersStuff.com
will be a place to showcase the historic six decades of Musketeer hockey in Sioux City.

This site will have team photos, individual player pictures and hockey action shots. It will feature the successes of the teams & players
have had over the seasons.

  
It will also have a jersey history of styles from every season. It will place with an emphasis on the players who wore these jerseys and their on
and off-ice hockey achievements. The site will also serves a a Musketeer jersey data base describing in detail each of the jerseys from every
season. It will also contain other Musketeers  items like programs, jackets, patches, pins, pucks, sticks and other Musketeer memorabilia.  

 I am asking for your help in making this Musketeer history project as complete as possible. We are
nearing a third generation of hockey fan in Sioux City, so many of our current fans were not privy to
the Musketeer’s old-time hockey of the 70’s, their domination of the league during the 80’s and the
future NHL stars of the 90’s and 00’s.

Any type of memorabilia you have will be greatly welcomed and regardless of what you have, I will make sure that
it is properly displayed within this collection!!!

I can receive any scanned/digital images you may have available. Any photos as well as other memorabilia will be
documented and returned by MusketeersStuff in a timely and secure manner!!! Actual pick-up and return of
some memorabilia could be possible. Please contact me using the e-mail link on the home page.

  

Why MusketeersStuff.com???

To this day, hockey still remains a huge part of my life. I love to play it, I love to ref it, I love to coach it, I love to
watch it and I love to reminisce about it!!! So you can imagine my excitement when I joined a conversation between some
 younger Musketeer hockey fans and they were they were talking about the old days of hockey.

I was excited to join the conversation and interject my many seasons memories of Musketeer. However, I was surprised
their old-days of hockey was 2002 and the last  Musketeers Clark Cup Championship. They had never heard legendary
Musketeers names like Peck, Johnson, LeGree, Hakstol, Siciliano, Grahame, Taylor, Shoffstall, Hale, Nelligan and countless
others that have made the Musketeers the most storied team in the USHL.

Sioux City is rich in USHL history and is steeped in hockey tradition. its players have gone on to success as well as
countless number of  teams that have captured season, league and national championships. So many  fans don’t
know of the Musketeer’s old-time hockey of the 70’s, their domination of the league during the 80’s and the future NHL
 stars of the 90’s.

This is my attempt to preserve some of these long forgotten Musketeer memories.

 

About Me

I have been a Musketeer fan from the very beginning. I started attending games in ’72 and was
hooked ever since. Every time I’m in the old Audi, I am flooded with memories of games played in that small little area the
Musketeer called home for some 32 seasons. I look up and see section 5 Row 5 seats 1&2  and think back to the good times I
had sitting in those seats watching my heroes do their thing.

As a kid I grew up with the original Musketeers, names like Peck, Johnson, Davies, LeGree, Murphy, Brandt, Head, Mulroy
and Bubba, they were my heroes. Many years later, I would be afforded the opportunity to call many of these guys my
friends as well.

At the same time I joined the newly formed Siouxland Youth Hockey Association (SYHA) where I played youth hockey for six
 seasons and four more for the Metros high school team. After five years out of town, I returned to Sioux City and took on some SYHA
coaching duties and played adult league hockey. In 1989 an opportunity to continue to be a part of the game I loved arose and I
began officiating for the then Iowa High School Hockey League (IHSHL). Two seasons later I joined the United States Hockey
League (USHL) as a member of its officiating staff where I worked for 20 seasons.

I am still a active USA Hockey official and work a regular schedule of Midwest High School Hockey League (MHSHL) as well
as some college club games. I am also currently the SYHA Referee-in-Chief.

Over the many year the USHL and the Musketeers have been such an integral part of my hockey life.  I was able to be around
the sport I loved and to play an, albeit small, part in its implementation as each season saw its completion. It left me with great
memories, terrific stories and it introduced me to fabulous friends and acquaintances. The USHL and the Musketeers have
been good to me over  the years and this in just a small way to say Thanks!!!
 

An Open Letter to Past Musketeer Players and Fans

I am starting a Musketeer History web site.  My goal is a place that provides a look and feel for our 50 plus year old  Musketeer
 hockey team!!! It will show-off Musketeer game jerseys, pucks, team pictures, action photographs, sticks and other similar items.

It is ultimately a tribute to the players, coaches and staff who have all given so much to the Musketeer organization. Whether it
be the player who spent just a single season away from home wearing the green & gold, staff who spent countless hours in the office
or the coaches who came here to make Musketeer hockey the best it could be.

As we approach a third generation of Musketeer hockey there are many fans out there totally unaware of the steeped traditions of
Musketeer hockey. Sioux City was legendary for it’s old-time hockey style in the 70’s; real boards, fence in place of glass, the chicken
lady and lots of hair. When players squared off…there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that there was gonna be a fight.  In the 80’s the
Musketeers dominated the league winning a pair of Anderson, Clark and National Championships. They had players set scoring
records that are still being chased today. In the 90’s Sioux City was known for it huge talent pool as many players continued on
to semi-pro and professional careers.

My question is…do you have any old Musketeer photographs and/or items that I could document??? All items while in
my possession will be treated like the important items they are, and I will make sure that everything is returned
 to you in a timely manner!!!

        I will be looking forward to hearing back from you and Thanks!!!! bob
                         
Bob Batcheller
Sioux City

Items of interest:

Musketeer Jerseys
Musketeer Photographs
USHL Jerseys
USHL Game Socks
Musketeer Game and/or Practice Socks
Musketeer Team Pictures
Musketeer Team Jackets
Pucks, Programs and other novelty items.

PS…I am set-up to receive any scanned/digital images. All items will be returned to you by MusketeersStuff.com in a timely and secure manner. 
Please contact me using the e-mail link to arrange possible pick-up and returns of some items.