It’s not much of a stretch to say that professional hockey in Muskegon was built around Joe Kastelic. An eight-year veteran of the International Hockey League, the left winger had spent time in Fort Wayne and Louisville before his arrival in Muskegon in 1961.  The Zephyrs, entering only their second year in the league, had acquired one of the league’s premier talents.

Kastelic was in his prime and it showed as he posted a career-high 54 assists and a team-leading 101 points as the Zephyrs posted a 43-23-2 regular season mark.  The team won eight of nine playoff contests en route to their first ever IHL Turner Cup championship. During his seven seasons in Muskegon, Kastelic never scored fewer than 78 points.   In fact, he scored 78 points in the final season of his career (1967-68), helping the Muskegon franchise win their second Turner Cup championship. Many believe that team was the best in Muskegon hockey history, featuring the likes of former National Hockey League star Carl Brewer, as well as Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame inductees Bryan McLay and Gary Ford.
Kastelic grew up in Ontario, Canada, the son of immigrant parents from Slovenia who came to the small northern town to work in the gold mines. A natural athlete, Kastelic played in the top baseball minor league in Canada and was courted by the Boston Red Sox as a first baseman and outfielder, before deciding on hockey.

He retired in 1968 after a 15-year career in the IHL.  When he left the game, he was the league’s all-time leading scorer with 551 goals.  The mark lasted 24 years before it was topped.  Kastelic’s career total of 583 assists ranked fourth. His 63 goals scored in 67 games during the 1962-63 season was fifth in league history at the time of his retirement.