| Buffalo Wings | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Amherst, New York |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Home arena | Marine Midland Arena (1997) Buffalo State Ice Arena (2008-present) |
| Colors | Black, jade, dark blue, silver, white |
| Franchise history | |
| 1994–1995 | Phoenix Cobras |
| 1996 | Empire State Cobras |
| 1997–present | Buffalo Wings |
The Buffalo Wings are an inline hockey team, playing in Major League Roller Hockey and formerly in Roller Hockey International, that is based in the city of Buffalo, New York. [1]
The Buffalo Wings franchise was originally the Phoenix Cobras from 1994 to 1995, and the Empire State Cobras in 1996. [2]
The 1996 Cobras consisted of former Buffalo Stampede players who joined the team after their franchise folded following the 1995 Roller Hockey International season. [2]
Relocated from Glen Falls, New York and renamed as the Buffalo Wings, the team played the 1997 season at the Marine Midland Arena. [1] The arrival of the Wings marked the return of professional roller hockey to Buffalo, having been the home of the short-lived Buffalo Stampede, which played at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium from 1994-1995. [3] From 1998-1999, the team played at the Buffalo State Sports Arena at Buffalo State College. [4]
Following the demise of Roller Hockey International, the organization continues to exist to this day as a youth hockey development organization. [ citation needed ] The professional team has been revived at least once (in 2004) in the Professional Inline Hockey Association. [ citation needed ]
The Wings were announced as one of the six teams participating in the 2008 Major League Roller Hockey Pro Tour.
The Columbus Destroyers were an Arena Football League (AFL) team based in Columbus, Ohio, with home games in Nationwide Arena. The team was founded in 1999 as the Buffalo Destroyers, based in Buffalo, New York, and relocated to Columbus in 2004. They folded along with the original incarnation of the AFL following the 2008 season, after a total of ten seasons of play.
The United Hockey League (UHL), originally known as the Colonial Hockey League from 1991 to 1997 and last known as the International Hockey League from 2007 to 2010, was a low-level minor professional ice hockey league, with teams in the United States and Canada. The league was headquartered in Rochester, Michigan, and, in its last year, consisted of seven teams. It folded in 2010, with most of its teams joining the Central Hockey League. The Central Hockey League teams still operating in 2014 were then added to ECHL. The only former CoHL/UHL/IHL teams still active as of 2022 are the Fort Wayne Komets and Kalamazoo Wings.
Roller Hockey International was a professional inline hockey league that operated in North America from 1993 to 1999. It was the first major professional league for inline hockey.
The Detroit Vipers were an International Hockey League team. The team was founded in 1994, and played at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
The 1997–98 NHL season was the 81st regular season of the National Hockey League. The Stanley Cup champions were the Detroit Red Wings, who swept the Washington Capitals in four games.
The Vancouver VooDoo were an inline hockey team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, which played in Roller Hockey International (RHI). The VooDoo were one of the original 12 teams to join the league in 1993. Founded and owned by Tiger Williams and Bill McMenamon, the team played in the PNE Agrodome in 1993 and 1994, the Pacific Coliseum in 1995. In 1996, the team played in General Motors Place after being sold to Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment, but folded in 1996.
The Buffalo Stampede were a Roller Hockey International team based in Buffalo, New York that was founded in the second season of the RHI. The team played at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium from 1994 to 1995. The team won the 1994 RHI Murphy Cup.
The Anaheim Bullfrogs were a professional inline hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Bullfrogs played in Roller Hockey International (1993–1997) and Major League Roller Hockey (1998) before returning to Roller Hockey international (1999). The Bullfrogs played their home games in the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim.
The Las Vegas Coyotes were an inline hockey team which competed in Roller Hockey International. The team was founded as the Atlanta Fire Ants in 1994 and had a two-season stint in Oklahoma City before the team relocated to Las Vegas. The team's home games were played at the Ice Arena at the Santa Fe Hotel and the team folded following the dissolution of the RHI after the 1999 season. The Coyotes were the second attempt by the RHI to field a team in the Las Vegas Valley, the Coyotes predecessor, the Las Vegas Flash, played one season in the league.
Major League Roller Hockey (MLRH) is a limited liability company which operates multiple inline hockey leagues and tournaments. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, MLRH is one of the only full-contact inline hockey competitions in the world.
Mark Major is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. He played two games in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings during the 1996–97 season. He was drafted 25th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. Major acquired many penalty minutes over his career due to his playing style, which involved battling in front of the net for loose pucks, scoring garbage goals, and blocking the goaltenders view. Major only played in two NHL games, for the Detroit Red Wings. He also enjoyed a short career as a professional inline hockey player in Roller Hockey International (RHI). Taking into account all of his hockey games played at a professional level, Major played in 1,339 games and acquired 4,334 penalty minutes, giving Major an average of 3.24 penalty minutes per game during his career. After 4 seasons and 2 Championships as head coach of the Amherstview Jets Junior A team, Major is taking a year off to help coach his daughter's Kingston Ice Wolves' Peewee AA team.
The New Jersey Rockin' Rollers were a professional inline hockey team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States that played in Roller Hockey International.
The Empire State Cobras were a one-year franchise in Roller Hockey International during the summer of 1996, based out of Glens Falls, New York. The Cobras drew fewer than 1,000 per game at home and owner Jerry Shorthouse ran out of money before the end of the season.
The Minnesota Blue Ox were a professional roller hockey team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, that played in Roller Hockey International.
The 1998–99 Carolina Hurricanes season was the second season of the NHL franchise in Greensboro, North Carolina. The club qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1992, placing first in the NHL Southeast division. The Hurricanes lost in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals to the Boston Bruins.
The 1998–99 Phoenix Coyotes season was the Coyotes' third season in Phoenix, the franchise's 20th season in the NHL and 27th overall. The Coyotes qualified for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, but they were upset in the Western Conference Quarterfinals by the St. Louis Blues, losing in seven games after being up three games to one. It was the third time in the decade that the Jets/Coyotes had blown a three games to one series lead. The first coming in 1990 and the other coming in 1992.
The 2010–11 NHL season was the 94th season of operation of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Finals four games to three, being the sixth Cup win in Bruins' franchise history. For the fourth consecutive season, the season started with games in Europe. The 58th All-Star Game was held at RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, home arena of the Carolina Hurricanes, on January 30, 2011.
Buffalo, New York and its greater metropolitan area is currently home to two major league sports teams, the Buffalo Sabres & Buffalo Bills. Buffalo is also home to several other major and minor league sports teams, including the Buffalo Bandits, Buffalo Bisons, Buffalo eXtreme and FC Buffalo. Local colleges active in NCAA Division I athletics include Canisius University, Niagara University, St. Bonaventure University and University at Buffalo.