Fort Worth Texans

Last updated
Fort Worth Texans
City Fort Worth, Texas
League Central Hockey League
Operated1967–1982
Home arena Will Rogers Coliseum
ColorsRed & White (1967–1973)
Blue, Orange & White (1974–1979)
Affiliates Detroit Red Wings,
St. Louis Blues,
New York Islanders,
Colorado Rockies
Franchise history
1963 Indianapolis Capitals
1963–1964 Cincinnati Wings
1964–1967 Memphis Wings
1967–1974Fort Worth Wings
1974–1982Fort Worth Texans

The Fort Worth Texans were a professional ice hockey team based in Fort Worth, Texas. The Texans started playing in 1967 as the Fort Worth Wings, a minor league affiliate for the Detroit Red Wings. The team were part of the Central Hockey League and played their home games at Will Rogers Coliseum. Eventually, the Texans won their only Adams Cup Championship in 1978, by defeating their rival Dallas Black Hawks 5–4 in overtime of game seven of the finals.

Contents

History

Beginning play in 1967, the Fort Worth Wings were known to be a "powerhouse." The new Wings were led by Rick McCann who scored 71 points and helped propel the Wings into the playoffs. They eventually lost in the finals. They continued to remain competitive in the following seasons, only missing the playoffs once between 1968 and 1974. In 1972, the Wings shared roster spots on the team with the St. Louis Blues due to money constraints and finally disbanded the following season. However, a new club bought the rights to the team and from 1973 to 1978 they were a farm team of the New York Islanders (with some players held for Minnesota and Los Angeles). They won the Adams cup in 1978 with the help of Richie Hansen and future NHLer Gary Smith. The team was again sold to the late Dick Andersen in 1979 to 1982, becoming a farm team of the Colorado Rockies. After the 1981–82 season, the Texans, along with the Dallas Black Hawks and Oklahoma City Stars, left the Central Hockey League. Seeing as these were the most popular teams, the move greatly affected overall attendance and the league folded after the 1983–84 season. [1] The Texans were the only professional team to beat the 1980 USA Hockey "Miracle on Ice" Olympic team twice during the Pre-Olympic tour, winning on Jan 16, 1980, 4–3 at a sold-out Will Rogers Coliseum and then 5–3 nine days later at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota. All the CHL teams played a round-robin with the Olympic team that season, with one game at home and one game in Bloomington. The games against the USA hockey team were very important to the CHL teams as they counted in the standings. The USA Olympic team finished 14–3–1 against the CHL teams. The Texans surprisingly finished 37–34–3 and reached the finals of the 1979–80 Adams Cup, losing in seven games to the Salt Lake City Golden Eagles.

The "Rock and Roll" song (the actual name of the song is "Rock and Roll Part 2"), also known as "The Hey Song", a song performed by British glam rocker Gary Glitter that was released in 1972 as a single and on the album Glitter , was played in the late 1970s when the Texans came onto the ice at the start of every period. It was also used by the Colorado Rockies and became their theme song, before it later spread around the country.

One game featured, as part of their intermission entertainment, a short exhibition hockey game between girls from the Dallas Playboy club and airmen stationed at Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth. The Airmen shared the ice with the Texans for a practice in the week leading up to the game. A team of local college players helped the girls. They advertised in the local papers with the slogan "War on Ice".

Head coaches

The head coaches of the franchise include Fern Flaman, Doug Barkley, Bob Lemieux, Johnny Choyce, Ed Chadwick, Terry Gray, Billy MacMillan, Ron Ullyot, and Andy Laing.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Hockey League</span> North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league

The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which operated the league from 2000 to 2013, at which point it was purchased by the individual franchise owners. As of the end of its final season in 2014, three of the 30 National Hockey League teams had affiliations with the CHL: the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Hockey League</span> 1991–2010 North American ice hockey league

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.

The Western Professional Hockey League was a minor professional ice hockey league.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Marlies</span> American Hockey League team in Toronto, Ontario

The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies are owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, a company that owns several professional sports teams in the city, including their NHL affiliate, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Marlies have played their home games at Coca-Cola Coliseum since 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corpus Christi IceRays (1998–2010)</span> Ice hockey team in Corpus Christi, Texas

The Corpus Christi IceRays were a minor-league ice hockey team based in Corpus Christi, Texas affiliated with the Western Professional Hockey League from 1998–2001, and with the Central Hockey League from 2001 to 2010. The "IceRays" moniker derives from the many different species of stingrays who inhabit the nearby Gulf of Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Worth Brahmas</span> Ice hockey team in North Richland Hills, Texas

The Fort Worth Brahmas were a professional ice hockey team in the Central Hockey League, and previously the Western Professional Hockey League. The team originally played at the Fort Worth Convention Center but played their final six seasons, including their 2008–09 Championship season at the NYTEX Sports Centre. The CHL officially announced the team was going inactive on June 16, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Worth Convention Center</span> Arena in Texas, United States

The Fort Worth Convention Center is a convention center and indoor arena located in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. The complex opened on September 30, 1968, and was expanded in 1983, 2002 and 2003.

Richard Jacques LaFerrière is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. His only NHL appearance came on February 23, 1982 when he was called in to relieve Chico Resch of goaltending duties at start of the third period in a game against the Detroit Red Wings.

The Dallas Black Hawks were a minor-league professional ice hockey team in Dallas, in the U.S. state of Texas. It was a member of the Central Hockey League and played home games at State Fair Coliseum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fair Park Coliseum (Dallas)</span>

Fair Park Coliseum is an 8,513-seat multi-purpose arena in Dallas, Texas (USA) on the Fair Park grounds. It was home to the Dallas Black Hawks ice hockey team and Dallas Chaparrals basketball team. It was built in 1955. It was also home to the new ABA's Dallas Generals for the 2009–2010 season before the franchise folded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloomington PrairieThunder</span> Ice hockey team in Illinois, United States

The Bloomington PrairieThunder were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Bloomington, Illinois. They were a member of the Central Hockey League in the Turner Conference. The team was originally a member of the United Hockey League prior to its merger into the CHL in 2010. They played their home games at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum.

The Central Professional Hockey League was a minor professional ice hockey league that operated in the United States from 1963 to 1984. Named the Central Hockey League for the 1968–69 season and forward, it was owned and operated by the National Hockey League and served as a successor to the Eastern Professional Hockey League, which had folded after the 1962–63 season. Four of the CHL's initial franchises were, in fact, relocations of the previous year's EPHL teams, while the fifth came from the International Hockey League. Its founding president was Jack Adams, who served in the role until his death in 1968. The CHL's championship trophy was called the Adams Cup in his honor.

The Adams Cup was awarded annually to the championship team in Central Professional Hockey League (CPHL).

Robert Arthur Cook was a Canadian ice hockey player. Cook played professional ice hockey from 1966 to 1975, including 72 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with four teams. Cook finished his career with the New Haven Nighthawks of the American Hockey League (AHL) during the 1974–75 season.

The Fayetteville Force was a professional ice hockey team. based in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The franchise was a member of the Central Hockey League (1997–2001). They played their home games at the Crown Coliseum.

Texas is home of several national sports league franchises among other professional sports, being the second most populated U.S. state. Since the state is located in the South Central United States, most teams are part of the Central / South or West league divisions, with the notable exception of the NFL Dallas Cowboys, which is an NFC East franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wichita Wind</span> Ice hockey team in Wichita, Kansas

The Wichita Wind were a minor league ice hockey team based in Wichita, Kansas from 1980 to 1983. They were the feeder team of the Edmonton Oilers and the New Jersey Devils (1982–83). The Wind played in the Central Hockey League (CHL) at the Britt Brown Arena in the Kansas Coliseum. The team's general manager (GM) was Larry Gordon for all three seasons of existence.

The 2010–11 CHL season was the 19th season of the Central Hockey League (CHL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma City Blazers (1965–1977)</span> Ice hockey team in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

The Oklahoma City Blazers were a professional ice hockey team that was based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They competed in the Central Professional Hockey League from 1965 to 1977. The team played their home games in the Fairgrounds Arena, and later in The Myriad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in Dallas</span>

The city of Dallas and the Dallas metropolitan area are home to teams in six major sports: the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars, FC Dallas, and Dallas Wings.

References

  1. ↑ "Fort Worth Wings / Texans". Archived from the original on 2007-04-16. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.