Fort Worth Texans
Encyclopedia
The Fort Worth Texans were a professional ice hockey
team based in Fort Worth
, Texas
. They started play in 1967 as the Fort Worth Wings, a minor league affiliate for the Detroit Red Wings
. They were part of the Central Hockey League and played their home games at Will Rogers Coliseum
. The team won their only Adams Cup Championship, in 1978 by defeating their arch rival Dallas Black Hawks 5-4 in overtime of game seven of the finals.
was 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 team 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 and from 1979 to 1982, they were 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.http://pages.prodigy.net/oldchl/texans.htm
that was released in 1972 as a single and on the album Glitter, was played in the late 70's 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. The Texans were one of the first teams to use the song at games.
One game featured, as part of their intermission entertainment, a short exhibition hockey game between girls from the Dallas playboy bunny
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".
The Fort Worth Wings/Texans and the Dallas Black Hawks
maintained one of the most intense and storied rivalries in all sports history, featuring several bench clearing brawls and one famous near-riot during the 1978 season that occurred in the stands at the Will Rogers Coliseum during a 10 cent beer night promotion (the last that Fort Worth ever held, not coincidentally). Fort Worth, during the 1978 championship campaign, featured stickers and buttons that read "BEAT dallas". The rivalry between the Wings/Texans and the Blackhawks
also made them two of the most popular teams in the CHL.
, Bob Lemieux
, Johnny Choyce, Ed Chadwick
, Terry Gray
, Johnny Choyce, Billy MacMillan, Ron Ullyot, and Andy Laing.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team based in Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. They started play in 1967 as the Fort Worth Wings, a minor league affiliate for the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
. They were part of the Central Hockey League and played their home games at Will Rogers Coliseum
Will Rogers Memorial Center
The Will Rogers Memorial Center is an public entertainment, sports and livestock complex located in Fort Worth, Texas . The complex is named for American humorist and writer Will Rogers. The WRMC is the home of the annual Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo...
. The team won their only Adams Cup Championship, in 1978 by defeating their arch rival Dallas Black Hawks 5-4 in overtime of game seven of the finals.
History
Beginning play in 1967, the Fort Worth Wings were a force to be reckoned with. The newest team in the Central Professional Hockey LeagueCentral Professional Hockey League
The Central Hockey League was a minor professional ice hockey league that operated in the United States from 1963 to 1984. Initially named the Central Professional Hockey League, it was owned and operated by the National Hockey League and served as a successor to the Eastern Professional Hockey...
was led by Rick McCann
Rick McCann
Richard Leo McCann was a professional ice hockey player who played 43 games in the National Hockey League. He played with the Detroit Red Wings.- References :...
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 team 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
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
(with some players held for Minnesota
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
and Los Angeles
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
). They won the Adams cup in 1978 with the help of Richie Hansen
Richie Hansen
Richard John Hansen is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 14 games in the National Hockey League. He played for the New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues....
and future NHLer Gary Smith. The team was again sold and from 1979 to 1982, they were a farm team of the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies (NHL)
The Colorado Rockies were an American professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League that played in Denver, Colorado, from 1976 to 1982. They were a relocation of the Kansas City Scouts, a 1974 expansion team. The franchise moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1982 and was...
. After the 1981-82 season, the Texans, along with the Dallas Black Hawks
Dallas Black Hawks
The Dallas Black Hawks were a minor-league professional ice hockey team in Dallas, Texas. They were a member of the Central Hockey League and played home games at State Fair Coliseum....
and Oklahoma City Stars
Oklahoma City Stars
The Oklahoma City Stars were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the Central Hockey League from 1978 to 1982. They were affiliated with the Minnesota North Stars of the National Hockey League....
, 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.http://pages.prodigy.net/oldchl/texans.htm
Trivia
The "Rock and Roll" song (the actual name of the song is "Rock and Roll: Part II"), also known as "The Hey Song," a song performed by British glam rocker Gary GlitterGary Glitter
Gary Glitter is an English former glam rock singer-songwriter and musician.Glitter first came to prominence in the glam rock era of the early 1970s...
that was released in 1972 as a single and on the album Glitter, was played in the late 70's 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. The Texans were one of the first teams to use the song at games.
One game featured, as part of their intermission entertainment, a short exhibition hockey game between girls from the Dallas playboy bunny
Playboy Bunny
A Playboy Bunny is a waitress at the Playboy Club. The Playboy Clubs were originally open from 1960 to 1988. The Club re-opened in one location in The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas in 2006...
club and Airmen stationed at Carswell Air Force Base
Carswell Air Force Base
Carswell Air Force Base, was a United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base located about northwest central of Fort Worth, Texas, United States; the air force base is mostly within the Fort Worth city limits and has portions within Westworth and White Settlement...
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".
The Fort Worth Wings/Texans and the Dallas Black Hawks
Dallas Black Hawks
The Dallas Black Hawks were a minor-league professional ice hockey team in Dallas, Texas. They were a member of the Central Hockey League and played home games at State Fair Coliseum....
maintained one of the most intense and storied rivalries in all sports history, featuring several bench clearing brawls and one famous near-riot during the 1978 season that occurred in the stands at the Will Rogers Coliseum during a 10 cent beer night promotion (the last that Fort Worth ever held, not coincidentally). Fort Worth, during the 1978 championship campaign, featured stickers and buttons that read "BEAT dallas". The rivalry between the Wings/Texans and the Blackhawks
Dallas Black Hawks
The Dallas Black Hawks were a minor-league professional ice hockey team in Dallas, Texas. They were a member of the Central Hockey League and played home games at State Fair Coliseum....
also made them two of the most popular teams in the CHL.
Head Coaches
The head coaches of the franchise include Fern Flaman, Doug BarkleyDoug Barkley
Norman Douglas Barkley is a former professional ice hockey defenceman. After his playing career he was the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings for two separate occasions.-Playing career:...
, Bob Lemieux
Bob Lemieux
Robert "Bobby" Lemieux is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman who played 19 games for the Oakland Seals of the National Hockey League in 1967–68. He was a First Team All-Star and was named the top defenceman of the International Hockey League in 1965–66 while playing with the Muskegon...
, Johnny Choyce, Ed Chadwick
Ed Chadwick
Edwin Walter Chadwick is a retired Canadian ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League during the Original Six era for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins.-Playing career:...
, Terry Gray
Terry Gray (ice hockey)
Terrence Stanley Gray is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played 147 games in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, and St. Louis Blues....
, Johnny Choyce, Billy MacMillan, Ron Ullyot, and Andy Laing.