The
Iowa Chops were a professional
ice hockeyIce 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 in the
American Hockey LeagueThe American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
. The club was based in
Des Moines, IowaDes Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
at the
Wells Fargo ArenaWells Fargo Arena is a 16,980-seat multi-purpose arena in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. Part of the Iowa Events Center, the arena opened in 2005, at a cost of $99 million....
.
History
The Chops were founded by Howard Baldwin, of Hockey Holdings & Management Group, and Dallas businessman Bob Schlegel, who took the dormant
Louisville PanthersThe Louisville Panthers were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Louisville, Kentucky. Their home venue was Freedom Hall at the Kentucky Exposition Center. The mascot was a light brown "panther" named Paws. They were affiliates of the Florida Panthers. The team became...
AHL franchise and resurrected it for the 2005–06 season as the
Iowa Stars (the same name as an earlier team in 1969-70 in the Central Hockey League). They had a five year affiliation agreement with the
Dallas StarsThe Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...
and a one year agreement with the
Edmonton OilersThe Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
.
In their inaugural season, the Stars made it to the Calder Cup playoffs first round, where they were defeated by the
Milwaukee AdmiralsThe Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA at the Bradley Center.-History:...
. The Stars won their first playoff series the following season, defeating the
Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben KnightsThe Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Omaha, Nebraska, USA at the Omaha Civic Auditorium from 2005–07...
in six games.
In February 2008, the Dallas Stars announced they would be affiliating with the future
Texas StarsThe Texas Stars are an American Hockey League team. They play in Cedar Park, Texas, near Austin.The team is the top affiliate of the NHL Dallas Stars. In April 2008, the Iowa Stars announced that they would no longer affiliate with the Dallas Stars, and changed the team's name to Chops for the...
pending the 2009 completion of the Cedar Park Entertainment Center in
Cedar Park, TexasCedar Park is a city in Travis and Williamson counties in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population is 48,937. The city is a major suburb of Austin, the center of which is approximately to the southeast, although Austin directly borders Cedar Park at the latter's...
. After the 2007-2008 season the Dallas Stars left the Iowa scene, and the
Anaheim DucksThe Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
announced an affiliation with the team.
On July 9, 2008, the team unveiled its new name and logo, featuring a "vicious boar’s head in the team colors of crimson, grey and black".
Portland Pirates' assistant
Gord DineenGordon M. Dineen is an American professional ice hockey coach. He is a former NHL defenceman.Although born in Canada, Dineen spent much of his youth in the United States, while his father Bill Dineen played and coached professionally. He returned to Canada to play major junior hockey for the...
was named Head Coach of the Iowa Chops on August 19, 2008.
On May 9, 2009, the Anaheim Ducks dropped their affiliation with the Iowa Chops, leaving Iowa to look for their third NHL affiliate in four seasons.
On July 7, 2009, the Iowa Chops franchise was suspended by the AHL's Board of Governors for the 2009-10 AHL season for being "unable to remedy certain violations of the provisions of the league’s Constitution and By-Laws." While the AHL declined further comment on the reasons for the suspension, the
Des Moines RegisterThe Des Moines Register is the daily morning newspaper of Des Moines, Iowa, in the United States. A separate edition of the Register is sold throughout much of Iowa.-History:...
reported in June, 2009, that the Chops had violated league rules by pledging the team as collateral for a $1.99 million loan from
WachoviaWachovia was a diversified financial services company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before its acquisition by Wells Fargo in 2008, Wachovia was the fourth-largest bank holding company in the United States based on total assets...
. The
Register also reported that the Ducks had dropped their affiliation with the Chops after the Chops missed payments on their affiliation contract.
After several months of speculation as to their future, the AHL announced on May 4, 2010, that the
Texas StarsThe Texas Stars are an American Hockey League team. They play in Cedar Park, Texas, near Austin.The team is the top affiliate of the NHL Dallas Stars. In April 2008, the Iowa Stars announced that they would no longer affiliate with the Dallas Stars, and changed the team's name to Chops for the...
had acquired the Chops' franchise. This transaction finalized the Stars' contractual obligation to acquire a permanent franchise in the league, as they operated in 2009-10 under a provisional franchise agreement.
Regular season
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | OTL | SOL | Points | Goals
for | Goals
against | Standing |
| 2005–06 The 2005–06 AHL season was the 70th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-seven teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hershey Bears won the Calder Cup, defeating the Milwaukee Admirals in the finals....
|
80 |
41 |
31 |
1 |
7 |
90 |
238 |
228 |
4th, West |
| 2006–07 The 2006–07 AHL season was the 71st season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-seven teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hamilton Bulldogs won their first Calder Cup, defeating the defending champions, the Hershey Bears in the finals....
|
80 |
42 |
34 |
3 |
1 |
88 |
221 |
231 |
4th, West |
| 2007–08 The 2007–08 AHL season is the 72nd season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-nine teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Chicago Wolves won their second Calder Cup, defeating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the Calder Cup Final.-Team changes:...
|
80 |
35 |
37 |
5 |
3 |
78 |
217 |
255 |
8th, West |
| 2008–09 The 2008–09 AHL season is the 73rd season of the American Hockey League. 29 teams each played 80 games in the regular season, which ran from October 8 until April 12.-Team and NHL affiliation changes:...
|
80 |
33 |
33 |
4 |
10 |
80 |
209 |
260 |
7th, West |
Playoffs
| Season | 1st round | 2nd round | 3rd round | Finals |
| 2005–06 The 2005–06 AHL season was the 70th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-seven teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hershey Bears won the Calder Cup, defeating the Milwaukee Admirals in the finals....
|
L, 3–4, MilwaukeeThe Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA at the Bradley Center.-History:...
|
— |
— |
— |
| 2006–07 The 2006–07 AHL season was the 71st season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-seven teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hamilton Bulldogs won their first Calder Cup, defeating the defending champions, the Hershey Bears in the finals....
|
W, 4–2, Omaha The Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Omaha, Nebraska, USA at the Omaha Civic Auditorium from 2005–07...
|
L, 2–4, Chicago The Chicago Wolves are a professional hockey team playing in the American Hockey League. They are the top affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois...
|
— |
— |
| 2007–08 The 2007–08 AHL season is the 72nd season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-nine teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Chicago Wolves won their second Calder Cup, defeating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the Calder Cup Final.-Team changes:...
|
Did not qualify. |
| 2008–09 The 2008–09 AHL season is the 73rd season of the American Hockey League. 29 teams each played 80 games in the regular season, which ran from October 8 until April 12.-Team and NHL affiliation changes:...
|
Did not qualify. |
Single game
- Goals: 4
Vojtech PolakVojtěch Polák is an ice hockey left wing under contract with the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League. He was born in Ostrov nad Ohří, Czechoslovakia...
(2006–07)
- Penalty Minutes: 32
David Berube (2005–06)
Single season
- Goals: 35
Loui ErikssonLoui Eriksson is a Swedish professional ice hockey left winger and an alternate captain for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
(2005–06)
- Assists: 47 Toby Petersen
Tobias Emanuel Petersen is an American professional ice hockey right winger who currently plays for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League...
(2005–06)
- Points: 73 Toby Petersen
Tobias Emanuel Petersen is an American professional ice hockey right winger who currently plays for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League...
(2005–06)
- Penalty Minutes: 189
Brennan EvansBrennan Evans is a Canadian professional ice hockey player with the Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League.-Playing career:...
(2008–09)
- GAA: 2.5 Mike Smith (2005–06)
- SV%: .917 Mike Smith (2005–06)
Career
- Career Goals: 49 Toby Petersen
Tobias Emanuel Petersen is an American professional ice hockey right winger who currently plays for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League...
(2005–08)
- Career Assists: 83 Toby Petersen
Tobias Emanuel Petersen is an American professional ice hockey right winger who currently plays for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League...
(2005–08)
- Career Points: 132 Toby Petersen
Tobias Emanuel Petersen is an American professional ice hockey right winger who currently plays for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League...
(2005–08)
- Career Penalty Minutes: 189 Brennan Evans
Brennan Evans is a Canadian professional ice hockey player with the Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League.-Playing career:...
(2008–09)
- Career Goaltending Wins: 25 Mike Smith (2005–06)
- Career Shutouts: 3 Mike Smith (2005–06)
- Career Games: 132 Yared Hagos
Yared Hagos is a professional Swedish ice hockey centre of Ethiopian descent, currently with Skellefteå AIK in the Swedish elite league Elitserien.-Playing career:...
(2005–07)
External links