Wichita Wind
Encyclopedia
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
(1980–81 and 1981–82 seasons) 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.
In June 1980, Gordon was replaced as Oilers' GM and took over as president, owner, and GM of the Wind. The team name was picked from 6,600 entries in a name-the-team contest, and the team's mascot was an orange tornado. Roy Sommer
, now coach of the Worcester Sharks
, was the captain
all three seasons of existence.
on December 27, 1980, they dressed coach Garnet Bailey
as a defenseman and a public relations employee as the backup goaltender
; they lost the game 6–3. Bailey was described by Tom Roulston
as "just like a big kid", who also said that many practices consisted of half-ice scrimmages and shootouts. The team played to sixth place at 32 wins, 45 loses, and 3 ties in the regular season, also gaining the most penalty minutes. Bailey's club won its first playoff series against the Indianapolis Checkers
in the decisive fifth game 6–5 on a goal by Tom Roulston, the league's leading scorer. The Wind won the following series 4–2 against the Dallas Black Hawks
, who led the regular-season standings. The Wind lost in seven games to the reigning champions, the Salt Lake Golden Eagles
, in the Adams Cup championship series. Don Murdoch
was named playoff MVP after accumulating 17 goals
and 7 assists
over 18 games, a CHL playoff record for points. After the season, center
Don Ashby
, the Wind's second-leading scorer, died in a car crash.
The Wind, now coached by John Muckler
, concluded the 1981–82 pre-season with a 5–4 loss to the Golden Eagles. A good checking team but lacking in offensive power, only four Wichita players averaged over one point per game. Following a game in which the team received 19 fighting penalties, Muckler and eight other members of the organization spent a night in jail for a nightclub altercation. The owner of a disco club asked police to remove the players from his property; Muckler said police "panicked" and "didn't handle the situation very professionally". After winning twice and tying once in their last three games, the Wind finished the regular season 44–33–3, first in the league's South division. In the first round of the playoffs, the Wind swept three games from the Nashville South Stars
; 1981–82 was their only season in the CHL. In the following round, Wichita was dismissed by the Checkers after losing four consecutive games.
In August 1982, Muckler was named assistant coach of the Oilers and replaced by Andy Laing. Additionally, the New Jersey Devils replaced the Oilers as the Wind's parent team. The Wind missed the playoffs for the first time, finishing in sixth place with a 29–48–3. They were eliminated from playoff contention early in the season. It was announced after the season that the team would not play in Wichita a fourth year because of conflicts over the lease on the Kansas Coliseum. The Coliseum's owners wanted a two-year commitment while GM Gordon wanted a one-year lease. Additionally, the team lacked a practice facility; Gordon said the team "bent over backward to keep hockey in Wichita". A preliminary agreement was reached to move the team to Yellowstone METRA (now Rimrock Auto Arena) in Billings
, Montana
, but the move never occurred.
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 Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
from 1980 to 1983. They were the feeder team of the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The 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 ....
(1980–81 and 1981–82 seasons) and the New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
(1982–83). The Wind played in the Central Hockey League (CHL) at the Britt Brown Arena in the Kansas Coliseum
Kansas Coliseum
Kansas Coliseum was a complex, in the Wichita suburb, of Valley Center, Kansas, that hosted sporting events, concerts and shows.It consists of four pavilions, one RV park and the 9,686-seat Britt Brown Arena, named for Harry Britton Brown Jr., of Wichita, the former owner of The Wichita Eagle...
. The team's general manager (GM) was Larry Gordon for all three seasons of existence.
In June 1980, Gordon was replaced as Oilers' GM and took over as president, owner, and GM of the Wind. The team name was picked from 6,600 entries in a name-the-team contest, and the team's mascot was an orange tornado. Roy Sommer
Roy Sommer
Roy A. Sommer was a professional ice hockey player who played for the Edmonton Oilers of the NHL. He also served as an assistant coach of the San Jose Sharks. Since 1998, he has been the head coach of the Worcester Sharks, the American Hockey League affiliate of the San Jose Sharks. Currently, he...
, now coach of the Worcester Sharks
Worcester Sharks
The Worcester Sharks are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League . The franchise is located in Worcester, Massachusetts and play their home games at the DCU Center in Downtown Worcester. The Sharks and the city of Worcester hosted the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic.-History:On...
, was the captain
Captain (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, each team can designate an official captain for each game. The player serving as captain during the game wears a "C" on his or her jersey...
all three seasons of existence.
Seasons
The Wind were decimated by injuries their inaugural season. In a game against the Dallas Black HawksDallas 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....
on December 27, 1980, they dressed coach Garnet Bailey
Garnet Bailey
Garnet Edward "Ace" Bailey was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and scout who was a member of Stanley Cup and Memorial Cup winning teams...
as a defenseman and a public relations employee as the backup goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
; they lost the game 6–3. Bailey was described by Tom Roulston
Tom Roulston
Thomas Roulston is a former professional ice hockey right winger. He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the third round, 45th overall, of the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft...
as "just like a big kid", who also said that many practices consisted of half-ice scrimmages and shootouts. The team played to sixth place at 32 wins, 45 loses, and 3 ties in the regular season, also gaining the most penalty minutes. Bailey's club won its first playoff series against the Indianapolis Checkers
Indianapolis Checkers
The Indianapolis Checkers were a minor league professional ice hockey team from Indianapolis, Indiana. The Checkers' home arena was the Pepsi Coliseum. The team originated in the Central Hockey League where they played from 1979 to 1984. The Checkers filled a void left by the departed Indianapolis...
in the decisive fifth game 6–5 on a goal by Tom Roulston, the league's leading scorer. The Wind won the following series 4–2 against 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....
, who led the regular-season standings. The Wind lost in seven games to the reigning champions, the Salt Lake Golden Eagles
Salt Lake Golden Eagles
The Salt Lake Golden Eagles were a minor professional hockey team based in Salt Lake City, Utah from 1969 to 1994.They played in the Western Hockey League from 1969 to 1974, the Central Hockey League from 1974 to 1984 and the International Hockey League from 1984 to 1994...
, in the Adams Cup championship series. Don Murdoch
Don Murdoch
Donald Walter Murdoch is a retired former professional ice hockey player. After a standout junior career with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Murdoch made the New York Rangers as a 20-year-old and had an impressive rookie scoring 56 points in 59 games his rookie season...
was named playoff MVP after accumulating 17 goals
Goal (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to...
and 7 assists
Assist (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal...
over 18 games, a CHL playoff record for points. After the season, center
Centre (ice hockey)
The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player...
Don Ashby
Don Ashby
Donald Allan Ashby was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played six seasons in the National Hockey League from 1975–76 until 1980–81....
, the Wind's second-leading scorer, died in a car crash.
John Muckler
John Muckler is a professional hockey coach and executive, most recently serving as the general manager of the Ottawa Senators of the NHL. Muckler has over 50 years of professional hockey experience as a part owner, general manager, director of player personnel, director of hockey operations, head...
, concluded the 1981–82 pre-season with a 5–4 loss to the Golden Eagles. A good checking team but lacking in offensive power, only four Wichita players averaged over one point per game. Following a game in which the team received 19 fighting penalties, Muckler and eight other members of the organization spent a night in jail for a nightclub altercation. The owner of a disco club asked police to remove the players from his property; Muckler said police "panicked" and "didn't handle the situation very professionally". After winning twice and tying once in their last three games, the Wind finished the regular season 44–33–3, first in the league's South division. In the first round of the playoffs, the Wind swept three games from the Nashville South Stars
Nashville South Stars
The Nashville South Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the Central Hockey League for the 1981-82 season. They then played in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League for the 1982-83 season and part of the 1983-84 season before the franchise relocated to become the Virginia Lancers.It had been...
; 1981–82 was their only season in the CHL. In the following round, Wichita was dismissed by the Checkers after losing four consecutive games.
In August 1982, Muckler was named assistant coach of the Oilers and replaced by Andy Laing. Additionally, the New Jersey Devils replaced the Oilers as the Wind's parent team. The Wind missed the playoffs for the first time, finishing in sixth place with a 29–48–3. They were eliminated from playoff contention early in the season. It was announced after the season that the team would not play in Wichita a fourth year because of conflicts over the lease on the Kansas Coliseum. The Coliseum's owners wanted a two-year commitment while GM Gordon wanted a one-year lease. Additionally, the team lacked a practice facility; Gordon said the team "bent over backward to keep hockey in Wichita". A preliminary agreement was reached to move the team to Yellowstone METRA (now Rimrock Auto Arena) in Billings
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, but the move never occurred.