The Chicago Hounds were a minor professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

team in the

United 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 Unite ...

(UHL) for the

2006–07 UHL season The 2006–07 United 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 h ...

. They played their home games at the

Sears Centre The Now Arena (originally known as the Sears Centre, Sears Centre Arena and stylized as NOW Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a northwest suburb from Chicago, near land which formerly contained the Poplar Creek Musi ...

Hoffman Estates, Illinois Hoffman Estates is a village in Illinois, United States. The village is located primarily in Cook County, with a small section in Kane County. It is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 52,530. The village now serves a ...

. The new UHL team was approved for a new arena in Hoffman Estates in early 2005 to be owned by Dr. Eric Margenau, a New York-based psychologist who also owned several other minor league teams including the

Chicago Slaughter The Chicago Slaughter were an American professional football team based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Having been inactive since 2013, the franchise was a part of the CIFL from 2007 to 2009, winning the championship in 2009. The Slaughter joined ...

indoor football team. On January 31, 2006, Robbie Nichols was announced to be leaving his post as coach of the

Richmond RiverDogs The Richmond RiverDogs were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Richmond, Virginia, that played at the Richmond Coliseum from 2003 to 2006. The RiverDogs were formed during an expansion of the United Hockey League (UHL) in the fall o ...

, which was also owned by Dr. Margenau, to start up the new UHL team in Chicago. The Hounds franchise was then officially a relocation of the RiverDogs after the owners did not renew their lease in Richmond. Nichols left the Chicago franchise in April 2006 to become head coach and general manager of the

Elmira Jackals The Elmira Jackals were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Elmira, New York. They were members of the United Hockey League from 2000 to 2007 and the ECHL from 2007 to 2017. The Jackals played their home games at First Arena. On ...

and the manager of

First Arena The First Arena is a 3,784-seat multi-purpose facility located in downtown Elmira, New York. It features two ice surfaces, a full-service restaurant and bar, a food service center for the recreational rink, video game arcade, 31 luxury suites, p ...

in Elmira, New York. The Hounds then hired former

Fort Wayne Komets The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This team was previously a member of the Central Hockey League, the original Inte ...

' coach Greg Puhalski, who came in as the head coach with the most wins in UHL history. The Hounds got off to an inauspicious start as their first home game was canceled due to bad ice at the brand new Sears Centre. The game was supposed to start at 7:30pm Central Time, but the decision to cancel was not announced until 9pm. Several fans were alleged to have thrown rubber pucks for the Chuck-A-Puck promotion in the direction of UHL commissioner Richard Brosal, who was the one that made the official announcement to the fans. Late in the 2006–07 season, the Hounds were sold to Craig Drecktrah, owner of the UHL's

Rockford IceHogs The Rockford IceHogs are a professional ice hockey team based in Rockford, Illinois. They are members of the American Hockey League (AHL), having begun play in the League starting in the 2007–08 season. The team plays their home games at the ...

. On June 6, 2007, Drecktrah ceased the team's operations citing his inability to negotiate a reasonable lease with the Sears Centre. Drecktrah stated the Sears Centre wanted him to take mostly weekdays, leaving the more desirable weekend dates for the other tenants. He also said the building management wanted to triple the cost of his lease. The team attempted to resume play in the UHL, which had rebranded International Hockey League, for the 2008–09 season, but Drecktrah was unable to secure a venue in the Chicago area. In 2010, it was announced that Drecktrah would be bringing an

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

team, the

Chicago Express The Chicago Express were a professional ice hockey team located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, serving the Chicago market. The Express were a member of the North Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The team played its home games at the Se ...

, to the Sears Centre, which competed in the 2011–12 season before ceasing operations.

References

External links

Chicago Hounds on HockeyDB.com
Defunct United Hockey League teams Defunct ice hockey teams in Illinois Ice hockey clubs established in 2006 Sports clubs disestablished in 2007 Ice hockey teams in Illinois

Hounds A hound is a type of dog that assists hunters by tracking or chasing the animal being hunted. Hound may also refer to: * Dog, any dog of the subfamily Caninae Arts and entertainment * ''Hounds'' (TV series), a 2012 television comedy series set ...

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