The Fort Worth Brahmas were a 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 hock ...

team in the

Central 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 opera ...

, and previously the

Western Professional Hockey League The Western Professional Hockey League (abbreviated WPHL) is a defunct minor professional ice hockey league. The WPHL operated from 1996 to 2001 with teams based in the southern United States, primarily Texas and Louisiana. The league started with ...

. The team originally played at the

Fort Worth Convention Center The Fort Worth Convention Center (formerly known as the Tarrant County Convention Center) is a convention center and indoor arena located in Sundance Square in Fort Worth, Texas. The complex opened on September 30, 1968, and was expanded in 19 ...

but played their final six seasons, including their 2008–09 Championship season at the

NYTEX Sports Centre The NYTEX Sports Centre is a 2,400-seat multi-purpose arena in North Richland Hills, Texas. It is home to the Lone Star Brahmas of the North American Hockey League and the Texas Jr. Brahmas in the North American 3 Hockey League. The facility wa ...

. The CHL officially announced the team was going inactive on June 16, 2013.

History

1990s

Originally announced as the Fort Worth Bulls but forced to change their name after the Birmingham Bulls objected, the team began play in the

as the Fort Worth Brahmas (named after Brahma bulls) while the CHL's

Fort Worth Fire The Fort Worth Fire were a professional ice hockey team in the Central Hockey League. Their home games were played in the Fort Worth Convention Center Arena. They began operations in 1992 and ceased operations in 1999. At the conclusion of the ...

were still in operation. The Fire eventually ceased operations. The Fort Worth Brahmas played their home games at the

2000s

Due to problems negotiating a lease with the Fort Worth Convention Center, the Brahmas announced on May 3, 2006, that they would suspend operations for the 2006–07 season. However, they returned for the 2007–08 season as the Texas Brahmas and began play in the

(formerly known as the Blue Line Ice Complex) in

North Richland Hills, Texas North Richland Hills, commonly known as NRH, is a city inside Tarrant County, Texas, United States, and a mid-to-high end suburb of Fort Worth. The population was 69,917 at the 2020 census, making it the third largest city in Tarrant County. In ...

. NYTEX Sports is owned by former Brahmas minority owners, Sal and Frank Trazzera. Their first season in North Richland Hills proved to be very successful as they entered the postseason for the first time since the 2001–02 season. In the first round the Brahmas defeated the

Mississippi RiverKings The Mississippi RiverKings were a professional minor league ice hockey team. The RiverKings were a member of the Southern Professional Hockey League from 2011 to 2018 after playing their first nineteen seasons (1992–2011) in the Central Ho ...

, then went on to sweep the

Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs The Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs were a professional ice hockey team which played in the Bossier City- Shreveport metropolitan area of Louisiana. From 1997 to 2001, the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs were members of the Western Professional Hockey Le ...

in four games with David Cacciola in goal. In the Northern Conference Finals, the Brahmas took the series to Game 7 before losing to the defending champions, the

Colorado Eagles The Colorado Eagles are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Loveland, Colorado. The Eagles play in the Pacific Division of the American Hockey League. The Eagles were founded as an expansion franchise in 2003 in the Central Hoc ...

. In 2008–09, the Brahmas won the Southeast Division and defeated the

Odessa Jackalopes The Odessa Jackalopes are a Tier II junior ice hockey team playing in the North American Hockey League (NAHL). The team is based in Odessa, Texas and plays their home games at Ector County Coliseum. History The franchise first played as the ...

in seven games to capture the Southern Conference Championship. The team then advanced to the Ray Miron President's Cup Finals to face the Colorado Eagles, whom they defeated in five games. The 2008–09 CHL Championship was the first by the Texas/Ft. Worth Brahmas franchise and the first for the Fort Worth area since the

won the 1996–97 CHL Governor's Cup. The Brahmas lost in the playoffs of the 2009–10 season in a close 2–1 fifth game against the Odessa Jackalopes.

2010s

Allen Americans vs Fort Worth Brahmas - 11 January 2013 C

The 2010–2011 season for the Brahmas ended on a losing note in the first round of the playoffs against the Odessa Jackalopes in four games, three games to one. Very shortly prior to the start of the 2012–2013 preseason, the team was sold to a Fort Worth-based investment group and returned to the Fort Worth Brahmas branding for the 2012–2013 season. The membership of investment group was still in flux when the season began and some of the big money contributors never officially came into the fold. The team struggled with financial issues throughout the season before the franchise went inactive for at least one season a second time. After the franchise folded, the

Texas Tornado The Texas Tornado were a Junior A hockey team located in Frisco, Texas, USA. The team joined the North American Hockey League's Central division in 1999 (and moved into the newly formed southern division three years later) while located in North ...

of the

North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 48th season of operation in 2022–23. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...

relocated to the

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

suburb of

North Richland Hills North Richland Hills, commonly known as NRH, is a city inside Tarrant County, Texas, United States, and a mid-to-high end suburb of Fort Worth. The population was 69,917 at the 2020 census, making it the third largest city in Tarrant County. In ...

and became the

Lone Star Brahmas The Lone Star Brahmas are a Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) based in North Richland Hills, Texas (a suburb of Fort Worth). The Brahmas play their home games at the NYTEX Sports Centre. The Brahmas nick ...

and began play at the NYTEX Sports Centre beginning with the 2013–14 season.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite news , agency=

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

, newspaper=

Abilene Reporter-News ''Abilene Reporter-News'' is a daily newspaper based in Abilene, Texas, United States. The newspaper started publishing as the weekly ''Abilene Reporter'', helmed by Charles Edwin Gilbert on June 17, 1881, just three months after Abilene was fo ...

, title=New Fort Worth hockey team to be launched , url=http://www.texnews.com/texsports97/hockey051497.html , date=May 14, 1997 , access-date=December 3, 2012 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050525033416/http://www.texnews.com/texsports97/hockey051497.html , archive-date=May 25, 2005 , url-status=dead {{cite web , website=Fort Worth Brahmas , title=Brahmas are back for 2012-2013 season , url=http://www.brahmas.com/news/articles/index.html?article_id=1608 , date=October 12, 2012 , access-date=December 3, 2012 , archive-url=https://archive.today/20130118104914/http://www.brahmas.com/news/articles/index.html?article_id=1608 , archive-date=January 18, 2013 , url-status=dead

External links

Official site of the Texas Brahmas
Ice hockey teams in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Defunct Central Hockey League teams Fort Worth Brahmas players Ice hockey teams in Texas Defunct ice hockey teams in Texas Ice hockey clubs established in 1997 1997 establishments in Texas Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2013 2013 disestablishments in Texas