The Fort Worth Texans 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 based in

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 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. They started play in 1967 as the Fort Worth Wings, a minor league affiliate for the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

. They were part of 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 played their home games at

Will Rogers Coliseum The Will Rogers Memorial Center (WRMC) is an American public entertainment, sports and livestock complex located in Fort Worth, Texas. It is named for American humorist and writer Will Rogers. It is a popular location for the hosting of specia ...

. 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 League The Central Professional Hockey League was a minor professional ice hockey league that operated in the United States from 1963 to 1984. Named the Central Hockey League for the 1968–69 season and forward, it was owned and operated by the Natio ...

was led by

Rick McCann Richard Leo McCann (May 27, 1944 – September 3, 2013) was a Canadian ice hockey player who played 43 games in the National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hock ...

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 The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...

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 The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

(with some players held for

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

). They won the Adams cup in 1978 with the help of Richie Hansen and future NHLer Gary Smith. The team was again sold to the late Dick Andersen in 1979 to 1982, they were a farm team of the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

. After the 1981-82 season, the Texans, along with the

Dallas Black Hawks The Dallas Black Hawks were a minor-league professional ice hockey team in Dallas, in the U.S. state of Texas. It was a member of the Central Hockey League and played home games at State Fair Coliseum. Origins and relocation to Dallas The Blac ...

and

Oklahoma City Stars The Oklahoma City Stars are the athletic teams that represent Oklahoma City University, located in Oklahoma City, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAI ...

, 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.

Trivia

The "Rock and Roll" song (the actual name of the song is "Rock and Roll Part 2"), also known as "The Hey Song", a song performed by British glam rocker Gary Glitter that was released in 1972 as a single and on the album ''

Glitter Glitter is an assortment of small, reflective particles that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Glitter particles reflect light at different angles, causing the surface to sparkle or shimmer. Glitter is similar to confetti, sparkle ...

'', was played in the late 1970s 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 the only professional team to beat the 1980 USA Hockey "Miracle on Ice" Olympic team twice during the Pre-Olympic tour, winning on Jan 16, 1980, 4–3 at a sold-out Will Rogers Coliseum and then 5–3 nine days later at the Met Center in Bloomington, MN. All the CHL teams played a round-robin with the Olympic team that season, with one game at home and one game in Bloomington. The games against the USA hockey team were very important to the CHL teams as they counted in the standings. The USA Olympic team finished 14–3–1 against the CHL teams. The Texans surprisingly finished 37–34–3 and reached the finals of the 1979–80 Adams Cup, losing in seven games to the Salt Lake City Golden Eagles. One game featured, as part of their intermission entertainment, a short exhibition hockey game between girls from the Dallas

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

club and airmen stationed at

Carswell Air Force Base Carswell Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force (USAF) base, located northwest of Fort Worth, Texas. For most of its operational lifetime, the base's mission was to train and support heavy strategic bombing groups and wings. Carswe ...

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

maintained one of the most intense and storied rivalries in all sports history, featuring several bench clearing brawls. Fort Worth, during the 1978 championship campaign, featured stickers and buttons that read "BEAT dallas" as well as hosting the Blackhawks for a 10 cent beer night that became a near riot. The rivalry between the Wings/Texans and the Blackhawks also made them two of the most popular teams in the CHL.

Head coaches

The head coaches of the franchise include

Fern Flaman Ferdinand Charles Carl "Fernie" Flaman (January 25, 1927 – June 22, 2012) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League. He was known as a physical defensi ...

Doug Barkley Norman Douglas Barkley (born January 6, 1937) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League with the Chicago Black Hawks and Detroit Red Wings between 1957 and 1966. After his playing career he w ...

Bob Lemieux Robert Lemieux (born December 16, 1944) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman and coach. He played 19 games for the Oakland Seals of the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1967–68. He was a First Team All-Star and was named the ...

, Johnny Choyce,

Ed Chadwick Edwin Walter Chadwick (born May 8, 1933) is a Canadian retired ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins between 1955 and 1962. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1952 t ...

, Terry Gray,

Billy MacMillan William Stewart MacMillan (born March 7, 1943) is a Canadian former hockey coach and player. MacMillan played and later coached in the National Hockey League (NHL). After several years with the Canadian national team, including playing at two Wo ...

, Ron Ullyot, and Andy Laing.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Fort Worth Wings (1967-68) on Hockey Database.com

Fort Worth Wings (1968-74) on Hockey Database.com

Fort Worth Texans on Hockey Database.com
Ice hockey clubs established in 1967 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1982 Defunct Central Hockey League teams Ice hockey teams in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Defunct ice hockey teams in Texas Central Professional Hockey League teams 1967 establishments in Texas 1982 disestablishments in Texas Detroit Red Wings minor league affiliates St. Louis Blues minor league affiliates New York Islanders minor league affiliates Los Angeles Kings minor league affiliates Minnesota North Stars minor league affiliates Colorado Rockies (NHL) minor league affiliates