The Iowa Stars, later known as the Iowa Chops, 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

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

. The club was based in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

at the Wells Fargo Arena.

History

The Stars were founded by Howard Baldwin, of Hockey Holdings & Management Group, and Dallas businessman Bob Schlegel, who took the dormant

Louisville Panthers The 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 a ...

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 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 ...

). They had a five-year affiliation agreement with the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and were founde ...

and a one-year agreement with the

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center. ...

. In their inaugural season, the Stars made it to the Calder Cup playoffs first round, where they were defeated by the

Milwaukee Admirals The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panther Arena. They are affiliated with the NHL's Nashvil ...

. The Stars won their first playoff series the following season, defeating the

Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights The Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Omaha, Nebraska, United States at the Omaha Civic Auditorium from 2005–07. Following the 2006–07 season, the Calgary Flames announ ...

in six games. In February 2008, the Dallas Stars announced they would be affiliating with the future

Texas Stars The Texas Stars are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Cedar Park, Texas, near Austin, with home games at the H-E-B Center. They are owned by the National Hockey League's (NHL) Dallas Stars and are the t ...

pending the 2009 completion of the Cedar Park Entertainment Center in

Cedar Park, Texas Cedar Park is a city and a major suburb of Austin in the state of Texas, approximately to the north-west of the center of Austin. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the city's population was 77,595. History Before the arrival of European settl ...

. After the

2007–08 AHL season The 2007–08 AHL season was 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 Fi ...

, the Dallas Stars left the Iowa scene, and the Anaheim Ducks 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 The Portland Pirates were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). Their home arena was the Cross Insurance Arena in downtown Portland, Maine. The franchise was previously known as the Baltimore Skipjacks fr ...

assistant

Gord Dineen Gordon M. Dineen (born September 21, 1962) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. As of 2019, he is an assistant coach of the Rochester Americans. He is a former head coach for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, a ...

was named head coach of the Iowa Chops on August 19, 2008. On May 9, 2009, the Anaheim Ducks dropped their affiliation with the 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 Register ''The Des Moines Register'' is the daily morning newspaper of Des Moines, Iowa. History Early period The first newspaper in Des Moines was the ''Iowa Star''. In July 1849, Barlow Granger began the paper in an abandoned log cabin by the junction ...

'' reported in June, 2009, that the Chops had violated league rules by pledging the team as collateral for a $1.99 million loan from

Wachovia Wachovia was a diversified financial services company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before its acquisition by Wells Fargo and Company in 2008, Wachovia was the fourth-largest bank holding company in the United States, based on total asse ...

. 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

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 as an expansion team under a provisional agreement to obtain an existing franchise license.

Season-by-season results

Regular season

Playoffs

Team records

Single game

:Goals: 4 Vojtech Polak (2006–07) :Penalty Minutes: 32 David Berube (2005–06)

Single season

:Goals: 35

Loui Eriksson Loui William Eriksson (born 17 July 1985) is a Swedish professional ice hockey forward currently playing for Frölunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Eriksson was selected by the Dallas Stars in the second round, 33rd overall, at th ...

(2005–06) :Assists: 47

Toby Petersen Tobias Emanuel Petersen (born October 27, 1978) is an American former professional ice hockey right winger who formerly played for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He attended Colorado College, and was drafted by the Pittsburg ...

(2005–06) :Points: 73

(2005–06) :Penalty Minutes: 189

Brennan Evans Brennan Evans (born January 6, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 13 years in the American Hockey League and with the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Evans spent four season ...

(2008–09) :GAA: 2.5 Mike Smith (2005–06) :SV%: .917 Mike Smith (2005–06)

Career

:Career Goals: 49

(2005–08) :Career Assists: 83

(2005–08) :Career Points: 132

(2005–08) :Career Penalty Minutes: 189

(2008–09) :Career Goaltending Wins: 25 Mike Smith (2005–06) :Career Shutouts: 3 Mike Smith (2005–06) :Career Games: 132

Yared Hagos Yared Hagos (born 27 March 1983) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey centre of Ethiopian descent, who last played for the Sheffield Steelers in the UK's EIHL. He also recently played with the Krefeld Pinguine in the Deutsche Eishockey Li ...

(2005–07) Affiliates *

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

(2005-2006) *

(2005-2008) *

(2008-2009)

References

External links

Official website
{{Defunct AHL Ice hockey teams in Iowa Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2009 Ice hockey clubs established in 2005 2005 establishments in Iowa 2009 disestablishments in Iowa Sports in Des Moines, Iowa Anaheim Ducks minor league affiliates Dallas Stars minor league affiliates