The New Mexico Scorpions were a
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 ...
(CHL) team located in
Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Rio Rancho ( es, Río Rancho) is the most populous and only city in Sandoval County, New Mexico, Sandoval County, part of the expansive Albuquerque metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of New Mexico. A small portion of the city extends into north ...
. The team was established in 1996 as a part of 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 ...
(WPHL). In 2001, the WPHL merged with the CHL. On July 2, 2009, the Scorpions ceased operations.
The Scorpions' home arena during their WPHL and early CHL days was the
Tingley Coliseum
Tingley Coliseum is an 11,571-seat multi-purpose arena in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Originally built as a rodeo and horse show auditorium, it is located at 300 San Pedro Drive N.E.
It was home to the Albuquerque Six-Guns and New Mexico Scorpions i ...
in
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
. The team suspended operations for the 2005-06 season, then moved to the new
Santa Ana Star Center
Rio Rancho Events Center is a 8,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, a city located near Albuquerque. The arena is located near the intersection of Unser Boulevard and Paseo del Volcan. It is part of a larger "City Center" proj ...
, in the neighbouring city of Rio Rancho, for the 2006-07 season.
The Scorpions finished at the top of the WPHL standings for their initial 1996–97 season, winning the inaugural Governor's Cup as regular season champion. The team had limited success in playoff/championship play. They made it to the WPHL championship finals in the 1999–00 season, losing to the
Shreveport Mudbugs
The Shreveport Mudbugs are a Tier II junior ice hockey team based in Shreveport, Louisiana, as a member of the North American Hockey League. The new Mudbugs replaced a former professional team that played in the area from 1997 to 2011 known as th ...
in six games. In the 2006–07 CHL season, the Scorpions won the Southwest Division playoffs, then lost the Southern Conference Championship series to the
Laredo Bucks
The Laredo Bucks were an ice hockey team in the Central Hockey League. The Bucks played in Laredo, Texas, United States at the Laredo Energy Arena, formerly known as the Laredo Entertainment Center. On May 1, 2012, the management, citing declin ...
.
The Scorpions'
mascot
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...
was named Stanley.
The owners included former
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
players
Dave Ellett
David George John Ellett (born March 30, 1964) is an American-born Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the NHL for 16 seasons. He was born in Cleveland because his father, Bob, was a minor-league hockey player playing ...
and
Brian Savage
Brian Arthur Savage (born February 24, 1971) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Fly ...
. The team's last coach was Randy Murphy.
References
Defunct Central Hockey League teams
Ice hockey teams in New Mexico
Sports in Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Ice hockey clubs established in 1996
Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2009
1996 establishments in New Mexico
2009 disestablishments in New Mexico
Sports in Albuquerque, New Mexico
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