The Omaha Knights was the name of three

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

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 ...

teams from 1959 to 1965 and from 1966 to 1975, based in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, at the Ak-Sar-Ben Arena. The Knights were founded in 1959 as members of the International Hockey League. Following the 1962-63 season the team moved to

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

, becoming the

Toledo Blades The Toledo Blades and Hornets were the International Hockey League franchise of Toledo, Ohio from 1963 to 1974. The first four years (1959-1963) of the franchise was in Omaha, NE as the Omaha Knights. After moving to Toledo for the 1963-64 seas ...

. A new Knights team joined 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 ...

for the 1963-64 season. This second iteration of the Knights moved to

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

to become the

Houston Apollos The Houston Apollos were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Houston, Texas. They played in the Central Hockey League from 1965 to 1969, and then from 1979 to 1981. From 1965 to 1969, they were a farm team of the NHL's Montreal Canadie ...

after the 1964-65 season. After a year without a team, hockey returned to Omaha for the 1966-67 season after the Minnesota Rangers moved from

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

, to vacate the market that the

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 ...

Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...

would soon occupy. The CPHL was renamed the Central Hockey League in 1968, where the Knights continued to play until they folded after the 1974–75 season. Ken Wilson was the general manager from 1960–1963.

Goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...

Glenn Ramsay Glenn Ramsay (born January 20, 1935 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) is a former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 19 seasons in the IHL (1956–74). Ramsay is a six-time winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy, which was awarded by t ...

won the

James Norris Memorial Trophy The James Norris Memorial Trophy, or simply the Norris Trophy, is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's top "defenceman, defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position". It is name ...

for the fewest goals against during the 1961–62 and the 1962–63 regular seasons. The Rookie of the Year Trophy was awarded to Knights' player

John Gravel John Gravel (born October 27, 1941) is a former ice hockey defenceman who played 16 seasons of professional hockey from 1962 to 1978. Gravel played eight games in the World Hockey Association during 1972–73 WHA season with the Philadelphia Blaz ...

in 1963.

External links

A to Z Encyclopedia of Ice Hockey - Omaha Knights

1962-63 Jersey - Omaha Knights

Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States International Hockey League (1945–2001) teams Sports in Omaha, Nebraska Ice hockey teams in Nebraska Central Professional Hockey League teams 1959 establishments in Nebraska 1975 disestablishments in Nebraska Ice hockey clubs established in 1959 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1975 Atlanta Flames minor league affiliates {{Nebraska-sport-team-stub