The Phoenix Roadrunners were a
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 team in the
International Hockey League. The team was housed at
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The team played in the IHL from 1989 to 1997. The IHL Roadrunners were named for a
World Hockey Association team of
the same name. The IHL Roadrunners used a similar skating cartoon bird logo as the WHA team with different colors, without the outline of the state of
Arizona.
In 1996, the original Winnipeg Jets relocated to Phoenix, becoming the Coyotes. After one year competing with the Coyotes for fans, the Roadrunners folded at the end of the 1996-97 season. Coincidentally, the Coyote's AHL affiliate, the
Tucson Roadrunners, share the name and similar logo to the displaced IHL team.
See also
*
List of Phoenix Roadrunners (IHL) players
References
International Hockey League (1945–2001) teams
Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States
Sports in Phoenix, Arizona
Ice hockey clubs established in 1989
Sports clubs disestablished in 1997
Ice hockey teams in Arizona
1989 establishments in Arizona
1997 disestablishments in Arizona
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