The Wichita Wind were a minor league

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 Wichita,

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

from 1980 to 1983. They were the

feeder team Feeder may refer to: Technology * Feeder (livestock equipment) * Feeder (beekeeping), any of several devices used in apiculture to supplement or replace natural food sources * Feeder (casting), another name for a riser, a reservoir built into a ...

of the

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 ...

(1980–81 and 1981–82 seasons) and the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

(1982–83). The Wind played 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 ...

(CHL) at the Britt Brown Arena in the

Kansas Coliseum Kansas Coliseum was an entertainment complex in unincorporated Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. It was located north of Wichita at the intersection of I-135 and 85th Street North. It hosted sporting events, concerts, shows, and consisted ...

. The team's general manager (GM) was Larry Gordon for all three seasons of existence. In June 1980, Gordon was replaced as Oilers' GM and took over as president, owner, and GM of the Wind. The team name was picked from 6,600 entries in a name-the-team contest, and the team's mascot was an orange tornado.

Roy Sommer Roy A. Sommer (born April 5, 1957) is an American former professional ice hockey player who is currently serving as the head coach of the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League (AHL). Sommer played three games for the Edmonton Oilers of th ...

, who went on to become coach of the

San Jose Barracuda The San Jose Barracuda are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that began play in the 2015–16 season. The team will play at Tech CU Arena beginning in the 2022-23 season. The Barracuda is a relocation of the ...

, was the

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

all three seasons of the Wind's existence.

Seasons

The Wind were decimated by injuries their inaugural season. In a game against 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 ...

on December 27, 1980, they dressed coach

Garnet Bailey Garnet Edward "Ace" Bailey (June 13, 1948 – September 11, 2001) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and scout who was a member of Stanley Cup– and Memorial Cup– winning teams. He died at the age of 53 while aboard United Airlines ...

as a

defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...

and a public relations employee as the backup

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 ...

; they lost the game 6–3. Bailey was described by

Tom Roulston Thomas Irwin Roulston (born November 20, 1957) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the third round, 45th overall, of the 1977 NHL amateur draft. He was also drafted by the World H ...

as "just like a big kid", who also said that many practices consisted of half-ice scrimmages and shootouts. The team played to sixth place at 32 wins, 45 losses, and 3 ties in the regular season, also gaining the most

penalty minutes A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for an infringement of the rules. Most penalties are enforced by sending the offending player to a penalty box for a set number of minutes. During the penalty the player may not participate in play. Penaltie ...

. Bailey's club won its first playoff series against the

Indianapolis Checkers The Indianapolis Checkers were a minor league professional ice hockey team from Indianapolis, Indiana. The Checkers' home arena was the Fairgrounds Coliseum from 1981 to 1985 and Market Square Arena from 1979 to 1981 and again from 1985 to 1987. Th ...

in the decisive fifth game 6–5 on a goal by Tom Roulston, the league's leading scorer. The Wind won the following series 4–2 against the

, who led the regular-season standings. The Wind lost in seven games to the reigning champions, the

Salt Lake Golden Eagles The Salt Lake Golden Eagles were a minor professional hockey team based in Salt Lake City from 1969 to 1994. History They played in the Western Hockey League from 1969 to 1974, the Central Hockey League from 1974 to 1984 and the International H ...

, in the Adams Cup championship series.

Don Murdoch Donald Walter Murdoch (born October 25, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, and Detroit Red Wings between 1976 and 1982. He was featured in ...

was named playoff MVP after accumulating 17

goals A goal is an objective that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve. Goal may also refer to: Sport * Goal (sports), a method of scoring in many sports, or the physical structure or area where scoring occurs ** Goals, the goal frame in ...

and 7 assists over 18 games, a CHL playoff record for points. After the season,

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

Don Ashby Donald Allan Ashby (March 8, 1955 – May 30, 1981) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played six seasons in the National Hockey League from 1975–76 until 1980–81. Early life and career Ashby was born in Kamloops, British Co ...

, the Wind's second-leading scorer, died in a car crash. BrittBrownArenaInside

The Wind, now coached by

John Muckler John Muckler (April 13, 1934 – January 4, 2021) was a professional hockey coach and executive, who last served as the general manager of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Muckler had over 50 years of professional hockey e ...

, concluded the 1981–82 pre-season with a 5–4 loss to the Golden Eagles. A good checking team but lacking in offensive power, only four Wichita players averaged over one point per game. Following a game in which the team received 19 fighting penalties, Muckler and eight other members of the organization spent a night in jail for a nightclub altercation. The owner of a disco club asked police to remove the players from his property; Muckler said police "panicked" and "didn't handle the situation very professionally". After winning twice and tying once in their last three games, the Wind finished the regular season 44–33–3, first in the league's South division. In the first round of the playoffs, the Wind swept three games from the

Nashville South Stars The Nashville South Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the Central Hockey League (CHL) for the 1981–82 season. They then played in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) for the 1982–83 season and part of the 1983–84 s ...

; 1981–82 was their only season in the CHL. In the following round, Wichita was dismissed by the Checkers after losing four consecutive games. In August 1982, Muckler was named assistant coach of the Oilers and replaced by Andy Laing. Additionally, the New Jersey Devils replaced the Oilers as the Wind's parent team. The Wind missed the playoffs for the first time, finishing in sixth place with a 29–48–3. They were eliminated from playoff contention early in the season. It was announced after the season that the team would not play in Wichita a fourth year because of conflicts over the lease on the Kansas Coliseum. The Coliseum's owners wanted a two-year commitment while GM Gordon wanted a one-year lease. Additionally, the team lacked a practice facility; Gordon said the team "bent over backward to keep hockey in Wichita". A preliminary agreement was reached to move the team to Yellowstone METRA (now

Rimrock Auto Arena First Interstate Arena (colloquially known as The Metra) is a multi-purpose arena located at MetraPark, the fairgrounds of Billings, Montana. The arena has a capacity of 8,700 for ice hockey and indoor football games, 10,500 for basketball, and u ...

) in

Billings Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metrop ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

, where they later became the

Montana Magic The Montana Magic were a minor professional ice hockey team that played in Billings, Montana, as a member of the defunct Central Hockey League (CHL) in the 1983–84 season. They filled the void left by the departure of the major junior Billings ...

during the 1983-84 season.

References

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External links

Wichita Wind season statistics and records
a
The Internet Hockey Database
1980 establishments in Kansas 1983 disestablishments in Kansas Central Professional Hockey League teams Defunct Central Hockey League teams Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States Defunct sports teams in Kansas Edmonton Oilers minor league affiliates Ice hockey clubs established in 1980 Sports clubs disestablished in 1983 Sports in Wichita, Kansas Ice hockey teams in Kansas New Jersey Devils minor league affiliates