The Kalamazoo Wings, nicknamed the K-Wings, were a professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two o ...

team in

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropol ...

. The team played in the International Hockey League from the 1974–75 season to the 1999–2000 season. The team played in Wings Stadium and was affiliated with the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

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 fo ...

, and 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 ...

History

That team, which had named itself for its affiliation with the

NHL 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 ...

, changed its name during the 1995 playoffs to the Michigan K-Wings because the league wanted to raise its appeal for expanding to larger markets. The team's owner, the late R.T. Parfet, was the only small-market owner to oblige. However, concerns about larger-market teams entering the league, the league's instability, and the

ending their affiliation led to the Wings owners to request inactive status on April 17, 2000 and the team was dissolved. The IHL would fold a season later before the franchise could be resurrected. The original team colors were red, white, and blue until the end of the 1987–88 season when the owners announced that they would change colors to green, gold, black, and white to match their new NHL affiliate, the Minnesota North Stars. On July 27, 2000, the

Madison Kodiaks The Madison Kodiaks were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Madison, Wisconsin, during the 1999–2000 United Hockey League season. Affiliated with the AHL Milwaukee Admirals, the Kodiaks were an expansion team that filled the vo ...

of the

United Hockey League The United Hockey League (UHL), originally known as the Colonial Hockey League from 1991 to 1997 and last known as the International Hockey League from 2007 to 2010, was a low-level minor league, minor professional ice hockey league, with teams ...

announced that they were moving to Kalamazoo for the 2000–01 season, and would be known as the

Kalamazoo Wings The Kalamazoo Wings, nicknamed the K-Wings, are a mid-level professional ice hockey team in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A member of the ECHL's Western Conference, Central Division, they play in the 5,113-seat Wings Event Center. They are the affiliate ...

Championships

Standings

(*) - For 1987–1988 season Overtime Losses were tracked instead of Ties

Team records

Retired numbers

* #22 Mike Wanchuk * #26 Kevin Schamehorn

Single season

:Goals: 66

Dave Michayluk David Michayluk (born May 18, 1962) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played 21 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins. He was a member of Pittsburgh's 1992 Stan ...

(1984–85) :Assists: 113 Rob Brown (1993–94) :Points: 155 Rob Brown (1993–94) :Penalty minutes: 648 Kevin Evans (1986–87)

Career

:Career goals: 239 Mike Wanchuk and Kevin Schamehorn :Career assists: 308 Brent Jarrett :Career points: 475 Kevin Schamehorn :Career penalty minutes: 2,176 Kevin Evans :Career games played: 495 Kevin Schamehorn (1976–90)

References

External links

Kalamazoo Wings All-Time RosterMichigan K-Wings All-Time Roster
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalamazoo Wings (1974-2000) International Hockey League (1945–2001) teams Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States Ice hockey clubs established in 1974 Sports clubs disestablished in 2000 Professional ice hockey teams in Michigan Sports in Kalamazoo, Michigan Philadelphia Flyers minor league affiliates Detroit Red Wings minor league affiliates Dallas Stars minor league affiliates Minnesota North Stars minor league affiliates 1974 establishments in Michigan 2000 disestablishments in Michigan