Central Hockey League
The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a mid-level professional hockey league in the United States. It is owned by Global Entertainment Corporation. It was started in 1992.
History
The first CHL season was in 1992-1993. It started with six teams, including the Oklahoma City Blazers, the Tulsa Oilers, the Wichita Thunder, the Memphis RiverKings, the Dallas Freeze and the Fort Worth Fire.
In 1996-97, the Huntsville Channel Cats, along with the planned 1996–97 Southern Hockey League (SHL) expansion teams Columbus Cottonmouths, Macon Whoopee, and Nashville Nighthawks, joined the Central Hockey League after the SHL ended.
The CHL came together with the Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL) in 2001.
The CHL commissioner is now Duane Lewis, who succeeded Brad Treliving on an temporary basis after Treliving took a position with the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes following the 2006-2007 season. Treliving co-founded the WPHL in 1996, and after the 2001 merger, served with the CHL for seven years.[1] Lewis was named the permanent commissioner in June 2008.[2]
On June 1, 2010 the league announced that it would come together with the International Hockey League.[3]
Current teams
The CHL is divided into two Conferences. Teams compete every year for the Ray Miron President's Cup.
League champions
- 1993 - Tulsa Oilers
- 1994 - Wichita Thunder
- 1995 - Wichita Thunder
- 1996 - Oklahoma City Blazers
- 1997 - Fort Worth Fire
- 1998 - Columbus Cottonmouths
- 1999 - Huntsville Channel Cats
- 2000 - Indianapolis Ice
- 2001 - Oklahoma City Blazers
- 2002 - Memphis RiverKings
- 2003 - Memphis RiverKings
- 2004 - Laredo Bucks
- 2005 - Colorado Eagles
- 2006 - Laredo Bucks
- 2007 - Colorado Eagles
- 2008 - Arizona Sundogs
- 2009 - Texas Brahmas
- 2010 - Rapid City Rush
References
- ↑ "Treliving new Coyotes assistant GM". Azcentral.com. 2007-07-19. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
- ↑ "News". centralhockeyleague.com. 2008-06-17. Archived from the original on 2010-12-14. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
- ↑ "CHL and IHL Make Major Announcement". Archived from the original on July 15, 2010. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
- Stott, Jon C. (2006). Hockey Night in Dixie: Minor Pro Hockey in the American South. Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd. pp. 16–201. ISBN 1894974212.