Cincinnati stingers

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Cincinnati stingers
Logo of the Cincinnati Stingers
founding May 6, 1973
resolution 1979
history Cincinnati Stingers
1975 - 1980
Stadion Riverfront Coliseum
Location Cincinnati , Ohio
Team colors yellow, black, white
league World Hockey Association (1975–1979)
Central Hockey League (1979–1980)
Avco World Trophies no
Division title no

The Cincinnati Stingers were an ice hockey team from Cincinnati that was active in the North American World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1975 to 1979 and was disbanded the following year.

history

Foundation and successes

Almost two and a half years passed between the allocation of the franchise and the first game of the Stingers. Brian Heekin III and Bill DeWitt Jr. were the first to receive an expansion franchise from WHA on May 6, 1973, shortly after the first finals for the Avco World Trophy . The construction of the stadium had been delayed and the Riverfront Coliseum , which could hold 15,820 spectators , was not completed until the 1975/76 season . In the meantime, the Stingers had been active in the player market and had diligently signed players. Some of the players have meanwhile been loaned to other teams, such as Dennis Sobchuk , brought in by the Regina Pats , who helped the new Phoenix Roadrunners team get through well in their first season.

At the beginning of the 1975/76 season the players were brought together and under the direction of coach Terry Slater some stars were committed. Among them was Rick Dudley , who was brought out of the NHL by the Buffalo Sabers . Dudley had already played in the American Hockey League in Cincinnati from 1971 to 1973 . In the Eastern Division, the team finished last and missed the playoffs, but with 71 points they were only five points behind the first of the division, the Indianapolis Racers .

The team was further strengthened for the 1976/77 season . The Toronto Maple Leafs signed winger Blaine Stoughton , among others . Now they made it into the playoffs, but there the Indianapolis Racers were the last stop in the first round and knocked out the Stingers with 4-0 games.

There followed a turbulent 1977/78 season in which one reinforced with Robbie Ftorek from the Phoenix Roadrunner, who had stopped the game operation and with goalkeeper Michel Dion and coach Jacques Demers who were both brought from Indianapolis. But in the middle of the season, because of the great loss the team had made, they had to part with numerous players. Even if Ftorek played an excellent season, it was difficult to prevent the last place in the league.

In the summer of 1978, the Stingers were on the verge of bankruptcy, but the great demand for tickets saved the team. Ftorek was the second best scorer in the league with 116 points, ahead of the young Wayne Gretzky . Then there were the rookies Mark Messier and Mike Gartner as well as Mike Liut as goalkeeper. So they reached the playoffs again, but again the first round was over.

In a league that had numerous questionable club owners and unstable teams, the Stingers were a role model for caution. The two owners remained loyal to their team throughout and built the franchise solidly from the ground up. The only thing that did not succeed was to get enough spectators excited about ice hockey in Cincinnati. When negotiating a merger with the NHL, they tried to get a place in the NHL, but the crisis in 1978 and the low number of viewers moved the owners Heekin and DeWitt to accept cash and move to the NHL dispense. When the merger was decided, the two got $ 3.15 million.

The franchise took part in the league operation of the Central Hockey League in the 1979/80 season , but left the league after 33 of 80 games and was subsequently dissolved.

Club records


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