Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a state in the United States. It is located in the north-central part of the country and has a population of about 5,900,000.

The capital is Madison and the largest city is Milwaukee.

History of hockey in Wisconsin

see also: Wisconsin Amateur Hockey (1946-1980) and Wisconsin Amateur Hockey (1981-2005)

According to a publication entitled Milwaukee History, "The history of organized ice hockey in Milwaukee began in January 1887 when the Schlitz Park Polo club gave an exhibition game on the Schlitz Park Skating Rink and announced that it was 'prepared to play games with other clubs and is open for challenges.' The following appeared in the December 30, 1890, edition of the Milwaukee Journal: "At the National Park rink on New Years’ day there will be a match game of polo on the ice between the East Ends club and the National teams, in which considerable interest centers among South side skaters." On January 13, 1893, in Centralia, the Pond Hill hockey team beat the West Side squad 10-1.

Teams from Superior were active on the ice polo scene by 1893, and met Duluth, Minnesota, in games. Ice hockey had become popular in Superior by 1900. There were two hockey clubs formed in Milwaukee in 1897, the Yacht Club, and another captained by Harry Payne, who planned to face one another, and teams from Chicago as well, however no games are recorded to have taken place. On December 4, 1900, it was reported that the Milwaukee Ice Hockey Club had recently been formed, and had a charter membership of 38. The Milwaukee Interscholastic Hockey League began play for the 1903 season, and the Milwaukee Hockey League was formed a year later. Appleton and Kaukauna faced one another in 1904 and 1905, and the sport was also taken up in Delafield by 1906, the St. John's Military Academy playing it. Eau Claire was playing hockey in 1908, the Foss-Armstrong and Gotzlan-Victoria teams facing one another.

In 1911 and 1912, the Eau Claire Hockey Club met various teams from Minnesota at home. Spalding's Ice Hockey Guide 1913 offered a review of the 1911-12 Milwaukee hockey season, and stated that "The Milwaukee Hockey Club, playing its twentieth year, is probably the oldest active organization of its kind in the country." A team was formed in Green Bay in 1917. The powerful Milwaukee Drueckers were formed in 1918, and a team in Racine known as the Case Eagles (later Webster Electric) appeared in 1920.

A six team city league was established in Green Bay in 1920. The Castle Ice Gardens artificial rink opened in Milwaukee on March 15, 1922. It was said to be one of the largest rinks in the United States, with a playing surface of 21,000 square feet. The Milwaukee Athletic Club played in the United States Amateur Hockey Association for the 1922-23 season. The rink was converted into a garage in 1924, and play in Milwaukee continued outdoors. In 1923, the Fox River Valley League was established with teams from Oshkosh, Neenah, Menasha, Fond du Lac and Appleton as members. Oshkosh won annually in the early years of the league. Around the same time, The Rock River League was founded in southern Wisconsin, and featured teams from Madison, Janesville, Jefferson, Fort Atkinson and Watertown.

Wausau had hockey by 1925, Eagle River and Rhinelander by 1926, and Marinette by 1929. By the late 1920s the sport was also being played in northwest Wisconsin with teams from Rice Lake, Cumberland, Webster, Spooner, St. Croix Falls, Grantsburg, Solon Springs, and Frederic facing each other. The Milwaukee Luicks were a semi-pro team that played in the Milwaukee County League and against outside teams from 1935-1938. In February 1930, the Wisconsin State Amateur Hockey association was founded, replacing the Wisconsin State Hockey League. Teams from the following towns signified their intent to join: Madison, Milwaukee, Janesville, Manitowoc, Jefferson, Watertown, Fort Atkinson, Kenosha, Racine, Beloit, Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, Lake Mills, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin Rapids, Beaver Dam and Rockford, Illinois.

The Milwaukee Clarks played in the International Hockey League in 1948-49 and the Eastern Hockey League in 1949-50. The Milwaukee Sea Gulls spent the 1950-51 season in the United States Hockey League, and the Chiefs were members of the IHL from 1952-1954. The Falcons later played in the IHL from 1959-November 1960. The Milwaukee Metros played in a new USHL in 1961-62. The Milwaukee Flyers were an amateur club that was active from 1947-1962. The Milwaukee Wings played as an amateur team from 1970-1973. They lost their first game on January 25 when the Madison All-Stars beat them 17–7. They got their first win five days later when they defeated the Milwaukee Winter Club 10–8. They changed their name to the Admirals in 1971 and joined the USHL in 1973, later jumping to the IHL in 1977, and the American Hockey League in 2001. The Milwaukee Oaks played as an amateur team in 1971-72.

The Green Bay Bobcats played in the Mid-America Hockey League in 1958-59 and the United States Central Hockey League the following year. They then spent the 1960-61 season as an independent (non-league) team before joining the USHL for 1961-62, which they remained in until 1979. The Bobcats won the USHL title in 1962-63 and 1971-72. In 1969 they were designated as the United States team at the 1969 World Championship and lost all 10 games at the tournament. The Green Bay Ice competed in the American Hockey Association in 1992-93, and the Gamblers have been members of the junior USHL since 1994. The Janesville Jets have played in the junior NAHL since 2009.

Madison has had numerous minor league and junior franchises: Blues (USHL, 1973-1974, Continental Hockey League, 1974-1977), Capitols (USHL, 1984-1995 and 2014-present), Monsters (Colonial League, 1995-1997, UHL, 1997-1999), Kodiaks (UHL, 1999-2000), Ice Muskies (AAHL, 2009-2010). The Central Wisconsin Flyers, based in Stevens Point, played in the USHL from 1974-1976.

The University of Wisconsin formed an informal hockey program in the 1910s, but only fielded an official team starting in 1921-22. After the 1934-35 season, the team went dormant until 1963. Wisconsin has won the national championship six times, making them one of the most successful college hockey programs. Marquette also had a college program from 1922-1933. It was axed given a lack of funding due to the great depression.

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