Tennessee
Tennessee is a state in the southeastern United States.
Its population is about 6,900,000.
The capital and largest city is Nashville.
History of hockey in Tennessee
Kemmons Wilson, a prominent motel and home builder, constructed a 6,000 seat rink known as Iceland at the Midsouth Fairgrounds in Memphis in 1955. Two exhibition games were set to be played at the facility on April 16, 1955, between the Buffalo Bisons and Pittsburgh Hornets of the American Hockey League. They were called off due to poor ice conditions, the ice making equipment unable to cope with the 82 degree temperatures outside. However, a game was played the next day, and 6,500 fans watched Pittsburgh edge Buffalo 8-7.
There were hopes that Memphis would be able to land a franchise in the professional International Hockey League. This did not materialize, but Memphis did have an amateur team playing games by the 1955-56 season, which is known to have faced teams from St. Louis and Birmingham. The first game took place on January 21, 1956, with Memphis defeating Birmingham 12-4. There were talks of establishing a Southern Hockey League with teams in Memphis, Nashville, Birmingham, and Atlanta. Hockey classes for kids, with members of the Memphis All-Stars instructing them, began on March 11, 1956. The Memphis All-Stars second season of play commenced on December 8, 1956. For 1957-58, which proved to be their last season, the All-Stars became the Memphis Rebs.[1]
- 1956 Game Results
- 1/21: Memphis All-Stars - Birmingham All-Stars 12:4 @ Memphis
- 2/18: Memphis All-Stars - Birmingham All-Stars 10:2 @ Memphis
- 2/25: Memphis All-Stars - St. Louis Octopus Amateurs 12:9 @ Memphis
- 3/3: Birmingham All-Stars - Memphis All-Stars 7:3 @ Memphis
- 12/8: Memphis All-Stars - Birmingham All-Stars 7:4 @ Memphis
- 12/15: Flint All-Stars (MI) - Memphis All-Stars 15:4 @ Memphis
- 12/22: Tulsa Old Pros - Memphis All-Stars 7:4 @ Memphis
- 1957 Game Results
- 1/12: Flint All-Stars (MI) - Memphis All-Stars 5:0 @ Memphis
- 1/19: Tulsa Old Pros - Memphis All-Stars 12:3 @ Memphis
- 1/26: Birmingham All-Stars - Memphis All-Stars 7:2 @ Memphis
- 2/9: Memphis All-Stars - St. Louis Octopus Amateurs 8:4 @ Memphis
- 2/16: Chicago Falcons - Memphis All-Stars 9:6 @ Memphis
- 2/23: Memphis All-Stars - Tulsa Old Pros 11:7 @ Memphis
- 3/2: Memphis All-Stars - Birmingham All-Stars 12:1 @ Memphis
- 3/9: Chicago Vikings - Memphis All-Stars 7:5 @ Memphis
- 3/16: Memphis All-Stars - Tulsa Old Pros 6:1 @ Memphis
- 3/23: Memphis All-Stars - Louisville 11:5 @ Memphis
- 11/23: Memphis Rebs - Louisville 6:0 @ Memphis
- 12/7: Tulsa Trecos - Memphis Rebs 7:3 @ Memphis
- 12/14: Memphis Rebs - Birmingham All-Stars 17:1 @ Memphis
- 12/28: Memphis Rebs - Indianapolis Warriors 9:3 @ Memphis
- 1958 Game Results
- 1/4: Tulsa Trecos - Memphis Rebs 6:2 @ Memphis
- 1/11: Memphis Rebs - Chicago Falcons 7:4 @ Memphis
- 1/18: Green Bay Hornets - Memphis Rebs 6:4 @ Memphis
- 1/25: Memphis Rebs - Chicago Vikings 8:3 @ Memphis
- 2/8: Memphis Rebs - Birmingham All-Stars 13:6 @ Memphis
- 2/15: Memphis Rebs - Tulsa Trecos 9:5 @ Memphis
- 2/22: Memphis Rebs - Chicago Falcons 7:0 @ Memphis
- 3/1: Memphis Rebs - Chicago Vikings 8:7 @ Memphis
Memphis again sought entry into the International Hockey League prior to the 1958-59 season, and had appointed Jim Matson as general manager and Ted Garvin as coach. Both men were from Sarnia, Ontario. It was mentioned that if the IHL application was refused, the team would play a series of exhibition games instead (these did not materialize).[2] Memphis was again unsuccessful, but finally did land a team in the Central Professional Hockey League, the Memphis Wings, for the 1964-65 season, playing out of the new Mid-South Coliseum. The team was replaced by the Memphis South Stars in 1967, but they moved to Iowa in 1969. On October 5, 1965, the Chicago Black Hawks and Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League played to a 3-3 tie in Memphis. Pro hockey returned to Memphis from 1992-2007, with the Memphis RiverKings playing in the Central Hockey League.
The Knoxville Knights, based at the newly-opened Knoxville Civic Coliseum, joined the Eastern Hockey League for the 1961-62 season, playing until 1968 when they folded. They were followed in Knoxville by the Knoxville Cherokees of the ECHL from 1988 to 1997, the Knoxville Speed of the UHL from 1999 to 2002, and the Knoxville Ice Bears of the ACHL, the SEHL, and the SPHL from 2002 to the present.
In Nashville, the Municipal Auditorium opened in 1962, and the Nashville Dixie Flyers were admitted to the Eastern Hockey League that fall. The team lasted until 1971. Pro hockey returned to Nashville with the South Stars, who played in the Central Hockey League in 1981-82, and the ACHL the following year. The Nashville Knights were members of the ECHL from 1989-1996, and the Nashville Ice Flyers (who started out as the Nighthawks), played in the CHL from 1996-1998. The Nashville Predators began play in the National Hockey League in 1998-99, and reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 2017.
The University of Tennessee founded a club hockey program in 1966, making it the oldest in the southeast. The "Ice Vols" notably played three games against the NCAA Division I Ohio State Buckeyes in the 1968-69 season, losing them all. The Knoxville Amateur Hockey Association dates back to 1963.
References
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