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 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.
- 1956 Game Results
- Memphis All-Stars - Birmingham All-Stars 12:4
- 2/18: Memphis All-Stars beat Birmingham All-Stars @ Memphis
- 2/25: Memphis All-Stars - St. Louis Amateurs 12:9 @ Memphis
- 3/3: Birmingham All-Stars - Memphis All-Stars 7:3 @ Memphis
- 12/8: Memphis All-Stars - Birmingham All-Stars @ Memphis
On February 7, 1958, it was reported that the Birmingham All-Stars were set to play in Memphis on the 9th. It was noted that the Memphis All-Stars were 6-2 overall against Birmingham over the previous three years and had beaten Tulsa, Louisville, St. Louis, Green Bay, Indianapolis, and Chicago already in 1957-58.[1]
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.[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. 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.
References
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