Central Hockey League (1981-1982)
Tombstone
Born: Summer 1981 – CHL expansion franchise
Folded: May 27, 1982
First Game: October 7, 1981 (W 6-5 @ Indianapolis Checkers)
Last Game: April 13, 1982 (L 5-2 @ Dallas Black Hawks)
Adams Cup Championships: None
Arena
Riverfront Coliseum
Opened: 1975
Marketing
Team Colors:
Ownership & Affiliation
Owner: Maple Leaf Gardens, Ltd. (Harold Ballard)
NHL Affiliation: Toronto Maple Leafs
Our Favorite Stuff
Cincinnati Tigers
Logo T-Shirt
The Tigers were Cincinnati’s pro hockey team at the Riverfront Coliseum during the winter of 1981-82. The team enjoyed a terrific season on the ice as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ top farm club. But poor attendance and huge deficits spelled extinction for the Tigers after just one season and pro hockey wouldn’t return to the Queen City until the 1990’s.
This design is also available as a Hooded or Crewneck Sweatshirt Shirt at Cincinnati’s own Old School Shirts!
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Background
The Cincinnati Tigers were a very strong farm club of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs in the winter of 1981-82. Under Head Coach Doug Carpenter the Tigers were 46-30-4, good for the second best record in the Central Hockey League that season. The Tigers lost to the Dallas Black Hawks in the first round of the CHL playoffs in a mild upset.
Despite the Tigers’ winning ways, Cincinnati was a graveyard for pro hockey teams and attendance was meager. The Tigers reportedly lost around a million dollars for Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard. The Leafs shut down the Tigers in May of 1982 shortly after the club’s first and only season ended. The Tigers became the third pro hockey team to fail at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Coliseum in just the past three years, following two different incarnations of the Cincinnati Stingers, which both bit the dust in 1979.
The Leafs established the Ontario-based St. Catharines Saints in the American Hockey League to replace Cincinnati as their top farm club for the 1982-83 season.
Tigers coach Doug Carpenter later became an NHL head coach with the New Jersey Devils (1984-1988) and the Maple Leafs (1989-1991).
Another future NHL coach on the Tigers was center Bruce Boudreau, who finished 2nd on the club in scoring with 103 points and was named to the All-CHL team. Boudreau is currently the Head Coach of the Anaheim Ducks and also served the same role for the Washington Capitals from 2007 to 2011.
Cincinnati Tigers Shop
CHL COFFEE SHOP
Cincinnati Tigers
Ceramic mug
Available now from our friends at Vintage Ice Hockey, this fully-insulated porcelain mug is ideal for your morning brew.
Ceramic | Capacity: 11 fl oz
Dishwasher safe
Lead and Cadmium free
Imported; processed and printed in the U.S.A.
When you make a purchase through an affiliate link like this one, Fun While It Lasted earns a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!
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