Central Hockey League (1979-1981)
Tombstone
Born: 1979 – CHL expansion franchise
Folded: January 8, 19811MacKay, Bill. “CHL’s Houston Team Folds”. The Eagle (Wichita, KS). January 9, 1981
First Game: October 12, 1979 (T 5-5 @ Fort Worth Texans)
Last Game: January 4, 1981 (L 2-1 vs. Salt Lake Golden Eagles)
Adams Cup Championships: None
Arena
Sam Houston Coliseum
Opened: 1937
Demolished: 1998
Marketing
Team Colors:
Ownership & Affiliation
Owner: James Rash, et al.
NHL Affiliations:
- 1979-80: Edmonton Oilers
- 1980-81: Los Angeles Kings
Background
The 1979-1981 Houston Apollos were a doomed minor league hockey entry in the Central Hockey League (CHL). The name was a tribute a previous CHL club named the Apollos that played from 1965 to 1969 as a Montreal Canadiens farm team. Both the versions of the Apollos played in the Sam Houston Coliseum.
After serving as the top farm club of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers in their first season, the Apollos became a Los Angeles Kings affiliate for their second season in 1980-81. Attendance was poor and the team bled money throughout the 1980-81 campaign. By January 1981 the team had burnt through over half a million dollars. CHL President Bud Poile terminated the franchise on January 8th, 1981 after the insolvent Apollos failed to make a road trip to Birmingham, Alabama.
Houston Apollos Shop
In Memoriam
Left wing Garnet “Ace” Bailey (Apollos ’79-’80) perished aboard United Airlines Flight 175 in the September 11th attacks. He was 53 years old.
Links
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