Western Professional Hockey League (1997-2001)
Tombstone
Born: 1996 – WPHL expansion franchise
Folded: June 2001
First Game: October 15, 1997 (L 8-4 @ San Angelo Outlaws)
Last Game: March 24, 2001 (L 3-1 vs. Austin Ice Bats)
President’s Cup Championships: None
Arena
Lake Charles Civic Center
Opened: 1972
Marketing
Team Colors:
Ownership
Owners:
- 1997-????: Paul Bonin, Keith Duplechin, et al.
- 2000-2001: Tom Pirtle, et al.
Background
The Lake Charles Ice Pirates were a minor league hockey team based out of Lake Charles, Louisiana. The team played four seasons in the Western Professional Hockey League, a lower-division circuit that featured 18 clubs from Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas at its peak membership during the winter of 1999-00. The Ice Pirates were one of four Louisiana-based teams in the WPHL, along with the Alexandria Warthogs, Monroe Moccasins and Shreveport Mudbugs.
Former NHL 60-goal scorer Dennis Maruk signed on to coach the Ice Pirates during their debut season in 1997-98. Maruk resigned from the team midway through that first season, but remained in Lake Charles and in contact with new Ice Pirates coach Bob Loucks, occasionally skating with the team in practice. In the spring of 1999 Loucks signed Maruk to a 5-game contract and the 43-year skated a few shifts for the Pirates, recording two assists but no goals.
Billy Lund, who played all four season for Lake Charles, was the Ice Pirates all-time scoring leader with 92 goals and 189 assists. Lund’s 277 games played was also a franchise-best.
Demise
The Ice Pirates had a disastrous final season in 2000-01. A new ownership group called Top Shelf Hockey LLC purchased the team in April 2000. Team officials failed to make payroll on several occasions and a number of players departed the team as a result. The Pirates barely managed to complete the season, lost a reported $600,000 (Shreveport Times 6/7/2001) and folded in June 2001.
The WPHL also ceased to exist after the 2000-01 season, merging its surviving clubs with the Central Hockey League for the 2001-02 season.
Downloads
1-7-1999 Ice Pirates vs. Fort Worth Brahmas Game Notes
1-7-1999 Lake Charles Ice Pirates vs Fort Worth Brahmas Game Notes
Links
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