Central Hockey League (1965-1969)
Tombstone
Born: 1965 – The Omaha Knights relocate to Houston, TX
Folded: 1969
First Game: October 21, 1965 (W 7-0 vs. St. Louis Braves)
Last Game: March 30, 1969 (L 5-1 @ Dallas Black Hawks)
Adams Cup Championships: None
Arena
Sam Houston Coliseum
Opened: 1937
Demolished: 1998
Marketing
Team Colors:
Ownership & Affiliation
Owners:
- 1965-1967:
- 1967-????: Houston Sports Association (Judge Roy Hofheinz, et al.)
NHL Affiliation: Montreal Canadiens
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Houston Apollos 1960’s-era Logo T-Shirt
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Background
The original Houston Apollos hockey team was a minor league farm club of the Montreal Canadiens during the late 1960’s. The Apollos were part of the Central Hockey League, playing teams from across the deep south and the lower great plains states.
During the Apollos’ final two seasons of play, the team was owned by Houston Sports Association, the conglomerate of sports and entertainment properties controlled by Judge Roy Hofheinz. The Judge also owned the Houston Astros, the Houston Stars soccer team, the Astrodome and the Astroworld amusement park during the late 1960’s.
Key Players
The Apollos featured some truly outstanding players during their brief four year existence, including four future Pro Hockey Hall-of-Famers:
- Future NHL 50-goal scorer Danny Grant (Apollos ’66-’68)
- Defenseman and future Hall-of-Fame executive Pat Quinn (Apollos ’66-67)
- Hall-of-Fame defenseman Serge Savard (Apollos ’66-’67)
- Hall-of-Fame goaltender Rogie Vachon (Apollos ’66-’67)
- Six-time NHL All-Star defenseman Carol Vadnais (Apollos ’66-’68)
- Hall-of-Fame goaltender Tony Esposito (Apollos ’68-’69)
Demise & (Brief) Revival
In the spring of 1969 the Montreal Canadiens purchased an expansion franchise in the East Coast-based American Hockey League. The placed the new club, known as the Voyageurs, in Montreal so as to keep their top prospects right in their own backyard. They cut ties with the Apollos as a result and the CHL club disbanded.
Pro hockey returned to Houston in 1972 with the major league Houston Aeros of the upstart World Hockey Association (WHA). The WHA set out to rival the NHL for expansion markets and major stars. The Aeros famously signed NHL legend Gordie Howe and his sons Mark and Marty. The Aeros won two championship but folded after six seasons in 1978.
In the wake of the Aeros and the WHA’s demise, the Central Hockey League returned to Houston and the Sam Houston Coliseum in the fall of 1979 with a new version of the Houston Apollos. This doomed bunch lasted just over a year and folded midway through their second season in early 1981.
Trivia
Two former Houston Apollos players were named on The Hockey News‘ 100 Greatest National Hockey League Players of All-Time, published in 1998: goaltender Tony Esposito (#79) and defenseman Serge Savard (#81).
Houston Apollos Shop
Links
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