Western Professional Hockey League (1996-2001)
Tombstone
Born: April 1998 – WPHL epxansion franchise11998-99 Abilene Aviators Program
Folded: December 15, 19992Smalling, Wes R. “WPHL suspends operations of two clubs”. The Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, NM). December 16, 1999
First Game: October 15, 1998 (W 4-3 vs. Waco Wizards)
Last Game: December 4, 1999 (W 5-3 vs. San Angelo Outlaws)
President’s Cup Championships: None
Arena
Taylor County Exposition Center
Opened: 1973
Marketing
Team Colors:
Ownership
Owners:
- 1998 – 1999: Daniel “Scooter” Murray, Dean Beeman, Jimmy Tindol, Daniel Pradon & David Rounds
- 1999: Daniel Pradon, Dean Beeman, Jimmy Tindol & David Rounds
- 1999: Dr. John Slaughter & Glenda Slaughter
Background
The Aviators were a messy, Texas pro hockey outfit that stumbled through one-and-a-half-seasons in the low-level Western Professional Hockey League in 1998 and 1999.
A promising debut season on the ice culminated in a divisional title. But the Aviators’ ownership fiascos ultimately sunk the club midway through its second campaign.
Original lead owner Dan “Scooter” Murray was hit with two separate legal actions for alleged sexual assaults at team functions just a few months after establishing the team in April 1998. He was forced out by the other four partners in the Aviators ownership group in January 1999. Three months later, what remained of Abilene’s original investor group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after losing a reported $2 million dollars.3Pickett, Al. “Call Aviators’ saga ‘Soap Opera on Ice'”. The Reporter-News (Abilene, TX). July 2, 1999
The Aviators ultimately returned for a second season in October 1999 under new mom-and-pop local owners, John & Glenda Slaughter. Within a month the couple fell behind on rent to the Taylor County Expo Center and the WPHL was forced to take over the franchise. The Aviators played their final game at home on December 4th, 1999. The ownerless team went into limbo for a week until league officials bowed to the inevitable and euthanized the franchise on December 15th, 1999. WPHL officials sought to consolidate their embarrassment by putting another of the league’s problem children – the Waco Wizards – out of their misery on the same day. Abilene played just 26 games of their intended 70-game schedule.
On Ice
Shambolic as the Aviators were in the front office, the 1998-99 team was pretty damned good by Western Professional Hockey League standards. In their debut season, 34-year old head coach and director of hockey operations Jeff Triano led the Aviators to a 43-23-3 regular season record. Abilene was especially strong at home, posting a 28-6-1 mark at the Taylor County Exposition Center, known to fans and media as “The Hangar”.
After earning a first round playoff bye, the Aviators lost to the Fort Worth Brahmas in a three-game sweep in the 2nd round of the WPHL’s President’s Cup playoffs.
Canadian center Charles Poulin led the Aviators in scoring with 41 goals and 55 assists during the 1998-99 campaign. This despite the fact that Poulin battled mysterious migraine headaches for much of the second half of the season after passing out on the bench during a January 23rd, 1999 game against Amarillo.
The doomed 1999-00 edition of Aviators showed no such spark. Triano departed and Poulin appeared in just 3 games. Abilene sat in the basement with a 6-16-4 record when the WPHL pulled the plug on the franchise in early December.
The Aviators remain the only professional hockey team ever to make their home in Abilene, Texas.
Abilene Aviators Shop
Links
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