The Amarillo Rattlers were a low-level minor league hockey team that skated for six seasons in the Western Professional Hockey League and the Central Hockey League. The Rattlers were reliably terrible throughout their six-season run, failing to post a winning record or make the playoffs in any season. Following the 2001-02 season, new owners took over the club and changed its name to the Gorillas.
The Oklahoma City Blazers were a beloved hockey team of the 1990’s and 2000’s in the “double-A” level Central Hockey League (CHL). The Blazers were one of six original members of the CHL when it opened for business in 1992. Both the Blazers and the CHL itself were nostalgic re-boots of an earlier era of pro hockey: the original Central Hockey League operated from 1963-1984 and included the original Oklahoma City Blazers club from 1965 to 1977.
The Austin Ice Bats were a hot ticket in Texas’ capital city for several winters during the late 1990’s. Playing in the lower ranks of professional ice hockey’s minor league ecosystem, the ‘Bats relied of classic bush league promos like “Guaranteed Fight Night”. Crowds declined precipitously beginning in the early 2000’s and arena problems finally doomed the Ice Bats in 2008 after 12 seasons.
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