The Chicago Shamrocks were an

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

team based in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, that played 2 seasons in the old American Hockey Association league from 1930 to 1932. They were owned by

Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...

James E. Norris James E. Norris (December 10, 1879 – December 4, 1952) was a Canadian- American businessman, operating companies in the grain and cattle industries, and owner of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. He also had significant ow ...

History

In 1930, Norris pursued the

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

for rights to a second NHL team in Chicago, but was spurned by the league who supported the NHL

Chicago Black Hawks Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

' concerns regarding competition for fan base. He turned to the American Hockey Association who gave him rights to an expansion team in Chicago. The league had renamed itself the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

and declared itself a major league, to the anger of NHL president

Frank Calder Frank Sellick Calder (November 17, 1877 – February 4, 1943) was a British-born Canadian ice hockey executive, journalist, and athlete. Calder was the first president of the National Hockey League (NHL), from 1917 until his death in 1943. He ...

, who branded the league an outlaw league. In 1931–32 season, their second, the Shamrocks won the league championship. Convinced they should be given a chance to play for the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

, they petitioned the Cup trustees for that opportunity. However the trustees would have to convince the NHL to accept that challenge and the NHL would not. Perhaps frustrated by this, Norris once again looked to join the NHL. In May 1932, the Detroit Falcons of the NHL declared bankruptcy, and Norris used that opportunity to convince the NHL he could take over the team. The NHL agreed on the condition that he disband the Shamrocks who were a thorn in the side for the Chicago Blackhawks. So he disbanded the Shamrocks and took three of the best players with him to Detroit. He renamed the Detroit team to the Red Wings. The American Hockey League reverted to the American Hockey Association after this and once again demoted itself to minor league status.

Notable players and coaches

* Ralph Taylor * Eddie Wiseman * Art Smith * Jack Riley * Corbett Denneny *

Mike Karakas Michael George Karakas (November 13, 1910 – May 2, 1992) was an Americans, American professional ice hockey goaltender in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the league's first American-born and -trained goaltender. He played eight se ...

* Don McFadyen * Walter Buswell * Cecil "Babe" Dye, Head Coach

References

American Hockey Association (1926–1942) teams Defunct ice hockey teams in Illinois

Shamrocks Shamrocks is a solitaire game akin to La Belle Lucie. The object is the same as the latter: move the cards into the foundations. Rules The game is laid out as in La Belle Lucie: seventeen piles of three cards are placed on the table with one car ...

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