The Buffalo Bisons were a professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

team representing

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

, although they played home games in nearby

Fort Erie, Ontario Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is directly across the river from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of Old Fort Erie which played a prominent role in the War of 1812. Fort Erie is one of ...

, Canada, at the 5,000-seat

Peace Bridge Arena Peace Bridge Arena was the main sports arena located in Fort Erie, Ontario. Built in 1928, it held 5,000 people. It was located near the Peace Bridge connecting Fort Erie with Buffalo, New York. Both the Chicago Black Hawks and Pittsburgh Pirat ...

History

The Bisons were founded in the

Canadian Professional Hockey League The Canadian Professional Hockey League, also known as Can-Pro, was a minor professional hockey league founded in 1926. After three seasons, it became the International Hockey League (IHL) in 1929. The Can-Pro name was then given to a new league o ...

for the 1928–29 season. The Bisons transferred to the International Hockey League for the next season. Buffalo were IHL league champions in 1931–32 and 1932–33, winning the F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy. On March 17, 1936, the Bisons lost their home arena due to damage caused by thirteen inches of wet snow deposited by an early Spring storm. The arena (only eight years old at the time) was designed with a ''"Lamella Trussless"'' roof to improve indoor sightlines, and reduce support frames obstructing the view. The structure proved to be too weak and collapsed under the weight of the snow. The Bisons played the remainder of the 1935–36 season on the road. The Bisons joined the International-American Hockey League for the 1936–37 season. The team started the season playing in an arena in

Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is on the western bank of the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, with a population of 88,071 at the Canada 2016 Census, 2016 census. It is part of the List of census ...

. It soon became clear that they wouldn't be able to make a profit and pay players' salaries from ticket sales in the smaller facility. The club permanently ceased operations on December 6, 1936, after playing just eleven games with a record of 3–8–0. The original Bisons were replaced in 1940 when the Syracuse Stars relocated to Buffalo, becoming the new Bisons team, after the construction of

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, colloquially known as The Aud, was a multipurpose indoor arena in downtown Buffalo, New York. Opened on October 14, 1940, it was home to the Canisius Golden Griffins ( NCAA), the Buffalo Bisons ( AHL), the Buffalo B ...

on the American side of the border. The new Bisons played from 1940 to 1970, when the current

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, alon ...

were founded.

Season-by-season results

* Buffalo Bisons 1928–1929 (

) * Buffalo Bisons 1929–1936 ( International Hockey League) * Buffalo Bisons 1936 ( International-American Hockey League)

Regular season

^† Points not awarded for tied games during 1934–35 International Hockey League season.

Playoffs

External links

History of the Buffalo (Ft. Erie) Bisons
* ttp://hockeyleaguehistory.com/International_American_Hockey_League_1936.htm International-American Hockey League, 1936 Sports in Buffalo, New York Ice hockey clubs established in 1928 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1936 International Hockey League (1929–1936) teams {{BuffaloNY-stub