The Cincinnati Mohawks was the name of two 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 h ...

teams in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...

who played their home games at the

Cincinnati Gardens Cincinnati Gardens was an indoor arena located in Cincinnati, Ohio, that opened in 1949. The 25,000 square foot (2,300 m²) brick and limestone building at 2250 Seymour Avenue in Bond Hill had a entrance that was decorated with six three-dimens ...

. The first Mohawks' club were members of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

(AHL) between 1949 and 1952 while the second Mohawks' club played in the International Hockey League from 1952 to 1958. In 1949, the Washington Lions relocated to Cincinnati and took on the name Mohawks. The club would be the first ice hockey team to serve the city of Cincinnati and were a farm team to the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

from 1949 to 1951 and the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

from 1950 to 1952. The AHL variation of the Mohawks were less than impressive on the ice and finished last in their first two seasons. The club managed a playoff berth in the third season and advanced to the second round of the playoffs where they were knocked out by the

Providence Reds The Providence Reds were a hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League (CAHL) between 1926 and 1936 and the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Reds. The t ...

3 games to 1. However, during the AHL Mohawks three-year run, the club reportedly lost $200,000 so ownership decided to take a leave of absence from the league and reorganize. The organization formed a new company called the Cincinnati Mohawks, Inc., and obtained a franchise in the smaller and more manageable IHL. The new Mohawks club were loaded with highly-talented young players such as Phil Goyette, Don Marshall, Charlie Hodge, Duke Edmundson, Billy Goold, John "Bun" Smith, Eddie Kachur, and coach Rollie McLenahan. Most of the club's players were provided by the

. While the Canadiens dominated the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

during the era, the Mohawks dominated the IHL. In their six-year stint in the league, Cincinnati's dynasty won six-straight regular season titles and five

Turner Cup The Turner Cup was the championship trophy of the International Hockey League from 1945 to 2001 and the renamed United Hockey League from 2007 to 2010. The Cup was named for Joe Turner, a goaltender from Windsor, Ontario. Turner became professi ...

Championships. The IHL never saw another club match the Mohawks success during its 56-year run as a league.

Regular season

Cincinnati Mohawks of the AHL Cincinnati Mohawks of the IHL

Playoffs

Cincinnati Mohawks of the AHL Cincinnati Mohawks of the IHL

References

10-23-1975 - Cincinnati Enquirer (Page 57)

External links

AHL statsIHL stats
International Hockey League (1945–2001) teams Sports teams in Cincinnati Defunct ice hockey teams in Ohio Ice hockey clubs established in 1949 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1958 Montreal Canadiens minor league affiliates New York Rangers minor league affiliates 1949 establishments in Ohio 1958 disestablishments in Ohio {{Cincinnati-sport-stub