The Chicago Cheetahs were a professional roller hockey team based in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, United States that played in

Roller Hockey International Roller Hockey International was a professional inline hockey league that operated in North America from 1993 to 1999. It was the first major professional league for inline hockey. History League president Dennis Murphy had been involved in th ...

. The Cheetahs joined the league in 1994. The Cheetahs were part-owned by basketball legend

George Mikan George Lawrence Mikan Jr. (; June 18, 1924 – June 1, 2005), nicknamed "Mr. Basketball", was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Minneapolis Lakers of t ...

. Former Chicago Blackhawks star Al Secord was part of the Cheetahs in 1994, as were future Chicago Wolves players Bobby Nardella, Jeff Rohlicek and

Tim Breslin Timothy G. Breslin (December 8, 1967 – February 9, 2005) was a professional ice hockey left wing. Breslin played eight seasons in the International Hockey League (IHL) with the Phoenix Roadrunners and Chicago Wolves and part of a season in the ...

. The Cheetahs played at the

UIC Pavilion Credit Union 1 Arena (previously known as UIC Pavilion) is a multi-purpose arena located at 525 S. Racine Avenue on the Near West Side in Chicago, Illinois, which opened in 1982. Description and history Credit Union 1 Arena is located on the cam ...

during the 1994 regular season in front of an average of 2,000 fans per game, but moved their playoff home games to the Odeum in suburban

Villa Park Villa Park is a football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, England, with a seating capacity of 42,682. It has been the home of Premier League side Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witton and Aston railway statio ...

to save money. Co-owner Mike Ryan then moved all Cheetahs home contests to the 4,000-seat Odeum in 1995 in an effort to reach out to fans living where roller hockey was played in the suburban streets.Bennett, Brian
"Cheetahs hoping to be quick on the draw"
''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'', June 9, 1995. Accessed March 20, 2022, via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...

. "Chicago's professional roller hockey team is back in business, and it hopes business improves this year. The Chicago Cheetahs, one of 19 members of Roller Hockey International, open their second season at 7:05 p.m. Friday against the St. Louis Vipers. The Cheetahs had one of the league's lowest attendance marks last year, drawing less than 2,000 a game at the UIC Pavilion. They hope things turn around now that they've relocated to the Odeum, a 4,000-seat arena in Villa Park. The Odeum allows the team to target fans in the suburbs, where roller hockey is mostly played." Cheetahs games home and away in 1994 and their playoff games in 1995 were carried on WAUR (930-AM) Radio with Les Grobstein handling the play-by-play. The franchise folded after their second season as several checks made out by Ryan bounced.

Alumni who also played in the NHL

* Randy Boyd * Ron Handy * Jeff Rohlicek * Al Secord * Harry York

References

Roller Hockey International teams Sports clubs established in 1994 Sports clubs disestablished in 1995 {{Illinois-sport-team-stub