The Cincinnati Stingers 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
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
that played in the
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association () was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972–73 WHA season, 1972 to 1978–79 WHA season, 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (N ...
from
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
to
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
and in the
Central Hockey League
The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...
during the
1979–80 season. Their home arena was
Riverfront Coliseum. They are the only major league hockey team to have played in Cincinnati.
History
The Stingers franchise was awarded in 1974 as part of the WHA's ill-conceived attempt at expansion. They entered the league for the
1975–76 WHA season
The 1975–76 WHA season was the fourth season of the World Hockey Association. After the Baltimore Blades and Chicago Cougars folded, the league stayed at 14 teams by adding the Cincinnati Stingers and Denver Spurs. In addition, the Vancouver ...
along with the
Denver Spurs
The Denver Spurs were a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Spurs began play in the Western Hockey League in 1968, and played at the Denver Coliseum. The Spurs became the first professional sports team in Colorado to win a champions ...
. Most of the league's existing teams were not financially stable, and franchise relocations were commonplace. The Stingers achieved enough stability that they were the only one of the WHA's five expansion teams that lasted through to the end of the league, but they were left out of the
NHL–WHA merger in mid-1979. The WHA insisted on including all three of its surviving Canadian teams,
though below-average attendance made it unlikely that the Stingers would have made the cut. The Stingers, along with the
Birmingham Bulls, were paid to disband when the WHA ceased operations.
The Stingers were the first professional team of long-time NHL stars
Mike Gartner
Michael Alfred Gartner (born October 29, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), right winger who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Washington Capitals, Minnesota North Stars, New Yor ...
and
Mike Liut
Michael Dennis Liut (born January 7, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender.
Liut played for the Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1977–78 WHA season, 1977 to 1978–79 WHA season, 1979 and ...
, and the second pro team for
Mark Messier, who scored one goal on a line with
Robbie Ftorek, one of the league's top scorers.
[The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association, p.237, McLelland and Stewart, Toronto, ON, ]
After the WHA shut down, a minor professional version of the Cincinnati Stingers began the 1979–80 season in the
Central Hockey League
The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...
(CHL). The CHL team included only three players from the 1978–79 WHA Stingers;
Dave Debol,
Byron Shutt and
Paul Stewart, but disbanded 33 games into the season.
The last Cincinnati Stingers player active in North American major professional hockey was Mark Messier, who retired in 2004.
Hockey Hall of Fame members
*Mike Gartner
*Mark Messier
Season-by-season record
''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes''
;World Hockey Association
;Central Hockey League
See also
*
List of Cincinnati Stingers players
References
External links
Cincinnati Stingers
{{WHA
Defunct ice hockey teams in Ohio
Ice hockey clubs established in 1975
Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1979
World Hockey Association teams
Sports clubs and teams in Cincinnati
Central Professional Hockey League teams
1975 establishments in Ohio
1979 disestablishments in Ohio