The Phoenix Roadrunners were a professional

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 in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

. They were a member of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

from 1967 to 1974. After the 1974 season, the franchise moved to 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 ...

. The team played at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, aka “The Madhouse on McDowell.”

History

The franchise originally competed in the

(WHL) from 1967 to 1974. The team was established after a group from Phoenix purchased the Victoria Maple Leafs in June 1967 from Maple Leaf Gardens Limited for $500,000 and relocated the team from Victoria,

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, where they had played for the three previous seasons, to become the Roadrunners. They won the championship trophy, the Lester Patrick Cup, twice during their tenure in the WHL (1972–73 and 1973–74). In 1974 they joined the WHA with their roster mostly intact when the minor pro WHL ceased operations.

Notable players WHL 1967–74

* Jim Murray – played 364 games in 5 seasons on defence, scored 211 points * Harry Shaw – played 335 games in 6 seasons on defence * Larry Lund – scored 261 points in 203 games over 3 seasons * Alex "Sandy" Hucul – played 308 games over 5 seasons, won Hal Laycoe Cup (best defenceman) in 1968 and 1972; coached the WHA team in 1974 * Andre Hinse – scored 143 goals and 313 points in 277 games over 4 seasons * Wayne Hicks – finished career in Phoenix with 218 points in 275 games * Bob Charlebois – scored 169 points in 224 games * Bob Barlow – scored 199 points in 207 games * Howie Young – for 3 of his 23 professional seasons, scored 170 points in 190 games, 1st Team All-Star 1974

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Hockey DB information

Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States Sports in Phoenix, Arizona Ice hockey clubs established in 1967 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 1977 Philadelphia Flyers minor league affiliates Western Hockey League (1952–1974) teams Defunct ice hockey teams in Arizona 1967 establishments in Arizona 1977 disestablishments in Arizona