KEY Magazine Fort Worth

Brahmas Continue Hockey Tradition in Fort Worth

Fort Worth, Texas is a town built on traditions. The Stockyards, Billy Bob’s Texas, Main Street Arts Festival, TCU, Mayfest, the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, and the Fort Worth Cats-all of these are recognized Cowtown traditions. Another tradition in Fort Worth, albeit not as recognized as the aforementioned legacies, is that of professional hockey.

Professional hockey in Fort Worth dates all the way back to November 5, 1941. That night, the Fort Worth Rangers and the St. Paul (Minn.) Saints faced off at Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum in the first-ever pro hockey game played in the city. The Rangers and the Saints, members of the American Hockey Association, skated to a 2-2 tie in front of 5,500 first-time hockey fans.

The Rangers would go on to play five total seasons in Fort Worth before folding at the end of the 1948-1949 season because of financial difficulties.

After a 19-year hiatus, pro hockey returned to Fort Worth in 1967 when the original Central Hockey League was established. The Detroit Red Wings moved their farm team from Memphis to Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Wings were born. The Wings would play for seven seasons in Fort Worth until the team name changed to the Fort Worth Texans in the fall of 1974. After three average seasons, the Texans finally gave the City of Fort Worth its first professional ice hockey championship when they defeated their arch rivals, the Dallas Blackhawks, in a tense seven game playoff series to win the 1977 CHL Adams Cup. The Texans would ride the wave of that championship for four more seasons, before the team folded in the spring of 1982.

Just over ten years later, in the fall of 1992, a new hockey team surfaced in Fort Worth. The Central Hockey League was revitalized and the Fort Worth Fire blazed to life in Cowtown. After four nondescript seasons, the Fire put together a championship season in 1996-1997 when the Fire won the 1997 CHL Adams Cup.

Fort Worth became a two-hockey team city in the spring of 1997 when the upstart Western Professional Hockey League awarded an expansion franchise to the city. The Fort Worth Bulls enjoyed a strong 1997-1998 season, advancing all the way to the 1998 President's Cup Finals. The next season, in 1998-1999, under new ownership, the Bulls changed their name to the Brahmas.

The Brahmas have put down roots in Fort Worth, building a loyal fan base and enjoying success both on and off the ice. The Brahmas attendance has grown over the years, culminating with the team averaging a franchise record 4,601 fans per game during the 2004-2005 season.

With eight seasons in the books and many more to come, the Fort Worth Brahmas are continuing the legacy of pro hockey in Fort Worth. 817-336-4ICE, www.brahmas.com

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