Phoenix Roadrunners History

Phoenix Roadrunners (Western Hockey League)

     The Phoenix Roadrunners were a professional ice hockey team in Phoenix, Arizona. The team played at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum - dubbed by the fans as "The Madhouse on McDowell". They were a member of the Western Hockey League (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 $500,000.00 and relocated the team from Victoria, British Columbia, where they had played for the three previous seasons, to become the Roadrunners.

     They won the Lester Patrick Cup (the WHL championship trophy), 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.

Phoenix Roadrunners (World Hockey Association)

     The Roadrunners played in the World Hockey Association (the "WHA") from 1974 to 1977, subsequently becoming part of the Pacific Hockey League. They continued to play at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix.  The colors of the team were Carolina blue and gold.

     The last active WHA Roadrunner in major professional hockey was the team's star player, Robbie Ftorek, who retired from the National Hockey League (the "NHL") after the 1984-1985 season. Robbie has been a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame since 1991. Ftorek was part of the initial group of players elected to the WHA Hall of Fame and in 2010 and he was elected to the American Hockey League Hall of Fame in 2020.

Phoenix Roadrunners (Central Hockey League)

     The Roadrunners played in the Central Hockey League (the "CHL") for the 1977-78 season. They only played 27 games, winning only 4 and tying 3. After two months the team folded on December 12, 1977 and the owners entered the team in the Pacific Hockey League instead.

Phoenix Roadrunners (Pacific Hockey League)

     The Roadrunners played the 1978 and 1979 seasons in the Pacific Hockey League (the "PHL"). The coach was fan favorite Sandy Hucul. The organization folded for financial reasons before the remaining teams in the WHA merged with the NHL in 1979. The colors of the team remained Carolina blue and gold.

Phoenix Roadrunners (International Hockey League)

     The team played in the International Hockey League (the "IHL") from 1989 to 1997 - continuing their tenure in The Madhouse on McDowell.

     The Phoenix Roadrunners were named for a World Hockey Association (the "WHA") team of the same name. The IHL  Roadrunners again used the familiar skating roadrunner in the Carolina blue, black, white and gray colors.

     The team folded after the conclusion of the 1997 season and remained defunct for more than 10 years.

Phoenix Roadrunners (East Coast Hockey League)

     The team played in the East Coast Hockey League (the "ECHL") beginning in the 2005–06 season, ceasing operations at the end of the 2008–09 season.

     Barry Kemp, the majority owner of the Long Beach Ice Dogs, was awarded an ECHL expansion franchise to play in Ontario, California. In 2004, Kemp partnered with Rick Adams, David LeFevre, John Butler, and Mike Nelson to create Bloomington Partners and transferred the Ontario ECHL franchise rights to Bloomington, Illinois, with the intention to begin play in the 2005–06 season. After an apparent fallout among the Bloomington Partners, the city voided its contract with the ownership group for the arena. The ECHL franchise was sold to Legacy Partners, LLC, headed by Phoenix Suns' majority owner Robert Sarver and the franchise was relocated to Phoenix. Former Phoenix Coyotes star Claude Lemieux was named as the club's first president.

     In 2005, after four years without a minor league hockey team following the demise of the Phoenix Mustangs, the Phoenix Roadrunners' name was revived. In their first season, 2005–06, the Roadrunners began the season well but dropped throughout the year because of injuries and finished with the league's worst record.

     In the off-season of 2006–07, the Roadrunners cemented an affiliation deal with the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League. The Roadrunners once again started very well, staying above .500 for the beginning of the year. The team climbed up the National Division, topping out at fifth place. However, after several mid-season trades, the team ended up with a 27–40 record. Furthermore, with eight games left in the regular season, head coach Ron Filion and general manager Ray Delia resigned, Filion being replaced by assistant coach Brad Church. The Roadrunners still qualified for their first trip to the Kelly Cup playoffs. However, in the first round the team was swept 4–0 by their rivals, the Las Vegas Wranglers.

     After the season ended, the Roadrunners decided to keep Church as head coach. In the front office, Claude Lemieux chose to resign as president, but stated that he would continue to act as a consultant to the team.

     The Phoenix Coyotes chose not to renew their affiliation agreement for the 2007–08 season and instead went with the other minor league hockey team in Arizona, the Arizona Sundogs of the Central Hockey League. The Roadrunners then signed a two-year affiliation agreement with the San Jose Sharks and its American Hockey League affiliate, the Worcester Sharks on October 19, 2007.

     The 2007–08 season started off well for the Roadrunners, with a sweep of their three-game series against the Utah Grizzlies. However, by November, the team was only able to win three of their thirteen scheduled games, taking the team lower into the standings. In December, the team went 4–7, although the team was finally able to muster a win against the Wranglers in their annual Midnight game. Despite the team's struggles, both Peder Skinner and Brian Yandle were named to the All-Star Team. By the end of the season, the Roadrunners fell short of making the playoffs and finished with a record of 24 wins, 39 losses, five overtime losses, four shoot-out losses, and 57 points. The team finished in fifth place in West Division.

     The fourth and final season, 2008–09, started with the Roadrunners facing off against their rivals the Victoria Salmon Kings, with the three game series going two-of-three to the Runners. October ended with the team going 3-2-1 giving the team seven of a possible twelve points on the month. November ended with the team going 5-8-1, giving them 11 of a possible 28 points, bringing the team to fourth in their division. In December the team rallied around the outstanding goaltending of Craig Kowalski and won two consecutive contests at home against the team's rival Las Vegas Wranglers. The two game performance by Kowalski earned him the ECHL Goalie of the Week award, becoming the first Roadrunners Goalie since Cody Rudkowsky in 2006 to win the award. The team also saw Mike Fornataro and Michael Wilson go to the ECHL All-Star Game in January. The team finished the month going 4-6-0 and gave the team 8 of a possible 20 points, and staying at fourth in their division. The team finished January with a 5-6-0 record, winning 10 of a possible 22 points. However, a series near the end of the season against the Alaska Aces did not go well, as they were outscored 18-5 throughout the series, and were swept, dashing the Roadrunners' playoff hopes.

     The team then ceased operations after the 2008–09 season.

Phoenix Roadrunners 2021 and forward

     Robert and Denise Pilkington took the steps to protect Rocky and the Phoenix Roadrunners brands by seeking and obtaining the trademarks for the original Phoenix Roadrunners brand (Rocky) and the brand (New Wave Rocky) used in the later years of competition.

     Having grown up with Roadrunner hockey, it was Robert's passion to protect the Phoenix Roadrunners brand, so along with securing the trademarks, Robert and Denise obtained the Phoenix Roadrunner corporate entity in 2021, thus giving them ownership of the Phoenix Roadrunner hockey club.

     Although the Roadrunners do not have a current team in competition, Robert and Denise made sure to protect the brand should the people of Arizona ever decide to bring the Phoenix Roadrunners back. Currently, the Tucson Roadrunners are the only minor league hockey team in Arizona, having started up with the Phoenix Coyote's came to town. One day, the Phoenix Roadrunners may hit the ice again, and when they do, the Phoenix Roadrunner logo and team will be available to them.

References

Wikipedia: Phoenix Roadrunners.

Cox, Damien; Stellick, Gord (2009). '67: The Maple Leafs, Their Sensational Victory, and the End of an Empire. John Wiley & Sons. p. 31.

Stott, Jon C (2008). Ice Warriors: The Pacific Coast/Western Hockey League 1948-1974. Heritage House Publishing.

"Phoenix club charges Leafs broke contract". The Globe and Mail. 1968-05-22.

Beddoes, Dick (1967-09-08). "Hockey lawsuits out of style". The Globe and Mail.

"Victoria team to Phoenix". Montreal Gazette. 1967-05-17.

"Minor pro leagues may soon merge". The Globe and Mail. 1967-06-06.

"At home in the desert". Times Colonist. 2005-11-29. Archived from the original on 2016-01-27. Retrieved 2014-02-16.

"Get set for pro hockey". The Pantagraph. May 11, 2004. Retrieved October 4, 2018.

"BLOOMINGTON PARTNERS SIGNS 10-YEAR FACILITY MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT WITH CITY OF BLOOMINGTON". ECHL.com. May 10, 2004. Archived from the original on October 4, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018.

"ECHL OFFICIALLY WELCOMES BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS". ECHL.com. May 10, 2004. Archived from the original on October 4, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018.

"Page 63 of the November 27, 2004, The Pantagraph". The Pantagraph. November 27, 2004. Retrieved October 4, 2018.

"Bloomington still plans to have hockey at arena". The Pantagraph. February 4, 2005. Retrieved October 4, 2018.

"Board Approves Phoenix Suns Ownership Purchase, Relocation of ECHL Membership". ECHL.com. February 1, 2005. Archived from the original on October 5, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018.

phxroadrunners.com: Ron Filion Resigns As Head Coach[permanent dead link]

phxroadrunners.com: Inside the Bird's Cage, Second Edition Archived 2007-06-26 at archive.

ECHL Concludes Mid-Season Board of Governors Meeting". ECHL. March 30, 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-01.[dead link]

phoenixroadrunners.com: Phoenix Roadrunners History.

Arizona Corporation Commission, Entity ID: 23239272, Phoenix Roadrunner Hockey Club, Inc., originally filed July 27, 2021.

United States Patent and Trademark Office, Trademarks 7,045,796 and 7,045,797, dated May 9, 2023.