The Dayton Owls was a minor league

Minor league

Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...

 ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 team in the International Hockey League (IHL) during the 1977–78 season. The team was based in Dayton, Ohio

Dayton, Ohio

Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...

, and played home games at the Hara Arena

Hara Arena

Hara Arena is a 5,500-seat multi-purpose arena, in Trotwood, Ohio, just outside the city of Dayton.At one time, it hosted the Dayton Jets basketball team and Dayton Gems, Dayton Blue Hawks, Dayton Owls, Dayton Bombers and Dayton Ice Bandits ice hockey teams and The Marshals indoor football...

. The Columbus Owls

Columbus Owls

The Columbus Owls were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the International Hockey League from 1973 to 1977. Prior to 1973, the team was known as the Columbus Golden Seals since 1971. After 1977 the team moved and became the Dayton Owls, and later the Grand Rapids Owls....

 had relocated to Dayton for the 1977–78 season, filling the void left by the Dayton Gems. Midway during their first season, on December 15, 1977 the Dayton Owls relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...

 and became the Grand Rapids Owls

Grand Rapids Owls

The Grand Rapids Owls are a defunct professional ice hockey team, who were members of the International Hockey League from the 1977–1978 season to 1979–1980 season. The Owls were based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and played their home games in Stadium Arena. The team started the 1977–1978 season as...

. http://www.milwaukeehockey.com/history/7778.htm