Fayetteville Force
Encyclopedia
The Fayetteville Force was a professional ice hockey
team. based in Fayetteville, North Carolina
. The franchise was a member of the Central Hockey League
(1997–2001). They played their home games at the Crown Coliseum.
, one of the founders of the East Coast Hockey League, applied for a franchise in Fayetteville, North Carolina
. The Cape Fear region
had a population of close to a quarter of a million people and was the home of Fort Bragg
, one of the largest military posts in the world.
On June 17, 1997 it was announced that Fayetteville would become a member of the CHL. The team was named the Force in honor of the military base and would play its home games at the new Crown Coliseum
.
It its first season the team was a financial success, drawing an average of almost 4,000 spectators a game during the 1997-98 season. The triumph of the first year relied upon more than just the northern-raised servicemen and other such transplants who were hockey fans. The novelty of the new Crown Coliseum was a draw in the fist year, as were hockey fights
and “zany” promotions such as a between-periods contest of shooting the puck at empty beer cartons placed along the goal line - hitting a carton meant that the shooter would take home a full case of beer
.
After two years, Coffey sold the club. The new ownership group lacked knowledge of the business of minor league
sports, and the travel to places as distant as San Antonio, Texas
, became increasingly more expensive. Additionally, the honeymoon between the local residents and the new sport and its arena was over.
The brightest moment of the Force’s last two seasons occurred on January 25, 2000, when the Coliseum hosted the CHL all-star game
. Despite the fact that eight inches of snow
had fallen during the day, 6,128 people showed to watch the game.
In the spring of 2001 it was announced that the CHL would consolidate
with the Western Professional Hockey League
. As a result of such amalgamation, its eastern-based franchises were dropped and the debt riddled Force folded.
There would be no more professional hockey in Fayetteville until the 2002-03 season when the ACHL and the Fayetteville FireAntz
would come to town.
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. based in Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post located northwest of the city....
. The franchise was a member of the Central Hockey League
Central Hockey League
The Central Hockey League is a mid-level professional hockey league, owned by Global Entertainment Corporation. Its current champions are the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, which defeated the Colorado Eagles four games to three in the 2011 playoffs....
(1997–2001). They played their home games at the Crown Coliseum.
Background
In 1996 the Central Hockey League (CHL) decided to expand eastward, adding privately owned teams for the first time. Bill CoffeyBill Coffey
Bill Coffey is a businessman and minor league sports entrepreneur. He is one of the founders of the ECHL . Founded in 1988, the ECHL is a minor professional ice hockey league that serves as a development league for the NHL...
, one of the founders of the East Coast Hockey League, applied for a franchise in Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post located northwest of the city....
. The Cape Fear region
Cape Fear (region)
Cape Fear is a coastal plain and tidewater region of North Carolina centered about the city of Wilmington. The region takes its name from the adjacent Cape Fear headland, as does the Cape Fear River which flows through the region and empties into the Atlantic Ocean near the cape...
had a population of close to a quarter of a million people and was the home of Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
, one of the largest military posts in the world.
On June 17, 1997 it was announced that Fayetteville would become a member of the CHL. The team was named the Force in honor of the military base and would play its home games at the new Crown Coliseum
Cumberland County Crown Coliseum
Cumberland County Crown Coliseum is an 8,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Fayetteville, North Carolina that opened in 1997. It is currently home to the Fayetteville FireAntz ice hockey team, the Fayetteville Force indoor football team, and formerly home to the Fayetteville Patriots of the NBA...
.
It its first season the team was a financial success, drawing an average of almost 4,000 spectators a game during the 1997-98 season. The triumph of the first year relied upon more than just the northern-raised servicemen and other such transplants who were hockey fans. The novelty of the new Crown Coliseum was a draw in the fist year, as were hockey fights
Fighting in ice hockey
Fighting in ice hockey is an established tradition of the sport in North America, with a long history involving many levels of amateur and professional play and including some notable individual fights. Although a definite source of criticism, it is a considerable draw for the sport, and some fans...
and “zany” promotions such as a between-periods contest of shooting the puck at empty beer cartons placed along the goal line - hitting a carton meant that the shooter would take home a full case of beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
.
After two years, Coffey sold the club. The new ownership group lacked knowledge of the business of 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...
sports, and the travel to places as distant as San Antonio, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, became increasingly more expensive. Additionally, the honeymoon between the local residents and the new sport and its arena was over.
The brightest moment of the Force’s last two seasons occurred on January 25, 2000, when the Coliseum hosted the CHL all-star game
All-star game
An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league, except in the circumstances of professional sports systems in which a democratic voting system is used...
. Despite the fact that eight inches of snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
had fallen during the day, 6,128 people showed to watch the game.
In the spring of 2001 it was announced that the CHL would consolidate
Consolidation (business)
Consolidation or amalgamation is the act of merging many things into one. In business, it often refers to the mergers and acquisitions of many smaller companies into much larger ones. In the context of financial accounting, consolidation refers to the aggregation of financial statements of a group...
with the Western Professional Hockey League
Western Professional Hockey League
The Western Professional Hockey League is a defunct minor professional ice hockey league.It operated in the United States from 1996 to 2001, with teams in the southern United States, mainly Texas. The league started with six teams in the 1996-1997 season and grew to 18 teams in 1999-2000...
. As a result of such amalgamation, its eastern-based franchises were dropped and the debt riddled Force folded.
There would be no more professional hockey in Fayetteville until the 2002-03 season when the ACHL and the Fayetteville FireAntz
Fayetteville FireAntz
The Fayetteville FireAntz are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S. They currently play in the Southern Professional Hockey League . They play their home games in the Cumberland County Crown Coliseum....
would come to town.