Las Vegas Coyotes
Encyclopedia
The Las Vegas Coyotes were an inline hockey
team which competed in Roller Hockey International
. The team was originally founded as the Atlanta Fire Ants in 1994 and had a two season stint in Oklahoma City before the team relocated to Las Vegas. The team's home games were played at the Ice Arena at the Santa Fe Hotel
and the team was folded following the dissolution of the RHI after the 1999 season. The Coyotes were the second attempt by the RHI to field a team in the Las Vegas Valley, the Coyotes predecessor, the Las Vegas Flash
, played one season in the league
.
, one of twelve expansion franchises as the RHI doubled its membership for their second season. The Fire Ants played their home games at the Omni Coliseum
in downtown Atlanta and were members of the Central Division
of the Eastern Conference with the Chicago Cheetahs
, Minnesota Arctic Blast
, New England Stingers
, Pittsburgh Phantoms and St. Louis Vipers
. The Fire Ants would finish the season with a record of 10–10–2, finishing in fourth place in the Central Division and narrowly qualifying for the Murphy Cup playoffs
as the eighth and final seed. The Fire Ants were swept in the best-of-three game Central Division semifinals against Minnesota, losing Game One 14–4 and Game Two 9–8. The Fire Ants would finish their only season in Atlanta averaging 3,388 spectators in eleven home games, ranking 16th out of the 24 teams.
) to relocate prior to the 1995 season
. The Fire Ants were moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and the Myriad Convention Center
, changing their name to the Oklahoma Coyotes in the process. With the relocation, the Coyotes moved to the Pacific Division
of the Western Conference with the Anaheim Bullfrogs
, Los Angeles Blades
, Phoenix Cobras
and San Diego Barracudas
. Despite Left Winger Doug Lawrence leading the league in scoring, the Coyotes would finish the season in last place in the Pacific Division with a record of 7–17–0 and missing the Murphy Cup playoffs. Though the team's season was not very successful, the Coyotes did have two players, Lawrence and Scott Drevitch
selected for the 1995 All-Star Game
in St. Louis. Both players started the game and Lawrence was named the Western Conference's captain for the game. Lawrence would provide a goal and three assists and Drevitch added a goal and two assists, though the Western Conference would lose to the Eastern Conference, 14–12.
The Coyotes would see an improvement in their second season in Oklahoma City, posting a record of 13–12–3 finishing third in the Pacific Division. Though the Coyotes had the fifth best record in the Western Conference, an accomplishment that would have qualified the team for the playoffs in previous seasons, the RHI's new playoff format for the 1996 season allowed only the top two teams from each of the league's four divisions to qualify for the Murphy Cup playoffs. For the second season, the Coyotes would send two players to the RHI's All-Star Game, this time being Radek Hamr
and Joe Burton. Hamr would provide one assist while Burton scored a goal in the Western Conference's 14–12 victory at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California.
At the conclusion of the 1996 season, the Coyotes suspended operations as the organization looked for a new home.
, the former home of the RHI's Las Vegas Flash in 1994. The Coyotes were set to make their return to the RHI, when the league announced that it was going to suspend the 1998 season in order to make a public stock offering and raise money for a season in 1999. The Coyotes, who had planned to play at the Thomas & Mack Center, announced that they planned to play their games at a proposed 6,500-seat sports facility in North Las Vegas named The Millennium. The Coyotes and the RHI would return for a season in 1999
, with the Coyotes playing in the four team Western Conference
with RHI stalwarts Anaheim and the San Jose Rhinos
, along with the expansion Dallas Stallions
. The RHI would be an eight team league for 1999, with the Eastern Conference
hosting former RHI clubs Buffalo Wings, Minnesota Blue Ox
and St. Louis Vipers
, along with the expansion Chicago Bluesmen
. Prior to their inaugural season in Las Vegas, the Coyotes switched venues for a second time, opting to play at the 1,500-seat Ice Arena at the Sante Fe Hotel in northwest Las Vegas, and announced that they would be led by former Las Vegas Thunder
head coach Chris McSorley. After sweeping a four-game road trip to start the season, the Coyotes lost their home opener 4–3 in a shootout against San Jose in front of more than 1,200 spectators. Though the Coyotes were impressive in the rink, posting a 9–0–1 record in their first ten games, the team was not drawing well and was one of five teams in the eight-team league that were unable to average attendance of at least 1,000 per game.
As the season moved on, the Coyotes posted an 16–7–3 record, finishing in second place in the Western Conference and earning a berth in the Murphy Cup playoffs, all while the team suffered through lack of coverage from the local media. At the Murphy Cup playoffs in Anaheim, the Coyotes lost in the Division Semifinals to San Jose, 6–5. Following the season, the team looked to move from the Santa Fe Ice Arena, possibly to the All-American Sports Park off the south side of the Las Vegas Strip, but the plan never came to fruition. The Coyotes would not return to the rink as the league suspended the 2000 season and finally ceased operations in 2001.
Notes:
a Code explanation; GP—Games Played, W—Wins, L—Losses, T—Overtime/Shootout losses (worth one point), GF—Goals For, GA—Goals Against, Pts—Points
b The result of the playoff series with Coyotes' result first no matter of the outcome, followed by opposite team in parenthesis.
Inline hockey
Inline hockey, often referred to as roller hockey in the United States, is a sport similar to ice hockey but played with inline skates. Like its parent sport, skaters on two teams use hockey sticks to direct a disk-shaped puck into the opponent's goal; however, various details of the game, such as...
team which competed in Roller Hockey International
Roller Hockey International
Roller Hockey International was a professional inline hockey league that operated in North America from 1993 to 1999. It was the first major professional league for inline hockey....
. The team was originally founded as the Atlanta Fire Ants in 1994 and had a two season stint in Oklahoma City before the team relocated to Las Vegas. The team's home games were played at the Ice Arena at the Santa Fe Hotel
Santa Fe Station
Santa Fe Station is a locals casino located on Rancho Drive in Las Vegas, Nevada. The casino is owned by Station Casinos and is located on of land.-History:...
and the team was folded following the dissolution of the RHI after the 1999 season. The Coyotes were the second attempt by the RHI to field a team in the Las Vegas Valley, the Coyotes predecessor, the Las Vegas Flash
Las Vegas Flash
The Las Vegas Flash were an inline hockey team which existed for one season in 1994. The Flash were a part of Roller Hockey International. The team's home games were played at the Thomas & Mack Center.The franchise was previously known as:...
, played one season in the league
1994 RHI season
The 1994 RHI season was the 2nd season of Roller Hockey International. It began on June 4, 1994, with the regular season ending in August. The Murphy Cup playoffs ended in September, with the Buffalo Stampede defeating the Portland Rage to win their first Murphy Cup...
.
Atlanta Fire Ants (1994)
The Atlanta Fire Ants began play during the 1994 season1994 RHI season
The 1994 RHI season was the 2nd season of Roller Hockey International. It began on June 4, 1994, with the regular season ending in August. The Murphy Cup playoffs ended in September, with the Buffalo Stampede defeating the Portland Rage to win their first Murphy Cup...
, one of twelve expansion franchises as the RHI doubled its membership for their second season. The Fire Ants played their home games at the Omni Coliseum
Omni Coliseum
The Omni Coliseum, usually called The Omni, from the Latin for "all," or "every," was an indoor arena, located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Completed in 1972, the arena seated 16,378, for basketball and 15,278, for ice hockey...
in downtown Atlanta and were members of the Central Division
Central Division (RHI)
Roller Hockey International’s Central Division was formed in 1994 as part of the Eastern Conference in a league realignment, the predecessor of which was the Murphy Division.-1994:*Atlanta Fire Ants*Chicago Cheetahs*Minnesota Arctic Blast...
of the Eastern Conference with the Chicago Cheetahs
Chicago Cheetahs
The Chicago Cheetahs were a professional roller hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois, United States that played in Roller Hockey International. The Cheetahs joined the league in 1994. The Cheetahs were part-owned by basketball legend George Mikan...
, Minnesota Arctic Blast
Minnesota Arctic Blast
The Minnesota Arctic Blast were a professional roller hockey team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States that played in Roller Hockey International....
, New England Stingers
New England Stingers
The New England Stingers were a professional roller hockey team based in Portland, Maine, United States that played in Roller Hockey International....
, Pittsburgh Phantoms and St. Louis Vipers
St. Louis Vipers
The St. Louis Vipers were a team of professional roller hockey players based in St. Louis, Missouri. The team was a part of the now-defunct Roller Hockey International League. They played their home games in the former St. Louis Arena but then moved to the Kiel Center in 1995...
. The Fire Ants would finish the season with a record of 10–10–2, finishing in fourth place in the Central Division and narrowly qualifying for the Murphy Cup playoffs
1994 Murphy Cup playoffs
The 1994 Murphy Cup playoffs of Roller Hockey International began in September, 1994, after the 1994 regular season. The sixteen teams that qualified, four from each division , play a best-of-three series, with the third game a one 12–minute period, for the...
as the eighth and final seed. The Fire Ants were swept in the best-of-three game Central Division semifinals against Minnesota, losing Game One 14–4 and Game Two 9–8. The Fire Ants would finish their only season in Atlanta averaging 3,388 spectators in eleven home games, ranking 16th out of the 24 teams.
Oklahoma Coyotes (1995–1996)
Following the 1994 season, the Fire Ants were one of three teams (New England to Ottawa, Ontario and the Edmonton Sled Dogs to Orlando, FloridaOrlando Jackals
The Orlando Jackals were a professional roller hockey team based in Orlando, Florida, United States that played in Roller Hockey International.- History :...
) to relocate prior to the 1995 season
1995 RHI season
The 1995 RHI season was the 3rd season of Roller Hockey International. It began in June 1995, with the regular season ending in August. The Murphy Cup playoffs ended in September, with the San Jose Rhinos defeating the Montreal Roadrunners to win their first Murphy Cup in overtime of game three....
. The Fire Ants were moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and the Myriad Convention Center
Cox Convention Center
The Cox Business Services Convention Center is a multi-purpose complex, located in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma....
, changing their name to the Oklahoma Coyotes in the process. With the relocation, the Coyotes moved to the Pacific Division
Pacific Division (RHI)
RHI's Pacific Division was formed in 1994 as part of the Western Conference in a league realignment, the predecessor of which was the Buss Division.-1994:*Anaheim Bullfrogs*Las Vegas Flash*Los Angeles Blades*Oakland Skates*San Diego Barracudas...
of the Western Conference with the Anaheim Bullfrogs
Anaheim Bullfrogs
The Anaheim Bullfrogs were a professional inline hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Bullfrogs played in Roller Hockey International and Major League Roller Hockey before returning to Roller Hockey international . The Bullfrogs played their home games in the Arrowhead Pond of...
, Los Angeles Blades
Los Angeles Blades
The Los Angeles Blades were a professional inline hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. The Blades played in Roller Hockey International from 1993-1997 and played their home games at the Great Western Forum....
, Phoenix Cobras
Phoenix Cobras
The Phoenix Cobras were a professional roller hockey team based in Phoenix, Arizona, United States that played in Roller Hockey International....
and San Diego Barracudas
San Diego Barracudas
The San Diego Barracudas were a southern Californian professional inline hockey team which existed from 1993 through 1996. The Barracudas were a part of Roller Hockey International. The team's home games were played at the San Diego Sports Arena...
. Despite Left Winger Doug Lawrence leading the league in scoring, the Coyotes would finish the season in last place in the Pacific Division with a record of 7–17–0 and missing the Murphy Cup playoffs. Though the team's season was not very successful, the Coyotes did have two players, Lawrence and Scott Drevitch
Scott Drevitch
Scott Drevitch is a retired American professional ice hockey and roller hockey defenseman.-Ice hockey:...
selected for the 1995 All-Star Game
2nd Roller Hockey International All-Star Game
The 2nd Roller Hockey International All-Star Game was held at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri, home of the St. Louis Vipers, in conjunction with the Vipers moving into the new Kiel Center for the 1995 season. The game was held between two teams, each representing a conference of Roller...
in St. Louis. Both players started the game and Lawrence was named the Western Conference's captain for the game. Lawrence would provide a goal and three assists and Drevitch added a goal and two assists, though the Western Conference would lose to the Eastern Conference, 14–12.
The Coyotes would see an improvement in their second season in Oklahoma City, posting a record of 13–12–3 finishing third in the Pacific Division. Though the Coyotes had the fifth best record in the Western Conference, an accomplishment that would have qualified the team for the playoffs in previous seasons, the RHI's new playoff format for the 1996 season allowed only the top two teams from each of the league's four divisions to qualify for the Murphy Cup playoffs. For the second season, the Coyotes would send two players to the RHI's All-Star Game, this time being Radek Hamr
Radek Hamr
Radek Hamr is a Czech professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Kloten Flyers of the Swiss National League A. He played a handful of National Hockey League games with the Ottawa Senators between 1992 and 1994....
and Joe Burton. Hamr would provide one assist while Burton scored a goal in the Western Conference's 14–12 victory at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California.
At the conclusion of the 1996 season, the Coyotes suspended operations as the organization looked for a new home.
Relocation to Las Vegas
After spending the 1997 season in dormancy and a failed attempt to move the team to Phoenix, Arizona, the Coyotes organization announced that the team would move to Las Vegas, Nevada for the 1998 season and play at the Thomas & Mack CenterThomas & Mack Center
The Thomas & Mack Center is an arena, located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. For ring events, the capacity is 19,522, for basketball, the capacity is 18,776.-History:...
, the former home of the RHI's Las Vegas Flash in 1994. The Coyotes were set to make their return to the RHI, when the league announced that it was going to suspend the 1998 season in order to make a public stock offering and raise money for a season in 1999. The Coyotes, who had planned to play at the Thomas & Mack Center, announced that they planned to play their games at a proposed 6,500-seat sports facility in North Las Vegas named The Millennium. The Coyotes and the RHI would return for a season in 1999
1999 RHI season
The 1999 RHI season was the 6th season of Roller Hockey International. This was the season after the non-existent 1998 season which was canceled. The 1999 Murphy Cup playoffs concluded with the St...
, with the Coyotes playing in the four team Western Conference
Western Conference (RHI)
The Western Conference was one of two conferences in Roller Hockey International used to divide teams. Its counterpart was the Eastern Conference....
with RHI stalwarts Anaheim and the San Jose Rhinos
San Jose Rhinos
The San Jose Rhinos were an inline hockey team in Roller Hockey International from 1994-97. In its second year, the team won the Murphy Cup with a victory over the Montreal Roadrunners in the championship game. The team played its home games at the San Jose Arena....
, along with the expansion Dallas Stallions
Dallas Stallions
The Dallas Stallions were a professional roller hockey team based in Dallas, Texas, United States that played in Roller Hockey International.-Year-by-year:- History :...
. The RHI would be an eight team league for 1999, with the Eastern Conference
Eastern Conference (RHI)
The Eastern Conference was one of two conferences in Roller Hockey International used to divide teams. Its counterpart was the Western Conference....
hosting former RHI clubs Buffalo Wings, Minnesota Blue Ox
Minnesota Blue Ox
The Minnesota Blue Ox were a professional roller hockey team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States that played in Roller Hockey International....
and St. Louis Vipers
St. Louis Vipers
The St. Louis Vipers were a team of professional roller hockey players based in St. Louis, Missouri. The team was a part of the now-defunct Roller Hockey International League. They played their home games in the former St. Louis Arena but then moved to the Kiel Center in 1995...
, along with the expansion Chicago Bluesmen
Chicago Bluesmen
The Chicago Bluesmen were a professional roller hockey team based in Geneva, Illinois, United States that played in Roller Hockey International....
. Prior to their inaugural season in Las Vegas, the Coyotes switched venues for a second time, opting to play at the 1,500-seat Ice Arena at the Sante Fe Hotel in northwest Las Vegas, and announced that they would be led by former Las Vegas Thunder
Las Vegas Thunder
The Las Vegas Thunder were an independent professional ice hockey team competing in the International Hockey League. The team's home rink was at the Thomas & Mack Center. They began play in the 1993–1994 season, folding on April 18, 1999...
head coach Chris McSorley. After sweeping a four-game road trip to start the season, the Coyotes lost their home opener 4–3 in a shootout against San Jose in front of more than 1,200 spectators. Though the Coyotes were impressive in the rink, posting a 9–0–1 record in their first ten games, the team was not drawing well and was one of five teams in the eight-team league that were unable to average attendance of at least 1,000 per game.
As the season moved on, the Coyotes posted an 16–7–3 record, finishing in second place in the Western Conference and earning a berth in the Murphy Cup playoffs, all while the team suffered through lack of coverage from the local media. At the Murphy Cup playoffs in Anaheim, the Coyotes lost in the Division Semifinals to San Jose, 6–5. Following the season, the team looked to move from the Santa Fe Ice Arena, possibly to the All-American Sports Park off the south side of the Las Vegas Strip, but the plan never came to fruition. The Coyotes would not return to the rink as the league suspended the 2000 season and finally ceased operations in 2001.
Season-by-season record
| Murphy Cup Champions † | Murphy Cup finalists * | Division Champions ^ | Playoff appearance ¤ |
| Season | Conference | Division | Regular Season | Post Season | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | GP | W | L | GF | GA | Result | ||||
| Atlanta Fire Ants | |||||||||||||||||
| 1994 1994 RHI season The 1994 RHI season was the 2nd season of Roller Hockey International. It began on June 4, 1994, with the regular season ending in August. The Murphy Cup playoffs ended in September, with the Buffalo Stampede defeating the Portland Rage to win their first Murphy Cup... |
Eastern | Central | 4th ¤ | 22 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 22 | 168 | 190 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 22 | Lost in Division semifinals, 0-2 (Minnesota Minnesota Arctic Blast The Minnesota Arctic Blast were a professional roller hockey team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States that played in Roller Hockey International.... ) |
|
| Oklahoma Coyotes | |||||||||||||||||
| 1995 1995 RHI season The 1995 RHI season was the 3rd season of Roller Hockey International. It began in June 1995, with the regular season ending in August. The Murphy Cup playoffs ended in September, with the San Jose Rhinos defeating the Montreal Roadrunners to win their first Murphy Cup in overtime of game three.... |
Western | Pacific | 5th | 24 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 14 | 159 | 209 | – | – | – | – | – | Did not qualify | |
| 1996 1996 RHI season The 1996 RHI season was the 4th season of Roller Hockey International. It began in May 1996, with the regular season ending on August 12, 1996. The Murphy Cup playoffs ended on September 2, with the Orlando Jackals defeating the Anaheim Bullfrogs to win their first Murphy Cup... |
Western | Pacific | 3rd | 28 | 13 | 12 | 3 | 29 | 174 | 174 | – | – | – | – | – | Did not qualify | |
| Las Vegas Coyotes | |||||||||||||||||
| 1999 1999 RHI season The 1999 RHI season was the 6th season of Roller Hockey International. This was the season after the non-existent 1998 season which was canceled. The 1999 Murphy Cup playoffs concluded with the St... |
Western | 2nd ¤ | 26 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 35 | 144 | 123 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | Lost in Division semifinals, 0-1 (San Jose San Jose Rhinos The San Jose Rhinos were an inline hockey team in Roller Hockey International from 1994-97. In its second year, the team won the Murphy Cup with a victory over the Montreal Roadrunners in the championship game. The team played its home games at the San Jose Arena.... ) |
||
| Totals | 100 | 46 | 46 | 8 | .500 | 645 | 696 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 28 | — | ||||
Notes:
a Code explanation; GP—Games Played, W—Wins, L—Losses, T—Overtime/Shootout losses (worth one point), GF—Goals For, GA—Goals Against, Pts—Points
b The result of the playoff series with Coyotes' result first no matter of the outcome, followed by opposite team in parenthesis.
External links
- hockeydb.com RHI portal
- RHI Stats
- Las Vegas shows Las Vegas Coyotes tickets