The Cincinnati Stingers was an 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 based in Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

, that played in the World Hockey Association

World Hockey Association

The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...

 from 1975 to 1979. Its home arena was Riverfront Coliseum (now known as U.S. Bank Arena

U.S. Bank Arena

U.S. Bank Arena is an indoor arena, located in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, along the banks of the Ohio River, next to the Great American Ball Park. Completed in September 1975, the arena seats 17,556 people...

) and it was the only major-league hockey team ever to play in Cincinnati.

History

The Stingers franchise was awarded in 1974 as part of the WHA's ill-conceived attempt at expansion. Most of the league's existing teams were not financially stable, and franchise relocations were commonplace. The Stingers played through the league's final season in 1978–79, but with attendance being average at best, the club was not included in the merger with the National Hockey League

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

 that took place in the summer of 1979. The Stingers, along with the Birmingham Bulls

Birmingham Bulls

The Birmingham Bulls were a professional ice hockey team based in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. They played in the World Hockey Association from 1976 to 1979 and the Central Hockey League from 1979 to 1981. The Bulls played their home games at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center.Prior to being...

, were paid to disband when the WHA ceased operations.

The Stingers were the first professional team of long-time NHL star Mike Gartner

Mike Gartner

Michael Alfred Gartner is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Washington Capitals, Minnesota North Stars, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Phoenix Coyotes...

. Mark Messier

Mark Messier

Mark Douglas Messier is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League and current special assistant to the president and general manager of the New York Rangers. He spent a quarter of a century in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver...

 and Mike Liut

Mike Liut

Michael Dennis Liut is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender.Liut played for the Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association from 1977 to 1979 and for the St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, and Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League from 1979 to 1992. He won...

 also played for the Stingers. After playing five games with the Indianapolis Racers

Indianapolis Racers

The Indianapolis Racers were a franchise in the former World Hockey Association from 1974 to 1978. They competed in five seasons, folding 25 games into the 1978–79 season. They played at Market Square Arena...

, Messier moved to Cincinnati. Messier was placed on a line with Robbie Ftorek

Robbie Ftorek

Robert Brian Ftorek is a former NHL player and coach. He was enshrined as member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991...

. Ftorek was one of the top scorers in the league but Messier managed to get only one goal.

After the WHA shut down, a minor professional version of the Cincinnati Stingers began the 1979–80 season in the Central Hockey League. The CHL team included only three players from the 1978–79 WHA Stingers; Dave Debol

Dave Debol

David Debol is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 92 games for the NHL Hartford Whalers and 68 games for the WHA Cincinnati Stingers between 1978 and 1981. He was also a member of the University of Michigan hockey team before turning professional...

, Byron Shutt and Paul Stewart

Paul Stewart (ice hockey)

Paul Stewart is a former professional ice hockey player and referee.Stewart played in both the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League. He played with Mark Messier for the Cincinnati Stingers...

. The CHL team disbanded 33 games into the season.

The largest crowd in Cincinnati Stingers history was on March 11, 1978 when 13,901 persons attended a game at Riverfront Coliseum between the Stingers and the Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....

.

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

World Hockey Association

Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...	GP	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	Finish	Playoffs
1975–76	80	35	44	1	71	285	340	1344	4th, Eastern	Did not qualify
1976–77	81	39	37	5	83	354	303	970	2nd, Eastern	Lost Quarterfinals (Indianapolis Indianapolis Racers The Indianapolis Racers were a franchise in the former World Hockey Association from 1974 to 1978. They competed in five seasons, folding 25 games into the 1978–79 season. They played at Market Square Arena... )
1977–78	80	35	42	3	73	298	332	1701	7th, WHA	Did not qualify
1978–79	80	33	41	6	72	274	284	1651	5th, WHA	Lost Quarterfinals (New England Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.. The club played in the World Hockey Association from 1972–79 and in the National Hockey League from 1979–97... )
Totals	321	142	164	15	299	1211	1259	5666

Central Hockey League

Season	GP	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	Finish	Playoffs
1979–80	33	11	21	1	23	108	151	591	n/a	Incomplete season

External links

• SCSR / Cincinnati Stingers