Colorado Gold Kings
Encyclopedia
The Colorado Gold Kings were an American professional minor league
ice hockey
team based in Colorado Springs
, Colorado
. Originally founded {formed in the mid-70's as an amateur hockey team-}in 1995 in Fairbanks
, Alaska
, as the Alaska Gold Kings, the franchise moved to Colorado Springs in 1998 and played there until their final season in 2002. The Gold Kings, named after the gold mining
prominent in both Colorado and Alaska, were a member of the West Coast Hockey League
.
Prior to the WCHL franchise, teams named the Alaska Gold Kings or Fairbanks Gold Kings were already active in various senior hockey loops.
The Gold Kings once hosted their own international tournament, the Alaska Cup, facing the likes of Team Japan and Team Austria.
They also were the American representatives in the 1990 Tournoi du Mont-Blanc, a traditional tournament played around Christmas in several French Alps resorts.
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 based in Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Originally founded {formed in the mid-70's as an amateur hockey team-
Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks is a home rule city in and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state behind Anchorage...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, as the Alaska Gold Kings, the franchise moved to Colorado Springs in 1998 and played there until their final season in 2002. The Gold Kings, named after the gold mining
Gold mining
Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...
prominent in both Colorado and Alaska, were a member of the West Coast Hockey League
West Coast Hockey League
The West Coast Hockey League was a professional minor ice hockey league active in the western United States from 1995 to 2003. The number of teams ranged from six to nine. The teams were located in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Washington...
.
Prior to the WCHL franchise, teams named the Alaska Gold Kings or Fairbanks Gold Kings were already active in various senior hockey loops.
The Gold Kings once hosted their own international tournament, the Alaska Cup, facing the likes of Team Japan and Team Austria.
They also were the American representatives in the 1990 Tournoi du Mont-Blanc, a traditional tournament played around Christmas in several French Alps resorts.
Team Record
| Season | W | L | Win % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-02 | 39 | 26 | .600 |