Phoenix Roadrunners (WHL)
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| Phoenix Roadrunners | |
|---|---|
| City | Phoenix, Arizona |
| League | Western Hockey League |
| Operated | 1967–74 |
| Home arena | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| Colors | Blue, yellow and white |
| Franchise history | |
| 1958–1959 | Spokane Spokes |
| 1959–1963 | Spokane Comets |
| 1963–1964 | Denver Invaders |
| 1964–1967 | Victoria Maple Leafs |
| 1967–1974 | Phoenix Roadrunners (WHL) |
| 1974–1977 | Phoenix Roadrunners (WHA) |
The Phoenix Roadrunners were a professional ice hockey team in Phoenix, Arizona. They were a member of the Western Hockey League from 1967 to 1974. After the 1974 season, the franchise moved to the World Hockey Association. The team played at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, aka “The Madhouse on McDowell.”
The franchise originally competed in the Western Hockey League (WHL) from 1967 to 1974. The team was established after a group from Phoenix purchased the Victoria Maple Leafs in June 1967 from Maple Leaf Gardens Limited for $500,000[1][2][3][4] and relocated the team from Victoria, British Columbia, where they had played for the three previous seasons, to become the Roadrunners.[5][6][7]
They won the championship trophy, the Lester Patrick Cup, twice during their tenure in the WHL (1972–73 and 1973–74). In 1974 they joined the WHA with their roster mostly intact when the minor pro WHL ceased operations.