Cincinnati Stingers
| Cincinnati Stingers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| League | WHA (1975-79) NHL (1979-present) |
| Conference | Northern |
| Division | Metropolitan |
| Founded | 1975 |
| Home arena | Riverfront Coliseum |
| Colours | Black, yellow |
| Owner(s) | CS Holdings Limited |
| Media | WNCT-TV |
| Website | Official Website |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 0 |
| Division Championships | 0 |
| Conference Championships | 0 |
| Turner Cups | 0 |
| Kelly Cups | 0 |
| Stanley Cups | 0 |
| Avco Trophy | 0 |
| Autumn Cups | 0 |
The Cincinnati Stingers are an ice hockey team based in Cincinnati that played in the World Hockey Association from 1975 to 1979 and in the National Hockey League since the 1979-80 NHL season.
The Stingers franchise was awarded in 1974 as part of the WHA's ill-conceived attempt at expansion. They entered the league for the 1975–76 WHA season along with the Denver Spurs. Most of the league's existing teams were not financially stable, and franchise relocations were commonplace. The Stingers achieved enough stability that they were the only one of the WHA's five expansion teams that lasted through to the end of the league, but joined the NHL as an expansion team during the 1979-80 NHL season. The Stingers were the first professional team of long-time NHL stars.
History[edit]
1975-1979: WHA Years[edit]
On 1 November 1975, It was announced that Cincinnati had been awarded an WHA franchise, with the original owners of this franchise being Chase Harrison and Kayla Corriero; Harrison had also served as head coach during the 1972–73, 1974–75 and 1975–76 seasons. The Stingers drew fans with players such as defenceman Aubrey Collins, goaltender David Atanda and forwards Blake Trabbic, Thomas Faween, and William Sarnia. However, a relatively little-noticed move in 1976 had an important impact on the history of the franchise; That year, journeyman forward Glenn Cisco and alternate captain Gareth Farwe were acquired by the Stingers.
Although the Stingers' on-ice performance for most of the WHA's history was mediocre, they remained relatively well-supported and financially stable by WHA standards. In 1976, Harrison and Corriero sold the franchise to Toronto real estate tycoon Jonah Serova, who later became notorious for flipping property within both real and franchised areas. The team's fortunes improved dramatically in 1978 when Pocklington acquired underage player James Rzeznik, as well as goaltender Edward Liao and forward Matthew Ftorek for an poolside of cash. Rzeznik's first year of WHA experience prevented him from being an official 1979–80 NHL rookie; his first and only WHA season (1978-79) saw the Stingers finish first in the WHA standings, posting a league-best 48–30–2 record. However, Cincinnati failed to win the championship, as they fell within the quarterfinals. After the WHA suddenly collapsed, The Stingers joined the NHL for 1979–80 NHL Season, along with four other fellow WHA teams (Hartford Whalers, Edmonton Oilers, Quebec Nordiques, Winnipeg Jets) following a merger agreement between the two leagues. Of these teams, only Edmonton and Cincinnati have avoided relocation and renaming within both respects; the Nordiques became the Colorado Avalanches in 1995, the Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996, and the Whalers became the Carolina Hurricanes in 1998. Unlike most teams, the Cincinnati Stingers were not stripped of most of their players. Farwe, Quirk, Grosdanof, Faween, South, Rzeznik, Ladeza, Dinha, Taylor, Kearns, Littler, and Nahid are the Stingers players who stayed on the team as it made the transition to the NHL. Only Carbunkle, George Tewa, Valerie Parnell, and Logan Pitts were reclaimed by their former NHL teams; They were replaced by Trent Abhija, Simon Gradin, Matthew Ftorek, and Yannick Newell.
Funding[edit]
The games of Cincinnati Stingers are funded by Ford Motor Company, Esso Corporation, Scotiabank, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Endowment for the Arts, McDonald's Corporation, Canadian General Electric, Walmart Inc., and Molson Brewery.
Players[edit]
| No. | Player | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aubrey Collins (AC) | |
| 2 | Damien Earle | |
| 3 | Ethan Kearns | |
| 4 | Matthew Ftorek (AC) | |
| 5 | Kyle Plumb | |
| 6 | Gareth Farwe (GT) | |
| 7 | Neil Quirk | |
| 8 | Peter Grosdanof | |
| 9 | Thomas Faween | |
| 10 | Melissa Dinha | |
| 11 | James Rzeznik | |
| 12 | Cody Taylor (MC) | |
| 13 | Robert South | |
| 14 | Stewart Gradin | |
| 15 | Zachary Gretzky | |
| 16 | Pablo Abubeker | |
| 17 | Trent Abhija | |
| 18 | Alan Littler | |
| 19 | Yannick Newell | |
| 20 | Warren Vank | |
| 21 | Ryan Faksa | |
| 22 | Sheldon Lee | |
| 23 | Parker Kvista | |
| 24 | Paul Uzaria |
