Daily Dish: RIP Texas Tornado, here come the Brahmas - Junior Hockey News
Published: Friday, 19 Jul 2013
By: Stephen Heisler | Web site: JuniorHockey.com
The North American Hockey League is set to approve the sale and
relocation of the Texas Tornado to the NYTEX Sports Center in the Fort Worth
suburb of North Richland Hills. The name of the team will be changed to the
Texas Brahmas, the same name used for the arena's former tenant from the
Central Hockey League.
The Tornado joined the NAHL back in 1999 while initially be located at
the same arena the team is moving back to. The Tornado captured five Robertson
Cup championships while under the direction of head coach Tony Curtale. Eight
different players have been able to move on from the Tornado to the National
Hockey League.
The beginning of the end for the Tornado came in the form of the CHL's
Allen Americans. The team owner Doug Miller offer to purchase the Tornado from
the Schlegel Sports was rejected, forcing the CEO of EXCO Resources to focus
his attention on the minor professional level of play. Meanwhile the Tornado
went dark for a year while the Stars Center was being renovated. When the team
returned attendance was a fraction of what it was (2004-05 Avg 3,709 per game)
and the team never recovered with the Americans right up the road in Allen.
The league's full Board of Governors has to put their final stamp on
the transaction and that should be little more than a formality. Ultimately
this transaction becomes the final chapter of the league's most storied club.
Considering that the Tornado staff have been busy selling season
tickets to gullible fans while management never had any intention of playing
the 2013-2014 season at the Dr. Pepper Stars Center, I think it's rather ironic
that somebody is quickly deleting Facebook inquires about getting refunds. In
reality, the team should also be refunding the cost of the baloney try-out
camps that were promoted with Curtlale's name and the hope of making the
Tornado roster. I'm still trying to figure out if the gross deception was even
legal.
Now that the Trazzera brothers have put up the cash, coaches around the
south division must be extremely nervous about the immensely talented Dan
Wildfong presence on the Brahmas' bench. Wildfong led the CHL Brahmas to six
consecutive winning seasons, a league championship in 2008-2009, and a
reputation as being one of the game's best coaches. The 37 year-old coach
brings a lot of confidence and success to the division.
All joking aside, Wildfong is in for a rude awakening if he really
believes that its going to be easy in the big south. Maybe the young coach
should put a call into Paul Gillis and Brent Hughes before taking that thought
process into the 2013-2014 season.
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Lol they have a crappy arena, even by junior league standards
ReplyDeleteCheck out the Tornado Facebook page. The guy who wrote this article is just causing a mess. Someone spoke to a tornado representative about a month or 6 weeks ago and was told they were not moving. You should be able to see it on the facebook page.
ReplyDelete