Central Hockey League

The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a mid-level professional hockey league, owned by Global Entertainment Corporation. Its final champions were the Allen Americans.

This incarnation Central Hockey League was created in 1992 as a centrally owned league, owned by Ray Miron and Bill Levins. The league was operated by Ray and Monte Miron and funded by Chicago businessman and minor league sports entrepreneur Horn Chen. The league came to an end on October 7, 2014 when the Board of Governors of the ECHL voted to accept the CHL's remaining seven members as expansion teams in the ECHL.

History
The Central Hockey League (CHL) was revived in 1992 by Bill Levins and Ray Miron under the idea of central ownership of both the league and the teams. Both men were from hockey backgrounds. Miron had been general manager of what is now the New Jersey Devils and had briefly been president of the previous Central Hockey League in 1976.

In the inaugural 1992–93 season the league had six teams, including the Oklahoma City Blazers, the Tulsa Oilers, the Wichita Thunder, the Memphis RiverKings, the Dallas Freeze and the Fort Worth Fire. With the move of the RiverKings to the SPHL, the Thunder and the Oilers are the last of the league's original teams still extant.

In 1996-97 the Huntsville Channel Cats, along with the planned 1996–97 Southern Hockey League expansion teams Columbus Cottonmouths, Macon Whoopee, and Nashville Nighthawks, joined the Central Hockey League following the SHL's demise.

After Levins died, the league's championship trophy (awarded to the winner of the CHL playoffs) was renamed the Levins Cup. After running the league for eight years, Miron retired in 2000 and sold the league. The Levins Cup was renamed the Ray Miron President's Cup.

After several experiments in expansion and a long battle for players and markets with the Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL), the CHL merged with the WPHL in 2001.

The CHL commissioner is currently Duane Lewis, who succeeded Brad Treliving on an interim basis after Treliving took a position with the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes following the 2006-2007 season. Treliving co-founded the WPHL in 1996, and after the 2001 merger, served with the CHL for seven years. Lewis was named the permanent commissioner in June 2008.

On June 1, 2010 the league announced that it would merge with the International Hockey League. Originally touted as a "merger," the effect was for the IHL's Bloomington, Dayton, Fort Wayne and Quad City franchises to join the CHL; the IHL quietly folded thereafter.

The CHL and the ECHL websites announced on October 7, 2014 that the CHL's seven teams were accepted as expansion teams in the ECHL. On October 9th the CHL created a Central Division which was made up of the former CHL members.

Final Teams
Membership as of October 7, 2014

(date which all members were accepted into the ECHL)

Defunct

 * Albany, Georgia (1998) was supposed to be home of relocated Nashville Ice Flyers but team never played
 * Amarillo Gorillas (WPHL 1996–2001, CHL 2001–2010; team known as Amarillo Rattlers 1996–2002) team was replaced by a North American Hockey League franchise
 * Arizona Sundogs (2006-2014) suspended opeations August 21, 2014; hope to return for 2015-16
 * Austin Ice Bats (1996–2008, began play in WPHL before moving to CHL in 2001) franchise inactive
 * Border City Bandits (Texarkana, TX; 2000–01 season only, suspended by league on 2/20/01)
 * Bloomington Blaze (2011-2013) join SPHL and renamed Thunder after threat of legal action by CHL over use of name in a different league
 * Bloomington Prairie Thunder (Bloomington, IL; 2006-2007 UHL, 2007-2010 IHL, 2010-2011 CHL. team failed to contact U.S Cellular coliseum for an Extended lease. in result, a new hockey franchise named the Bloomington Blaze replaced them. officially ceased operation on July 3rd, 2011)
 * Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs (Bossier City–Shreveport, LA; WPHL 1997–2001, CHL 2001–2011; folded on June 10, 2011 after intending to join SPHL
 * Colorado Eagles (Loveland, CO; 2003–2011, moved to ECHL)
 * Columbus Cottonmouths (Columbus, GA; 1996–2001, moved to ECHL from 2001–04 and SPHL from 2004)
 * Corpus Christi IceRays (2001–2010, replaced by NAHL franchise of same name)
 * Dallas Freeze (1992–1995) folded as city already has NHL team
 * Dayton Gems (2010-2012) folded after CHL-IHL agreement ends
 * Denver Cutthroats (2012-2014) went dormant August 20, 2014; hoping for 2015-16 return
 * El Paso Buzzards (WPHL 1996–2001, CHL 2001–2003) folded
 * Evansville IceMen (2010-2012) joined ECHL
 * Fayetteville Force (1997–2001) folded
 * Fort Wayne Komets (2010-2012) join ECHL
 * Fort Worth Fire (1992–1999) ceased operations
 * Fort Worth Brahmas (2001-2006, 2007-2013) sit out 2006-07 season; return as Texas Brahmas from 2007-2012) revert to Fort Worth name when sold; go inactive after 2012-13 season due to a lack of a suitable arena
 * Huntsville Channel Cats (began in Southern Hockey League 1995–96, moved to CHL from 1996–1999, changed name to Huntsville Tornado in 1999–2000)
 * Huntsville Tornado (2000-2001) go inactive for 2 seasons and then return as a junior level organization
 * Indianapolis Ice (began play in IHL from 1988–1999, moved to CHL from 1999–2004. Franchise was sold and moved to Topeka, KS where they played as the Topeka Tarantulas for 2004–05)
 * Laredo Bucks (2002-2012) went dormant due to financial and attendance issues, revived as St. Charles Chill for 2013-14 season
 * Lehigh Valley Xtreme (2010) to be based to Allentown, never played due to lack of arena, completed arena ready  for 2014-15 season which houses Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL
 * Lubbock Cotton Kings (1999–2007) went inactive due to arena lease problems
 * Macon Whoopee (1996–2001, moved to ECHL for 2001–02)
 * Mississippi RiverKings (1992–2011, known as Memphis RiverKings from 1992–2007, moved to SPHL for 2011–12.)
 * Nashville Nighthawks (1996–97, changed name to Nashville Ice Flyers for 1997–98. The Ice Flyers looked into the possibility of relocating to Albany, Georgia, after the 1997–98 season following the announcement that the Nashville Predators were joining the NHL for the 1998–99 season. For whatever reason that relocation never occurred)
 * New Mexico Scorpions (Rio Rancho, NM; WPHL 1996–2001, CHL 2001–2009), inactive for 2005-06 season and suspend operations in July of 2009
 * Odessa Jackalopes (1997–2010, replaced by NAHL franchise of the same name. Another source says the same team switched leagues )
 * Oklahoma City Blazers (1992–2009, folded on July 2, 2009)
 * Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (based in Hidalgo, Texas; 2003-2012) sat out season and then were replaced by NAHL franchise
 * Rocky Mountain Rage (Broomfield, CO; 2006–2009) ceased operations June 18, 2009
 * St. Charles Chill (2013-2014) folded May 2, 2014 (had been revived Laredo franchise)
 * San Antonio Iguanas (1994–1997, join IHL 1998–2002) folded after competing with city's AHL team
 * San Angelo Outlaws (WPHL 1997–2001, CHL 2001–02, changed name to San Angelo Saints from 2002–2005) folded
 * Topeka ScareCrows (1998–2001) franchise sold and then became a junior level organization
 * Youngstown SteelHounds (2005–2008, CHL suddenly announced they would no longer be playing in that league, league expelled franchise on June 2, 2008,  team looked to join IHL or ECHL, but the market was replaced by the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League.)

League champions

 * 1993 - Tulsa Oilers
 * 1994 - Wichita Thunder
 * 1995 - Wichita Thunder
 * 1996 - Oklahoma City Blazers
 * 1997 - Fort Worth Fire
 * 1998 - Columbus Cottonmouths
 * 1999 - Huntsville Channel Cats
 * 2000 - Indianapolis Ice
 * 2001 - Oklahoma City Blazers
 * 2002 - Memphis RiverKings
 * 2003 - Memphis RiverKings
 * 2004 - Laredo Bucks
 * 2005 - Colorado Eagles
 * 2006 - Laredo Bucks
 * 2007 - Colorado Eagles
 * 2008 - Arizona Sundogs
 * 2009 - Texas Brahmas
 * 2010 - Rapid City Rush
 * 2011 - Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
 * 2012 - Fort Wayne Komets
 * 2013 - Allen Americans
 * 2014 - Allen Americans