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Fort Worth Texans (1974-75, CHL)

Quite a few programs from the CHL, eh?


1974-75 Regular Season--Opponent Unknown
      The Fort Worth Texans were members of the Central Hockey League from 1967-82. The Texans were the third pro hockey franchise in Fort Worth since 1941. The franchise arrived in town after a three-year stay in Memphis, Tennessee. The Texans played their home games at the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum, which seats 6500.
     For the first seven years of it's existence, the Texans were called "Fort Worth Wings" and were a farm team of the Detroit Red Wings. In 1974, the Wings became Texans and were affiliated with the up-and-coming New York Islanders, hence the logo. This program is from the team's first season as the Texans.
     Head Coach Ed Chadwick's Texans struggled through a rough 1974-75 campaign, bringing up the rear in the CHL. Their 26-40-12 record gave them a paltry 68 points. They tied Tulsa for fewest points, but earned dead last by having the fewest points. They finished five points behind the next worst team in the league (Seattle Totems) and 24 points behind division champion Dallas.
     On offense, the Texans were fifth in the league, scoring just 264 goals. They were led by Jim Webster, who had 75 points on 22 goals. Ron Kennedy led the team in goals with 34. Five other players scored at least 20 on the year.
     On defense, Fort Worth struggled, allowing a league-worst 322 goals. They went through four different goaltenders that season. Bill Hughes took the brunt of the abuse in the Texans' net, playing 57 games, going 17-26-10 with a 4.09 GAA and 1 shutout. Don Cutts played the second-most games, going 2-10-0 with a 4.50 GAA in 15 appearances. Ron Marlow and Steve Miskiewicz also saw playing time.
    Finishing dead-last in the league meant no playoffs for the Texans that year. Chadwick would be replaced with Terry Gray for the 1975-76 season.
     Nice-looking program, it has 32 pages with lots of pictures and stats. Local advertisements include The Keg Steak and Lobster, Kip's Big Boy and Washer Bros. Suits (featuring the Johnny Carson line, no less!). Some nice in-game action pictures of a Dallas-Fort Worth game. Those two teams had a serious blood feud, often leading to bench-clearing brawls. Old-time hockey!

Aftermath: The Texans would win their only Adams Cup championship in 1977-78, knocking off arch-rival Dallas in a thrilling seven game series. By 1979, the Texans became the primary farm team of the Colorado Rockies. The franchise would continue playing until 1982, when declining attendance brought on by the recession of the time forced the franchise to fold. The CHL itself would last just two more seasons before going under.

Sources:
Central Hockey League Statistics: 1974-75 (from hockeydb.com)
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