Colorado Gold Kings

Colorado Gold Kings
City Colorado Springs, Colorado
Fairbanks, Alaska (1975–1997)
Operated 1975–2002
Home arena Colorado Springs World Arena
Big Dipper Ice Arena (1975–1997)
Colors Navy blue, gold, white
Franchise history
1975–1977 Alaska Teamsters
1977–1997 Alaska Gold Kings
1998–2002 Colorado Gold Kings
Championships
Regular season titles 0
Division Championships 0
Taylor Cups 0

The Colorado Gold Kings, previously known as the Alaska Gold Kings, were an American professional minor league ice hockey team based in Fairbanks, Alaska, and later Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Gold Kings were members of the West Coast Hockey League.

History

Amateur and semi-professional days (1975–1995)

Alaska Gold Kings logo, 1995

The Gold Kings were founded in 1975 as an amateur senior ice hockey team in Fairbanks as the Alaska Teamsters and renamed two years later.[1][2] In the team's early years the Gold Kings won several national championships at the senior men's level.[1]

From the 1980s until 1994 the Gold Kings played primarily as members of the semi-professional Pacific Southwest Hockey League (PSHL). While in Fairbanks the Gold Kings once hosted their own international tournament, the Alaska Cup, facing the likes of Team Japan and Team Austria. They also were the American representatives in the 1990 Tournoi du Mont-Blanc, a traditional tournament played around Christmas in several French Alps resorts. During the 1994–95 season the Gold Kings played in the short-lived Pacific Hockey League, winning the league's only championship.[3]

WCHL Alaska Gold Kings (1995–1997)

In 1995, the Gold Kings along with two other former PHL teams, the Fresno Falcons and Anchorage Aces (now Alaska Aces) became members of the newly-formed professional West Coast Hockey League. The Alaska Gold Kings made their only WCHL playoff appearance during the inaugural 1995–96 season, losing in the first round to the eventual champion San Diego Gulls. The team suspended operations after a last place finish in 1996–97 and did not play in the 1997–98 season.

Colorado Gold Kings (1998–2002)

In 1998, the Gold Kings relocated to Colorado Springs and became the Colorado Gold Kings. In its four seasons in Colorado the team fared better than it did in Alaska by qualifying for the postseason every year, but still failed to move past the second round of the playoffs. The Colorado Gold Kings folded after the 2001–02 season.

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Final records.[4][5]

Season League GP W L OTL SOL Pts GF GA PIM Finish Coach Playoffs
1995–96 WCHL 58 23 25 - 10 56 256 307 1020 4th, WCHL Wayne Sawchuk Lost in round 1, 2-3 (San Diego)
1996–97 WCHL 64 13 47 - 4 30 230 423 1722 6th, WCHL Brad McCaughey Missed playoffs
1997–98 WCHL did not play
1998–99 WCHL 71 32 33 - 6 70 270 288 2233 3rd, North Kirk Tomlinson Lost in round 1, 1-2 (Anchorage)
1999–00 WCHL 72 37 31 - 4 78 264 276 1926 2nd, North Kirk Tomlinson Lost in round 2, 0-3 (Tacoma)
2000–01 WCHL 72 42 21 - 4 93 311 250 1934 2nd, North Kirk Tomlinson Lost in round 2, 0-3 (Idaho)
2001–02 WCHL 72 39 26 - 7 85 253 221 1863 2nd, North Allen Pedersen Lost in round 1, 2-3 (Tacoma)

References

  1. 1 2 Zarnke, Randy. "Alaska Gold Kings named to Fairbanks Hockey Hall of Fame", Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, February 12, 2011. (accessed 14 June 2015)
  2. ↑ Scott, Jon C. (2006). Hockey Night in Dixie: Minor Pro Hockey in the American South. Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd. p. 154. ISBN 1-894974-21-2.
  3. ↑ Pacific Hockey League (1994-1995) history and statistics, hockeyDB.com. (accessed 11 June 2015)
  4. ↑ Hockeydb.com, Alaska Gold Kings Statistics and History
  5. ↑ Hockeydb.com, Colorado Gold Kings Statistics and History
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