In June 1980, Gordon was replaced as Oilers' GM and took over as president, owner, and GM of the Wind.[3] The team name was picked from 6,600 entries in a name-the-team contest,[4] and the team's mascot was an orange tornado.[1]Roy Sommer, who went on to become coach of the San Jose Barracuda, was the captain all three seasons of the Wind's existence.[5]
Seasons
The Wind was decimated by injuries in their inaugural season. In a game against the Dallas Black Hawks on December 27, 1980, they dressed coach Garnet Bailey as a defenseman and a public relations employee as the backup goaltender; they lost the game 6–3.[6] Bailey was described by Tom Roulston as "just like a big kid", who also said that many practices consisted of half-ice scrimmages and shootouts.[7] The team played to sixth place at 32 wins, 45 losses, and 3 ties in the regular season, also gaining the most penalty minutes.[8] Bailey's club won its first playoff series against the Indianapolis Checkers in the decisive fifth game 6–5 on a goal by Tom Roulston, the league's leading scorer.[9] The Wind won the following series 4–2 against the Dallas Black Hawks, who led the regular-season standings. The Wind lost in seven games to the reigning champions, the Salt Lake Golden Eagles, in the Adams Cup championship series.[8][10]Don Murdoch was named playoff MVP after accumulating 17 goals and 7 assists over 18 games, a CHL playoff record for points.[11] After the season, centerDon Ashby, the Wind's second-leading scorer, died in a car crash.[12]
In 1983, GM Gordon took the team out of Wichita following disagreements over the leasing of Britt Brown Arena, seen here during a Wichita Thunder's game.
The Wind, now coached by John Muckler, concluded the 1981–82 pre-season with a 5–4 loss to the Golden Eagles.[13] A good checking team but lacking in offensive power,[14] only four Wichita players averaged over one point per game.[15] Following a game in which the team received 19 fighting penalties, Muckler and eight other members of the organization spent a night in jail for a nightclub altercation. The owner of a disco club asked police to remove the players from his property; Muckler said police "panicked" and "didn't handle the situation very professionally".[16] After winning twice and tying once in their last three games, the Wind finished the regular season 44–33–3, first in the league's South division.[17] In the first round of the playoffs, the Wind swept three games from the Nashville South Stars; 1981–82 was their only season in the CHL.[18] In the following round, Wichita was dismissed by the Checkers after losing four consecutive games.[19]
In August 1982, Muckler was named assistant coach of the Oilers[20] and replaced by Andy Laing.[21] Additionally, the New Jersey Devils replaced the Oilers as the Wind's parent team.[22] The Wind missed the playoffs for the first time, finishing in sixth place with a 29–48–3. They were eliminated from playoff contention early in the season.[23] It was announced after the season that the team would not play in Wichita a fourth year because of conflicts over the lease on the Kansas Coliseum. The Coliseum's owners wanted a two-year commitment while GM Gordon wanted a one-year lease.[24] Additionally, the team lacked a practice facility; Gordon said the team "bent over backward to keep hockey in Wichita".[25] A preliminary agreement was reached to move the team to Yellowstone METRA (now Rimrock Auto Arena) in Billings, Montana, where they later became the Montana Magic during the 1983-84 season.[26]
^Parson, Jeffrey (September 11, 2006). "That was Ace: 'A little bit larger than life': On the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 tragedy, former Wind players fondly recall their coach". The Wichita Eagle.
