Hockey Night in Dixie: Minor Pro Hockey in the American South »

During the 1980s, the geography of minor-league professional hockey changed radically, moving from its roots in the Canadian Maritime provinces, New England and the midwestern states into the American south. In addition to cities like Dallas, Charlotte, Norfolk and Oklahoma City, which had long traditions of minor-league hockey, unlikely places such as Biloxi, Baton Rouge, Little Rock and Augusta hosted teams. Over an 18-year period, minor-league hockey was played in 72 different southern cities, and at one point there were more minor-league teams in Texas than in all of Canada, where many of the players learned their hockey skills.

Hockey Night in Dixie examines this phenomenon with an historical overview of the period, including interviews with people involved in the founding and early years of each of the 13 leagues. There are also in-depth portraits of four teams, one from each of the four lower minor leagues that played during the 2005-06 season. These portraits feature interviews with owners coaches, players, officials, fans and reporters. Amply illustrated with photographs, Hockey Night in Dixie paints a vivid picture of this extraordinary development in minor-league sports.

Preface     vii
Introduction: Return to the Minors     xi
The Ice Men of Dixie: Visits and Conversations     1
Appalachian Autumn: The Roanoke Valley Vipers of the United Hockey League     3
Friday Night Ice: The Odessa Jackalopes of the Central Hockey League     36
Charleston on Ice: The South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL     68
Nothing Could Be Finah: The Fayetteville FireAntz of the Southern Professional Hockey League     103
An Ice Age in Dixie: Southern Minor-League Hockey 1988-2005     135
Beginnings: 1988-92     137
Expansion: 1992-96     143
Explosion: 1996-2000     156
Meltdown: 2000-01     170
Consolidation: 2001-05     177
Conclusion: Thoughts on Dixie Hockey     191
Minor-League Hockey Teams in the United States and Canada, 1988-2006 [arranged by state/province]     202
Notes     211
Index     213