Buffalo Stampede (RHI)

Buffalo Stampede
Buffalo Stampede
City	Buffalo, New York
Founded	1994
Home arena	Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
Colors	Black, Red, Marlin Blue, Purple, White
Murphy Cups	1994
Conference Championships	1994
Division Championships	1994
Franchise history
	Buffalo Stampede; (1994 - 1995)

The Buffalo Stampede were a Roller Hockey International team based in Buffalo, New York that was founded in the second season of the RHI. The team played at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium from 1994 to 1995. The team won the 1994 RHI Murphy Cup.

On September 2, 1994, the Stampede won the Murphy Cup in their inaugural season with an 8-7 win against the Portland Rage in front of a record-setting 14,175 hometown fans at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.^[1]

The team folded after the 1995 season. The Phoenix Cobras moved to the Albany, New York, area and changed their name to the Empire State Cobras.^[2] Games were played at the Glens Falls Civic Center in Glens Falls, New York.^[3]

The team was purchased and relocated to Buffalo where it played three more seasons in RHI as the Buffalo Wings.

^ Staff. "This Day in Buffalo Sports History ; Sept. 2, 1994 -- On a roll", The Buffalo News, September 2, 2010. Accessed January 25, 2017. "The Stampede captured the Roller Hockey International title on this date, beating the Portland Rage, 8-7. A crowd of 14,175 -- an RHI record, even though there were reports of large ticket giveaways -- got to watch a Buffalo team win a championship."
^ Welch, Frank. "Cobras sold, will move to Albany", Arizona Republic, January 31, 1996. Accessed January 8, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "An unidentified investor from Rochester, N.Y., bought the rights to operate the Phoenix Cobras, General Manager Madeleine Simon said Tuesday. The investor, however, will not keep the Roller Hockey International franchise operating in the Valley. He will move it to Albany, N.Y., where it will become the Empire State Cobras."
^ Brownell, Greg. "Area introduced to summer roller hockey franchise", The Post-Star, January 31, 1996. Accessed January 8, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "Owners of the new Empire State Cobras had less than a month to find a new home.... The Cobras will play this summer at the Glens Falls Civic Center in the 18-team RHI, which encompasses roller hockey teams across North America and has a national TV contract."

[1] Staff. "This Day in Buffalo Sports History ; Sept. 2, 1994 -- On a roll", The Buffalo News, September 2, 2010. Accessed January 25, 2017. "The Stampede captured the Roller Hockey International title on this date, beating the Portland Rage, 8-7. A crowd of 14,175 -- an RHI record, even though there were reports of large ticket giveaways -- got to watch a Buffalo team win a championship."

[2] Welch, Frank. "Cobras sold, will move to Albany", Arizona Republic, January 31, 1996. Accessed January 8, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "An unidentified investor from Rochester, N.Y., bought the rights to operate the Phoenix Cobras, General Manager Madeleine Simon said Tuesday. The investor, however, will not keep the Roller Hockey International franchise operating in the Valley. He will move it to Albany, N.Y., where it will become the Empire State Cobras."

[3] Brownell, Greg. "Area introduced to summer roller hockey franchise", The Post-Star, January 31, 1996. Accessed January 8, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "Owners of the new Empire State Cobras had less than a month to find a new home.... The Cobras will play this summer at the Glens Falls Civic Center in the 18-team RHI, which encompasses roller hockey teams across North America and has a national TV contract."

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