 Final CHL logo, used until 2014 | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1992 |
| Ceased | 2014 |
| Countries |  United States Canada |
| Last champion(s) | Allen Americans |
| Most titles | (tie) Allen Americans, Wichita Thunder, Oklahoma City Blazers, Memphis RiverKings, Laredo Bucks, & Colorado Eagles (2) |
The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which operated the league from 2000 to 2013, at which point it was purchased by the individual franchise owners. As of the end of its final season in 2014, three of the 30 National Hockey League teams had affiliations with the CHL: the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, and Tampa Bay Lightning.[citation needed]
Several teams of defunct leagues joined the CHL along its history, including the Southern Hockey League, Western Professional Hockey League and International Hockey League. After two teams suspended operations during the 2014 offseason, the ECHL accepted the remaining seven teams as members in October 2014, meaning the end for the CHL after 22 seasons.[1]
- ^ "ECHL Accepts Seven New Members". ECHL. October 7, 2014. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2014.