One of the CHL's original 4 franchises, the team was born as the Blue Demons and posted 2 second-place finishes in 1991-92 and 1993-94 under the ownership of Dan Nahirniak. Due to being away at school, Dan gave up control of the team to Pat Kiedaisch (with Chris Karpuk as minority owner). After a lottery in which the other CHL teams were allowed to select a player from the Blue Demons roster, the team was renamed the Greyhounds. However, before they could even take the ice, the team was renamed again, to the Red Heat. The team never had the success of the Blue Demons, finishing 4th and 5th in its last two season before the CHL shut down. The team did feature many great hockey players, however, including Dave Andreychuck, Dale Hawerchuk, Pat LaFontaine, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, Patrick Roy, Wayne Gretzky, and Steve Yzerman.
The most successful team in CHL history, the Cougars were founded in August 1991 along with the CHL. They were CHL Champions in 1991-92, 1993-94, and the lockout-shortened 1994-95 seasons, as well as in 1999-2000 when the league came back for a one-year stint. After last season's lockout, owner Greg Karpuk brought them back when the CHL was re-launched in October 2005. When talking about all-time Cougar greats, you have to start with the Magnificent 7--Luc Robiatille, Kevin Stevens, Piere Turgeon, Brett Hull, Mark Recchi, Brian Leetch, and Jaromir Jagr. Former Cougar stars who are currently with the team include Leetch, Recchi, Joe Sakic, and Martin Brodeur. Hull, who was the first player drafted in Cougar history, was on the team when he retired in October 2005. On April 11, 2006, the Cougars defeated Boston, 4-2, sweeping the Massacre and winning their fifth CHL Cup. The Cougars won their 6th CHL title in 2006-07.
The only team to ever stop the Cougars from winning a championship, the Red Barons won the CHL title in 1992-93. The team was at the top of an organization run by partners Kevin Karpuk and Joe Jamison, in which other teams were used as feeder teams for the Barons (copying the model that they used in other leagues). After winning the championship by a CHL-record margin of 373 points, the Red Barons could not repeat their success, coming up 70 points short in 1993-94 and a mere 15 points short in the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season. They also won the head-to-head championship in 1993-94, the only time that was held until the 2005-06 season. The franchise was revived as the Tail Tuggers in 2005-06 when the CHL was restarted. The team won their second points championship in 2005-06, going wire-to-wire and dominating the points standings all season. Of the many great players to wear the red sweaters were Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Jeremy Roenick, Steve Yzerman, Alexander Mogilny, Ray Bourque, Dave Andreychuk, Ed Belfour, and Patrick Roy. The team hasn't fared as well since then, and has been moved to Winnipeg for the 2008-09 season.
One of the worst teams in CHL history, this team, originally owned by Nick Nahirniak, finished either last or next-to-last in every year of their existence. Easily the most memorable moment in the histroy of this franchise was in the 1993 CHL Playoffs, when the 8-30-2 Red Sox pulled off the upset of the century, beating the 30-9-1 Cougars in the first round of the playoffs, 2-0 (they then got swept 3-0 by the Blue Demons in the next round). Ownership of the team was transferred to Joe Jamison and Kevin Karpuk after one season, and in their second season of ownership, they renamed the team the Blue Knights. Players who played for this franchise include Trevor Linden, Scott Stevens, Bill Ranford, Paul Ysebeart, Bobby Holik, and Dominic Roussell.
The Panthers were one of the expansion teams added for the 1992-93 season. While they considered Florida their home, it should be noted that they were most of the way through their inaugural season when the NHL announced that it was creating a team called the Florida Panthers. While the Panthers were a very good team, they could never get past the Cougars and Red Barons, finishing third to them in each of their last 2 years. They easily won the CHL South Division title in 1992-93, and made it to the semi-finals, only to get swept by the eventual champion Red Barons in 3 games. The team was poised to take another crack at the Cougars and Red Barons when the league shut down in October 1995. Star players for the Panthers included, among others, Kirk Muller, Rod Brind'amour, Joe Juneau, Robert Reichel, Geoff Sanderson, Pavel Bure, Teemu Selanne, Curtis Joseph, Brendan Shanahan, and Mike Modano. Added to that core during the Panthers' last season were three potential Hall-of-Famers near the beginning their careers: John LeClair, Keith Tkachuk, and Peter Forsberg.
Another expansion team added in the 1992-93 season, the Vodka Squad never made it out of the second division. Used as one of the feeder teams in the organization run by Kevin Karpuk and Joe Jamison, the team never finished higher than fifth. After their first season, they changed their name to the Canucks, but the team's performance only got worse, nearly finishing in last place during the league's last season. Stars included Adam Graves, Chris Chelios, and Felix Potvin.
Another team owned by Jim Jamison that achieved no success. After being added as an expansion team in 1992, they finished in 6th place in the 1992-93 season. Changing their name to the Ramblers the next season didn't help. They were in 4th place when, on November 26, 1993, the team folded. Listed among players who suited up for this team during their short existence are Ron Francis, Mike Modnao, and Joe Niewendyk.
Another 1992 expansion team, the Blackhawks never achieved great success, with their best finish being fourth place in 1995. Along with the Red Heat, they were part of the organization owned by Pat Kiedaisch and Chris Karpuk. Memerable players include Stephane Richer, Pat Verbeek, Ray Bourque, Phil Housley, Grant Fuhr, and Valeri Zelepukin.