The Defunct: Tropical Hockey League
June 11, 2019
Minor professional hockey is quite an ever-changing landscape in North America. Many leagues and teams that once saw fans attend by the hundreds or even thousands have now faded into hockey history books. Some haven't been around in decades, while others are a fairly recent memory. On here, we talk about even just one of these leagues and/or teams. They are... The Defunct.
For the first topic of this series, I want to go far back in minor pro hockey's history, during a time of hockey's footprint still being rather small. Welcome to 1938, and it would happen that during this year in the month of December, a new hockey league would begin play. This league was not like most, in fact, it was nothing like what anyone had ever seen before. How was it different, you may ask? It was professional hockey in the Southern United States.
Year Began: 1938
Year Folded: 1939
# of Teams: 4
Based: Miami, Florida, United States
Arena: Metropolitan Ice Palace
Capacity: N/A
Teams: Coral Gables Seminoles, Miami Clippers, Miami Beach Pirates, Havana Tropicals
The Tropical Hockey League was the first attempt at pro hockey in the South. Based in Miami, Florida and playing out of the Metropolitan Ice Palace, the TrHL was an ambitious attempt, to say the least. Most of the players in the TrHL were from Canadian camps based in Port Colborne, Ontario, and Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The most notable person in the league was Magnus "Mike" Goodman. Goodman was a member of the Winnipeg Falcons, a senior amateur team that represented Canada in the 1920 Winter Olympics that would win the Gold Medal in hockey. Goodman was a player-coach for the Coral Gables Seminoles, whose team would finish the lone season of the league with a 12-2 record and would win the league championship.
While the Seminoles were the best team in the league, the most notable team in the league was one that didn't represent a city in Florida. In fact, this team didn't even represent a city in the United States. A team by the name of the Havana Tropicals represented the city of Havana, Cuba, even sporting the Cuban flag on their sweaters. The Tropicals are the lone pro hockey team to ever be based in the country of Cuba.
Unfortunately for the league and it's teams, the sport didn't catch on with locals. Reasons for this were late start times, the weak level of play, and that games would dissolve into fighting by the end of many games played in the league. Due to this, the Tropical Hockey League folded after only one season. What's worse is that they ended up not doing anything to help grow the sport in the Southern US. Hockey wouldn't start to grow in the Southern US until the Charlotte Clippers of the EHL began to play.
Today, the Ice Palace that once held all TrHL games is now a film studio. Pro hockey has grown all throughout the Southern US, with many teams in Florida as well. So while the game didn't quite get the best start in the South, it has started to become a hotbed of growth over the last two decades. I, for one, look forward to seeing how much further the game grows.
- Marc of The Robinson Report
For the first topic of this series, I want to go far back in minor pro hockey's history, during a time of hockey's footprint still being rather small. Welcome to 1938, and it would happen that during this year in the month of December, a new hockey league would begin play. This league was not like most, in fact, it was nothing like what anyone had ever seen before. How was it different, you may ask? It was professional hockey in the Southern United States.
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| This one photo shows all four teams of the defunct Tropical Hockey League posing in front of the Lincoln Theatre in Miami. Credit Lou Williams and Hockey Puerto Rico In the group, the teams were: Top Left: Miami Beach Pirates, Top Middle: Havana Tropicals, Top Right: Coral Gables Seminoles Bottom Row: Miami Clippers |
Subject: Tropical Hockey League
Year Folded: 1939
# of Teams: 4
Based: Miami, Florida, United States
Arena: Metropolitan Ice Palace
Capacity: N/A
Teams: Coral Gables Seminoles, Miami Clippers, Miami Beach Pirates, Havana Tropicals
The Tropical Hockey League was the first attempt at pro hockey in the South. Based in Miami, Florida and playing out of the Metropolitan Ice Palace, the TrHL was an ambitious attempt, to say the least. Most of the players in the TrHL were from Canadian camps based in Port Colborne, Ontario, and Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The most notable person in the league was Magnus "Mike" Goodman. Goodman was a member of the Winnipeg Falcons, a senior amateur team that represented Canada in the 1920 Winter Olympics that would win the Gold Medal in hockey. Goodman was a player-coach for the Coral Gables Seminoles, whose team would finish the lone season of the league with a 12-2 record and would win the league championship.
While the Seminoles were the best team in the league, the most notable team in the league was one that didn't represent a city in Florida. In fact, this team didn't even represent a city in the United States. A team by the name of the Havana Tropicals represented the city of Havana, Cuba, even sporting the Cuban flag on their sweaters. The Tropicals are the lone pro hockey team to ever be based in the country of Cuba.
Unfortunately for the league and it's teams, the sport didn't catch on with locals. Reasons for this were late start times, the weak level of play, and that games would dissolve into fighting by the end of many games played in the league. Due to this, the Tropical Hockey League folded after only one season. What's worse is that they ended up not doing anything to help grow the sport in the Southern US. Hockey wouldn't start to grow in the Southern US until the Charlotte Clippers of the EHL began to play.
Today, the Ice Palace that once held all TrHL games is now a film studio. Pro hockey has grown all throughout the Southern US, with many teams in Florida as well. So while the game didn't quite get the best start in the South, it has started to become a hotbed of growth over the last two decades. I, for one, look forward to seeing how much further the game grows.
- Marc of The Robinson Report
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