AmarilloPhil78
08-29-2006, 07:58 PM
Amarillo got a minor professional hockey team, once known as the Amarillo Rattlers, in the 1996-'97 season. They started their season in October of 1996 and I moved here from Western New York in November 1997. I bought season tickets for my wife, son and myslelf immediately and have had them ever since.
About five years ago ownership went through its most dramatic change and the team became the Amarillo Gorillas (you don't want to know the story). About the same time, the league they were in- WPHL or Western Professional Hockey League, merged with the CHL - Central Hockey League.
The Gorillas have made the CHL playoffs three years in a row and in the past month, the head coach took an assistant coach job with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL. His longtime friend, and our Captain and Player/Assistant Coach decided to play in Europe instead of for a new coach.
Our new coach, Jim Wiley was named a couple of weeks ago. Today he named his new player/assistant, former Golden Knight Chris Lipsett.
With my CCM Clarkson Hockey cap on and with my Clarkson Hockey sweatshirt on, I will welcome Chris at the season ticket holder team introduction dinner next month. He will be a new favorite of my family, and many friends in our section.
He will get an open invitation to our house to watch NFL football on Sundays with his family and join us for our weekly cookout and get together of friends. Our season ticket holders make all the players feel welcome, but it is in my blood to take care of another former Golden Knight.
I am known as "The Clarkson Comet" to the Gorillas ownership group, management, staff, coaches, returning players and fans. So if anyone has any good Chris Lipsett stories, please share them with me.
A link to the Amarillo Gorillas website and the press release is below. Go Knights!
http://www.amarillogorillas.com/news/news_item.asp?NewsID=532
About five years ago ownership went through its most dramatic change and the team became the Amarillo Gorillas (you don't want to know the story). About the same time, the league they were in- WPHL or Western Professional Hockey League, merged with the CHL - Central Hockey League.
The Gorillas have made the CHL playoffs three years in a row and in the past month, the head coach took an assistant coach job with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL. His longtime friend, and our Captain and Player/Assistant Coach decided to play in Europe instead of for a new coach.
Our new coach, Jim Wiley was named a couple of weeks ago. Today he named his new player/assistant, former Golden Knight Chris Lipsett.
With my CCM Clarkson Hockey cap on and with my Clarkson Hockey sweatshirt on, I will welcome Chris at the season ticket holder team introduction dinner next month. He will be a new favorite of my family, and many friends in our section.
He will get an open invitation to our house to watch NFL football on Sundays with his family and join us for our weekly cookout and get together of friends. Our season ticket holders make all the players feel welcome, but it is in my blood to take care of another former Golden Knight.
I am known as "The Clarkson Comet" to the Gorillas ownership group, management, staff, coaches, returning players and fans. So if anyone has any good Chris Lipsett stories, please share them with me.
A link to the Amarillo Gorillas website and the press release is below. Go Knights!
http://www.amarillogorillas.com/news/news_item.asp?NewsID=532