By Temple Pouncey
The Dallas Black Hawks are calling it quits.
Vancouver, the parent club, announced Wednesday it is moving its farm operation out of Dallas to a Canadian city, leaving Dallas without a Central Hockey League franchise.
Black Hawks owner Mike Hargis is preparing a statement announcing the folding of the club, for release by the end of the week.
The club's office staff sent back deposits Tuesday night to the 539 people who had reserved season tickets for next season. Within the next two weeks, publicist Donna Pennick said, "We will be packing things away for storage, collecting our playoff share from the league and paying our bills."
Dallas could have a CHL team next season, but a National Hockey League club would have to agree to supply players, and a new local owner would have to be found.
Hargis, who operated the Hawks two seasons, suffered financial losses as paid attendance dropped to about 1,800 per game. The Hawks owe the State Fair of Texas more than $25,000 in arena rentals and have other depts outstanding.
Hargis was in Washington, D.C., Wednesday on business for his company, Aweco, and was unavailable for comment. Pennick said Hargis returned season ticket holders' deposits "because it was decided that we won't be playing here next year."
"Travel expenses hurt us badly," Pennick said. "We faced three very big question marks for next year. Would the league be solid? Would there be a sponcer (from the NHL)? And would the State Fair let us come back to this arena?"
The Black Hawks were a State Fair Coliseum fixture for 15 years since moving to Dallas from St. Louis in 1967. They won four CHL championships and were in the Adams Cup finals seven other times, including this year. They had only one losing year in the standings, but never averaged more than 3,500 fans per game in any season.
"As of now, there is no franchise in Dallas," CHL president Norman (Bud) Poile said Wednesday. "He (Hargis) has no (NHL) partner. Jack Milford (Vancouver general manager) will ask the league to grant his club a year's absence from the CHL. He wants to operate his farm club in Canada.
"Partly that's because of the difference in money (the Canadian dollar is valued at 77 cents U.S.), and he says there's nobody in Dallas interested in hockey. 'Why flog it!' he told me. He's given up on Dallas as hockey territory, and you can't blame him. There's been winning clubs here for 15 years and there's no response. He's absolutely right".
Fort Worth's future in the CHL is in doubt because of poor attendance, debts and the uncertainty of the Texans' Colorado Rockies parent club. The Rockies are seeking NHL approval to move to the new Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey, and their decision on a farm club has to wait until the NHL situation is resolved.
In 1982, the CHL's Oklahoma City Stars declared bankruptcy. The Nashville club shut its doors, citing irreparable differences with the city over the arena - but the city decided this week to make $85,000 in repairs on the auditorium where the team plays, meaning there will be a team in the city for at least two years. Tulsa has lost its parent club, Winnipeg. Cincinnati suffered from miserable attendence all season in the 15,000 seat Riverfront Coliseum. Only three of the league's eight clubs - Indianapolis, Salt Lake City and Cincinnati (despite low attendance) - are without major problems.
Ironicallly, when the Hawks called for a show of support at season's end, they sold almost 200 more season tickets than they sold in all of last season.
"If nobody is interested," Poile said, "there's no point in staying here. The apathy of the media towards the club in the playoffs was appalling. Frankly, there are governors in our league who think we should be working to save other cities, Tulsa and Nashville, for example, that have more potential in our league then Dallas does."
Staff Writer of The News
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