History
The team began in the 1999–2000 season as the United Hockey League's Madison Kodiaks in Madison, Wisconsin. After one season in Madison, the franchise moved to Kalamazoo, where it obtained the right to use the name and logo of an earlier team that had played in the original International Hockey League from 1973 through 2000.
That team, which had named itself for its affiliation with the NHL Detroit Red Wings, changed its name during the 1995 playoffs to the Michigan K-Wings because the league wanted to raise its franchises' appeal to larger market. The team's owner, the late R.T. Parfet, was the only small-market owner to oblige, but later concerns about larger-market teams entering the league, and the league's stability led to the Wings owners requesting inactive status and dissolving the team.
The new K-Wings played in the UHL from October 2000 until June 1, 2009, when they withdrew because of concerns that the league, which had renamed itself the International Hockey League in 2007, might go bankrupt. Eight days later, the ECHL accepted the K-Wings into their league. On September 13, 2012, the Wings announced a one-year ECHL affiliation agreement with the Canucks American Hockey League affiliate the Chicago Wolves. The Kwings are 3 time ECHL North Division Champs and 1 Eastern Conference Champion, going back to the Kelly Cup Finals vs Alaska.
Read more about this topic: Kalamazoo Wings
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