The Phoenix Mustangs were a professional minor league ice hockey team in the West Coast Hockey League. The Mustangs played at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum on the grounds of the Arizona State Fair, from the 1997–1998 season through the 2000–2001 season. The Mustangs came into existence after the demise of the International Hockey League's Phoenix Roadrunners who lost funding from a local Indian community and ceased operations after the 1996–1997 season. Their arrival rekindled a decades long rivalry between Phoenix and San Diego based teams in several minor leagues.
The Mustangs were quite successful on the ice their first three seasons, including winning the WCHL's Taylor Cup Championship in 2000 with a four game sweep of the Tacoma Sabercats, with an exciting sudden-death overtime victory at the Coliseum in game four. The Mustangs were not so blessed the following season, finishing last in their final season in 2001. The Mustangs were unable to secure a new lease with the Coliseum for the 2001–2002 season and were forced to cease operations.
Famous quotes containing the word phoenix:
“A victorious tomcat is like a tiger; a plucked phoenix is not worth a chicken.”
—Chinese proverb.