Green Bay Bobcats
| Green Bay Gamblers | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City | Green Bay, Wisconsin |
| League | USHL |
| Conference | Eastern |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Home arena | Resch Center |
| Colors | Black, yellow, white |
| Owner(s) | PMI Entertainment Group |
| General manager | Pat Mikesch (2014–15) |
| Head coach | Pat Mikesch (2014–15) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1994–present | Green Bay Gamblers |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 5 Anderson Cups (1995–96, 1996–97, 2008–09, 2009–10, and 2011–12) |
| Playoff championships | 4 Clark Cups (1996, 2000, 2010, and 2012) |
The Green Bay Gamblers are a Tier I junior ice hockey team in the Eastern Confernce of the United States Hockey League (USHL). They play in Green Bay, Wisconsin, at the Resch Center.
The history of organized hockey in Green Bay has been dated as far back as 1916 when the first regular amateur hockey team in Green Bay started playing games on the Fox River against a similar team from De Pere. The team only ever played games against the team from De Pere and in 1917 the team broke up when the First World War broke out. Organized hockey resumed in 1919 when the Green Bay Skating Club was formed and six team hockey league was created. All six teams were based in Green Bay and all games were played outdoors at Legion Park. Five of the teams were named after local business including The Northern Paper Mills and The Press Gazette Seven. The one exception was The Overlands, who were named after the Overland Automobile. The league lasted for two years with the Northern Paper Mills dominating both years and only losing once to the Press Gazette Seven. The Press Gazette Seven were also notable for once playing a game that ended after six overtimes in a 0-0 draw. Another notable moment in Green Bay hockey history is when a local club challenged the University of Wisconsin varsity hockey team to a two-game set in Green Bay. The Badgers won the first game, which was played in temperatures as low as 20 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, with of score of 3-2. The also won the second game, which was played in thawing conditions, with a score of 1-0. Conditions like these were normal and up until 1958, all hockey games in Green Bay were played outdoors. The first notable team to play in Green Bay was the Green Bay Hornets, an amateur team founded in 1947.
The first professional hockey team to be based in Green Bay was the Green Bay Bobcats who started playing in 1958 when the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena was built. There is some confusion over what league the team played in during its early years or if the team played in multiple leagues. Some sources cite that the Bobcats played in the U.S. Central Hockey League, a predecessor to the current United States Hockey League (USHL). Other sources claim that the Bobcats did not start playing in the USCHL until 1961. Still other sources have claimed that the team was an independent team during its early years and therefore not formally part of any league. However, there are multiple clippings from Green Bay newspapers and Bobcat game programs from 1958 and 1959 claiming that the Bobcats played the 1958-1959 hockey season primarily in the Mid-America Hockey League, a Midwestern-based semi-professional hockey league, however the team played multiple games against teams that were outside of this league as well. Little is known about the Mid-America Hockey League except that the 1958-1959 season was contested by five teams, the Green Bay Bobcats, the Marquette Sentinels, the Portage Lake Pioneers, and two other teams from Sault St. Marie and Calumet and each team played 24 games over the course of the season.
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