In 1997, the
Baltimore Bandits franchise was losing money and accruing debts in Baltimore. Jerry Robinson, owner of the
Cincinnati Gardens arena, purchased the Bandits franchise to play at the Gardens, replacing the previous hockey tenant, the
Cincinnati Cyclones of the
International Hockey League. The
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim signed Cincinnati to a five-year affiliate agreement. From 1999 through 2002 team shared its affiliation with the
Detroit Red Wings, until the Red Wings affiliated with the
Grand Rapids Griffins. Anaheim maintained their affiliation with Cincinnati through the
2004–05 season. The Cincinnati Mighty Ducks were granted a voluntary suspension for the
2005–06 season two days after Anaheim and Cincinnati ended their affiliation, and Cincinnati could not find a replacement NHL affiliate. In October 2005, the team was renamed the Cincinnati RailRaiders, and was seeking an affiliation agreement for a return in
2006–07 season, but failed to reach a goal of 2,000 season tickets sold to become re-active. On October 3, 2006, it was reported that a
Windsor, Ontario-based company had been granted conditional approval to purchase and relocate the team, however that deal fell through. On March 19, 2007, the AHL announced that the team had been purchased, and moved to
Rockford,
Illinois, to become the
Rockford IceHogs.
The market was previously served by: •
Cincinnati Mohawks (1949–1952
AHL, 1952–1958
IHL) •
Cincinnati Wings (1963–1964
CHL) •
Cincinnati Swords (1971–1974
AHL) •
Cincinnati Stingers (1975–1979
WHA, 1979–1980
CHL) •
Cincinnati Tigers (1981–1982
CHL) •
Cincinnati Cyclones (1990–1992
ECHL, 1992–2001 IHL, 2001–2004
ECHL)
The team was replaced in this market by: •
Cincinnati Cyclones of the
ECHL (2006–present)
Affiliates •
Mighty Ducks Of Anaheim (1997–2005) •
Detroit Red Wings (1999–2002) ==Season-by-season results==