Tidewater Wings
Shop retro Tidewater Wings tees, long sleeves, hoodies, crewnecks, youth sizes and more. The Wings opened at the Hampton Roads Coliseum in Norfolk in 1971, and a year later long-time pro Art Stratton and a young Robbie Ftorek led them to a 38-22-16 record, all 16 of those ties included. Celebrate Tidewater's early hockey days by browsing all of our Wings gear, then read the team history below. Every design comes from an American small business devoted to preserving the history of fondly remembered and long-lost hockey teams.
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Tidewater Wings History
The Tidewater Wings started play inย the 1971-72 season at the Hampton Roads Coliseum in Norfolk, VA. Their first season was a tough one, going 22-45-9. Their second season would see them re-brand to the Virginia Wings and they had quite a bit more success on the ice. They would finish 38-22-16 (yes, 16 ties) on the backs of long-time pro Art Stratton and the early career of future big leaguer Robbie Ftorek. The Wings would knock off Hershey in the first round of the playoffs before losing to Cincinnati.ย
The team's final two years were topsy turvy on the ice as well. They would notch only 22 wins in the 1973-74 season, their third, before finishing 31-31-13 in year four. That fourth season the .500 record was actually good enough forย aย division title and another playoff berth, although they would get bounced in the first round by the New Haven Nighthawks. After their fourth season, the franchise would fold.ย
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