Over the past few decades, the windy city of Chicago has seen the number of sports enthusiasts reach a new high. Many investors bought and promoted local teams of various sports groups. These teams then turned into huge names and played in big and famous leagues. From ice hockey to American football, you will find many teams grabbing the headlines.
In this article, we are going to discuss two famous teams that share the same moniker ‘Chicago’. They are the Chicago Fire and the Chicago Wolves. These two represent the spirit of Chicago through completely two distinct sports mediums.
Chicago’s Chicago Fire FC is part of a big league such as Major League Soccer (MLS)
The Chicago Fire Football Club, founded as the Chicago Fire Soccer Club on the 8th of October 1997 was named ‘Chicago Fire’ to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 on its 126th anniversary.
The team competes in the Major League Soccer (MLS) and played its first game in the year 1998.
Chicago Fire FC returns to the soldier field after 13 years
Even though the club emerged as champions in their debut year, they failed to continue their winning streak in the rest of the seasons. From 1997 to 2006, ‘Soldier Field’ used to be the club’s home ground. Later, the club considered the SeatGeek Stadium, located in Bridgeview, Illinois to be its home stadium. It was not until 2019 when Joe Mansueto purchased the club legally, Soldier field was reinstated as the club’s home ground. Joe Mansueto continues to be the owner and chairman of the club till date. Follow along by checking the Chicago Fire schedule.
The top cream of the team is a mix of several nationalities
During its foundation years, the team was a mix of outstanding Polish, Mexican, and Czech players. However, the teams’ success was cemented by the influx of talented American players. At present, the team consists of seven defenders, eleven midfielders, six forwards, and three goalkeepers. Some of the renowned players are Zack Thorton, Brian Gutierrez, Mauricio Pineda, Zherdan Shaqiri, Alex Monis, and Jairo Torres.
Chicago Wolves; making a name for themselves in AHL
Next, we are going to talk about the Chicago Wolves. Sporting an enchanting logo that embodies the spirit of wolves to its fullest, the team is a known name in the field of ice hockey. They play in the American Hockey League and are one of the top minor-league affiliates of the Carolina Hurricanes (National Hockey League).
Chicago wolves were originally a part of the International Hockey league, but after the operations ceased in 2001, they moved on to AHL.
Allstate Arena is the home den for Chicago Wolves
Located in Rosemont, Illinois, the Allstate Arena has been the go-to place for the team’s game days. The team has won the Turner Cup twice. This was when they were a part of the IHL (circa 1998, 2000) and the Calder Cup thrice. The years were 2002, 2008, and the recent being 2022. In addition to this, the Wolves have qualified for eight league championship finals (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2019, and 2022) in their 22-year professional ice hockey history. Keep track of the games and the Chicago Wolves schedule as well and you won’t miss any action.
Wolves that carved a name for themselves
Steve Maltais was one of the most remarkable players of the team. He was the only player who until his retirement had played every season of the franchise and holds most of its scoring records.
Other noteworthy players include goaltender Wendell Young, Troy Murray, Chris Chelios, Rob Brown, and Al Secord. The team had their best season start in the 2007-2008 season, winning 13 of the first 14 games, with an overtime loss. They had finished the season with 111 points and were first in the Western Conference.