The Texas Tornado were a Junior A hockey team located in Frisco, Texas, USA. The team joined the North American Hockey League's Central division in 1999 (and moved into the newly formed southern division three years later) while located in North Richland Hills, Texas, and enjoyed unprecedented success since their expansion year.
The Tornado played their home games at the 6,000-seat Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco.
On May 13, 2006, the Tornado won their third straight Robertson Cup by defeating the Bozeman Icedogs. This accomplishment would be the first time in over 15 years that a team won three consecutive Robertson Cups. On May 8, 2012, the Tornado won their 5th Robertson Cup in team history by defeating the St. Louis Bandits 4-3 in overtime. The Tornado were owned and operated by the Consolidated Sports Holdings USA, Inc. In the 2013 offseason, the Tornado were sold to Texas Hockey Partners (THP) and relocated back to North Richland Hills becoming the Lone Star Brahmas.
Season records Season GP W L OTL PTS GF GA PIM Finish Playoffs 1999–2000 56 42 12 2 86 239 133 1,451 1st of 5, West1st of 11, NAHLWon Div. Semifinal series, 2–0 (Chicago Freeze)Won Robertson Cup Semifinal series, 2–0 (Soo Indians)Lost Robertson Cup Championship series, 0–3 (Danville Wings) 2000–01 56 40 12 4 84 265 158 1,541 1st of 5, West2nd of 11, NAHLWon Div. Semifinal series, 2–0 (Springfield Jr. Blues)Won Div. Final series, 2–0 (Danville Wings)Won Robertson Cup Championship series, 3–1 (Soo Indians) 2001–02 56 40 13 3 83 208 135 1,826 1st of 5, West2nd of 11, NAHLWon Div. Semifinal series, 2–1 (Chicago Freeze)Lost Robertson Cup Semifinal series, 1–2 (Pittsburgh Forge) 2002–03 56 41 13 2 84 214 142 1,928 1st of 5, West2nd of 11, NAHLWon Div. Semifinal series, 2–0 (Springfield Jr. Blues)Won Robertson Cup Semifinal series, 2–1 (Detroit Compuware Ambassadors)Lost Robertson Cup Championship series, 1–3 (Pittsburgh Forge) 2003–04 56 48 6 2 98 276 123 1,705 1st of 7, South1st of 21, NAHLWon Div. Semifinal series, 3–0 (Texarkana Bandits)Won Div. Final series, 3–0 (Fairbanks Ice Dogs)Won Round-Robin Semifinal, 1–0 (Springfield Jr. Blues), 2–1 (Fairbanks Ice Dogs), 8–3 (Bismarck Bobcats)Won Robertson Cup Championship, 4–1 (Bismarck Bobcats) 2004–05 56 42 13 1 85 226 120 1,786 1st of 7, South1st of 19, NAHLWon Div. Semifinal series, 3–0 (Wichita Falls Wildcats)Won Div. Final series, 4–1 (Texarkana Bandits)Won Round-Robin Semifinal, 4–1 (Soo Indians), 4–1 (Fargo-Moorhead Jets), 4–1 (Bismarck Bobcats)Won Robertson Cup Championship, 6–1 (Fargo-Moorhead Jets) 2005–06 58 42 12 4 88 201 132 1,516 1st of 5, South2nd of 20, NAHLWon Div. Semifinal series, 3–2 (Wichita Falls Wildcats)Won Div. Final series, 4–0 (Texarkana Bandits)Won Round-Robin Semifinal, 3–7 (Southern Minnesota Express), 5–3 (Cleveland Jr. Barons), 4–3 (Southern Minnesota Express)Won Robertson Cup Championship, 4–2 (Bozeman IceDogs) 2006–07 62 38 18 6 82 211 174 1,484 3rd of 6, South4th of 17, NAHLWon Div. Semifinal series, 3–2 (Santa Fe Roadrunners)Lost Div. Final series, 2–3 (St. Louis Bandits) 2007–08 58 20 33 5 45 165 201 1,588 4th of 6, South16th of 18, NAHLLost Div. Semifinal series, 0–3 (Topeka Roadrunners) 2008–09 Did Not Play 2009–10 58 25 28 5 55 170 204 1,693 3rd of 5, South13th of 19, NAHLLost Div. Semifinal series, 2–3 (St. Louis Bandits) 2010–11 58 35 15 8 78 213 164 1,321 t-2nd of 6, Southt-5th of 26, NAHLLost Div. Semifinal series, 1–3 (Amarillo Bulls) 2011–12 60 36 16 8 80 215 159 1,190 t-2nd of 7, South6th of 28, NAHLLost Div. Semifinal series, 0–3 (Topeka RoadRunners)Won Round-Robin Quarterfinal, 2–3 (OT) (St. Louis Bandits), 5–3 (Port Huron Fighting Falcons), 2–3 (OT) (Amarillo Bulls)Won Robertson Cup Semifinal, 4–3 (OT) (Fairbanks Ice Dogs)Won Robertson Cup Championship, 4–3 (OT) (St. Louis Bandits) 2012–13 60 36 22 2 74 219 168 1,123 3rd of 6, South10th of 24, NAHLWon Div. Semifinal series, 3–0 (Topeka Roadrunners)Lost Div. Final series, 0–3 (Amarillo Bulls) Totals 750 485 242 52 1,012 2,822 2,013 20,227 7 Division Titles 5 Championships
Tornado alumni in the NHL The Tornado were equally successful in preparing players for the next level of hockey. Especially of note are the goaltenders to come out of the system. The more notable players include -
Stephane Da Costa, F, Ottawa Senators Al Montoya, G, Montreal Canadiens Ben Bishop, G, Dallas Stars Dave McKee, G, Anaheim Ducks Andy Wozniewski, D, Toronto Maple Leafs Matt Nickerson, D, Dallas Stars Jake Newton, D, Anaheim Ducks Matt Tennyson, D, San Jose Sharks
References
External links
Official League site