Wagon Wheel Cardinals Night
Wagon Wheel Cardinals Night: Saturday, April 9, 6pm
The Rockford IceHogs will honor the Wagon Wheel Cardinals, one of the Stateline area's earliest semi-professional hockey teams, at the IceHogs' Saturday, April 9 game by transforming into the Cardinals for one night only!
Highlights of the night will include:
- The IceHogs will become the Wagon Wheel Cardinals for one night only and will wear Wagon Wheel Cardinals jerseys.
- Exclusive Wagon Wheel Cardinals merchandise that can only be found in the IceHogs store, Oink Outfitters, starting April 9.
- "Guns 'N Hoses" pre-game charity hockey match at 1:00pm between the Rockford area police and IAFF Rockford Firefighters Local 413.
- Former Wagon Wheel Cardinals player Tod Oseid will be recognized pre-game as our special guest for the ceremonial puck drop.
Raising Money for Greg Lindmark Foundation:
A portion of the proceeds from all of the following opportunities will help benefit the Greg Lindmark Foundation, a local 501c3 organization that seeks to reduce the impact of cumulative stress and trauma on first responders by providing awareness, education, and confidential counseling.
>Live post-game Wagon Wheel Cardinals jersey auction: Cast your bid for a specialty jersey straight off the back of an IceHogs player on the ice immediately following the game.
>Online auction that includes:
- Cam Morrison autographed Wagon Wheel Cardinals jersey
- Collin Delia Wagon Wheel Cardinals jersey
- Jakub Galvas autographed Wagon Wheel Cardinals jersey
- Dylan Olsen autographed throwback jersey
- Rockford IceHogs stained glass art
- Jonathan Toews autographed pack (jersey, stick, puck)
- 2017-18 IceHogs Military Appreciation Night jersey (When Pigs Fly)
- Wagon Wheel Cardinals jersey you can customize (name and number; Note: cannot be customized with a current IceHogs player's name and number )
>Culver's Jersey Raffle:
- Jakub Pour and Kale Howarth Wagon Wheel Cardinals jerseys
- Raffle tickets are $5 for 1 ticket, $20 for 5 tickets, or $50 for 20 tickets and can be purchased April 9 at FanZone in the BMO Harris Bank Center or on DASH
Historical Significance of Wagon Wheel Resort and Wagon Wheel Cardinals
The Wagon Wheel Resort, once located in Rockton, Illinois, was a landmark tourist spot in the Stateline from the 1940s through the 1970s. During its glory days, the Wagon Wheel was a 300-acre retreat that lodged world-famous celebrities like Bob Hope and Shirley Temple, and featured attractions that included an air strip, golf course, restaurant, church, dinner theater, and two ice skating rinks. Those skating rinks served as a training ground for Olympic figure skating bronze medalist, and Rockford native, Janet Lynn. The Wagon Wheel rinks also became home, starting in 1958, to the Wagon Wheel Cardinals hockey team, a member of the Illinois Ice Hockey League (IIHL).
Below, we have assembled some historic articles and photos that focus solely on the Wagon Wheel Cardinals chapter of the Wagon Wheel Resort story, as well as some exclusive interviews from our sit-down with former Wagon Wheel Cardinals player Tod Oseid. Tod will be our special guest on April 9 and will be recognized pre-game as our guest for the ceremonial puck drop.
You can view more Wagon Wheel Resort historical photos on the Rockton Township Historical Society website.
Wagon Wheel Cardinals Season-by-Season at a Glance
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The rink at the Wagon Wheel Resort (known as the "Ice Palace" or just "The Palace") was christened on October 5, 1958, when the Chicago Blackhawks played a Red/White scrimmage game. One week later, the Wagon Wheel Cardinals (the team would also often be referred to as the "Wagon Wheel Six") made their debut against the Chicago Blades on October 12, 1958. Admission was a whopping $1.50!
The Cardinals' inaugural season was a memorable one that ended with a league championship. In postseason play, after defeating the Southwest Vikings, 5-3, in the second game of a three-game series, the Cardinals claimed the McLaughlin Cup.
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"The Palace" enjoyed its first sellout crowd on December 5, 1959. The capacity crowd of 2,004 witnessed a home team, 10-1, thrashing of the visiting Chicago Vikings. Sellout crowds would become common throughout the '59-'60 campaign.
The Cardinals won the league title and reached the McLaughlin Cup championship series for the second straight season, but this time fell in two games to the Reed Hornets.
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On December 29, 1960, the Cardinals played a scrimmage game at "The Palace" against several players from the 1960 U.S. Olympic ice hockey team.
In regular play, the Cardinals clinched their third straight league title with a 16-2 thumping of the Chicago Rangers on February 18, 1961, to finish the regular season with an 18-1 record.
In a move unheard of today, officials for the Cardinals declined the opportunity to participate in the McLaughlin Cup Playoffs, citing the "team's superiority in regular season play."
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On March 3, 1962, the national hockey team from Great Britain visited "The Palace" for an exhibition game against the Cardinals. The teams played to a 3-3 tie.
The Cardinals impressive roll since their 1958 debut continued as they clinched their fourth consecutive IIHL title after defeating the Chicago Falcons, 6-4, on March 17, 1962. The Cardinals finished out the regular season 17-2-1.
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The Cardinals did not lose a contest in the '62-'63 season until their 16th game on February 16, 1963, falling to the Elgin Blades, 9-1, to move their record to 14-1-1. While an undefeated season eluded them, the Cardinals wrapped up their fifth consecutive IIHL title and closed out the regular season with a record of 17-1-2.
The Cardinals went on to participate and take first place in the U.S. American Amateur Hockey Invitational Tournament, closing out with tournament wins over the Elgin Blades and Eagle River Northernaires, and playing to a 3-3 tie against the St. Paul Packers.
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After ripping off five consecutive IIHL titles in their first five seasons of play, the Wagon Wheel Cardinals made the move to the North Central Hockey League, featuring three teams from the greater Minneapolis area. The move was made with the intent of facing stiffer competition. While some skeptics felt the Cardinals may regret the move, the team opened with a convincing 8-3 victory over the Crystal (MN) Bungalows. The Cards finished the season in their new league with a respectable 7-8-1 mark, closing out the season with an impressive 5-4 win where they handed the Detroit Rob Roys their first loss of the season to drop them to 20-1-1.
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Tragedy struck prior to the Cardinals' seventh season when one of the team's most well-known players, Bill Horstmeyer, was killed in an accident while competing in a racing event at the Rockford Speedway. So began a challenging season that saw the "Wagon Wheel Six" lose consecutive games for the first time in team history in January. The Cards would go on a six-game winless skid that would finally snap on February 6, 1965, with a 7-3 win over Bloomington on the back of a hat trick from player/coach Ron Pretlac.
With a shot at a league title share on the line, the Cardinals dropped their final game at the hands of St. Louis Park, 5-1, to finish the season 7-5-3.
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After a two-year hiatus due to financial concerns and disbandment of the Wagon Wheel Cardinals, the team returned to action for the '67-'68 season. The Cards' return was spoiled with a 5-3 home loss to Michigan Tech.
Three Cardinals players (Sam Olrikson, Pete Moffat and Vic Ollikianen) tallied hat tricks in a 14-7 thumping of the Cleveland All-Stars on March 9, 1968. The Cardinals finished their comeback season with a record of 9-7-1.
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The '68-'69 campaign started with an 11-4 blasting of the Madison Blues and finished with the Cardinals amassing a 12-6 record and being rated as the top team in Illinois by the AHA. Pete Moffat paced the Cards with 26 goals on the season.
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The Cardinals dropped the opener against the St. Paul Bobcats by a score of 9-5 at "The Palace," but would go on to have one of their best seasons, finishing 12-4-1 thanks to a season finale win over the Fond du Lac Bears.
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In what would turn out to be the final season for the Wagon Wheel Cardinals, the club got off to a tough start with a 7-2 loss to Michigan Tech in the opener. But it's all about how you finish, and the Cardinals finished on fire, ripping off six straight wins to close the season and ended the season, and an era, on March 20, 1971, against the Canadian Canucks.
Comprehensive headlines and stories from 1970-71
While that marked the end of Wagon Wheel Cardinals hockey, a new team called the Rockton Wheels took up residence at "The Palace" and played two seasons (1977 & 1978) as part of the Continental Hockey League.