Butte Irish

The Butte Irish were a junior ice hockey club that competed in the American West Hockey League (AWHL) for a total of six seasons between the years of 1996 and 2002. The team was located in Butte, Montana. The team's finest season was their first, when they finished the 1996-1997 campaign with a record of 38-17-5. They would finish with solid records after winning 80 games over the course of the following three seasons. In 2002, the club would eventually disband as a result of its ongoing financial struggles. Derek Whitmore is the only alumnus of the Irish national team to have played professionally in the major leagues.