Wagon Wheel Cardinals

The Wagon Wheel Cardinals played in the IIHL (Illinois Ice Hockey League), a senior amateur league that existed from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. The majority of the league's players were from Chicago, although the Cardinals played in Rockton, Illinois, near the Wisconsin-Illinois state border. They were headquartered at the Wagon Wheel Resort, a prominent holiday location at the time with two ice rinks among its attractions. The Cardinals won the league title in their inaugural season, 1958-59, and the regular season title in three of their first four seasons. The Cardinals would continue to enjoy success and post good results until 1971, when the team was dismantled.