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==History==
Despite being next door to hockey-mad [[Minnesota]], Iowa's relative lack of natural ice surfaces made it difficult for the sport to catch on in the Hawkeye state. The low population density also meant that there were few locales that could support an artificial ice rink. These factors contributed to the state not receiving its first major ice hockey team until the late 1950s. At the time, the [[United States Hockey League|United States Central Hockey League]], a senior league that operated mostly out of Minnesota, saw many of its previous teams cease operations in 1958. In order to keep the league alive, several new clubs were started, including the [[Des Moines Ice Hawks]]. The franchise survived for three years before the league rebranded itself as the United States Hockey League and became a [[Semi-professional sports|semi-pro]] circuit. The Ice Hawks changed their names to the [[Des Moines Oak Leafs]] and got a big boost when the [[Buccaneer Arena|Des Moines Ice Arena]] opened its doors in November 1961. The club remained with the USHL for two years before leaving to join the fully professional [[International Hockey League (1945–2001)|International Hockey League]] in 1963. The team had some success over the years, reaching the finals in '65 and '71 but it wasn't until after they changed their named to the [[Des Moines Capitols]] that they won a league championship. Success, however, came too late for the team and after one more season
Meanwhile, the USHL saw potential in Iowa and continued to expand with the addition of the [[Waterloo Black Hawks]] in 1962. The Black Hawks were an instant success, winning the league championship in their second season to begin a run of five consecutive titles. The USHL then added the [[Sioux City Musketeers]] in 1972 but Waterloo remained at the forefront, adding three more titles in the 70s. In 1979, the USHL was operating as mostly an afterthought behind at least 4 other professional leagues ([[National Hockey League|NHL]], [[American Hockey League|AHL]], IHL and [[Central Professional Hockey League|CHL]]). In order to keep the league alive, the teams switched from senior hockey to junior hockey. At the time, junior hockey circuits were run almost exclusively out of [[Canada]] aside from U.S. [[secondary school|high school]] programs. However, because the major [[Canadian Hockey League]] league paid their players a stipend, the [[NCAA]] had ruled that participating players were ineligible to play college hockey. The USHL stepped in to fill the void, becoming the first major junior league in the US. After its inaugural season in 1979–80, the league continued its expansion into Iowa with the Black Hawks relocating and becoming the [[Dubuque Fighting Saints (1980–2001)|Dubuque Fighting Saints]]. The Hennepin Nordiques, who had only been around for a year, then moved to Waterloo, taking over the name and ensuring that there was no loss of ice hockey in [[Black Hawk County, Iowa|Black Hawk County]]. That same year, the USHL returned to the capitol with the [[Des Moines Buccaneers]].
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