The Houston Aeros were a minor league hockey team from 1994-2013. They were named after the major league hockey team which played in the World Hockey Association from 1972-78. The WHA was a short-lived rival to the NHL.
The Aeros were members of the International Hockey League from 1994 until the league went out of business in 2001. They were one of six former IHL teams that joined the American Hockey League in 2001. They won the IHL's Turner Cup championship in 1999 and the AHL's Calder Cup championship in 2003.
Since 2001, the Aeros were the top farm club for the NHL's Minnesota Wild. In 2003, the Wild purchased a majority ownership stake in the Aeros.
It was announced in April 2013 that the team would move to Des Moines, Iowa, at the conclusion of the 2012-13 season. The team could not reach a lease renewal agreement with the Toyota Center. The move to Iowa brings the farm club closer to its NHL parent club in St. Paul.
This jersey hangs on the wall of Griff's sports bar.