With the American Legion baseball regular season coming to a close, Butte sports fans are going to be without baseball for the latter part of the summer.  Again.  With the exception of whatever in the hell you want to call the Mining City Tommyknockers' season a few years back, we have to go way back to the days of the Copper Kings when talking about August baseball.  And the Copper Kings exit was no walk in the park either.  Casper, Wyoming, you can kiss my antennae.  And by default, you too, Grand Rapids.

But this got me to thinking not only about the Tommyknockers and the Copper Kings, but about the number of other franchises not only in baseball but in other sports as well that have come and gone here in the Mining City.  Remember the Daredevils?  The Butte Irish?  Anyone?  Anyone?

Some of the team owners have been known to practice, um, Voodoo Economics. Photo: Getty Images
Some of the team owners have been known to practice, um, Voodoo Economics. Photo: Getty Images
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BUTTE COPPER KINGS BASEBALL

Photo: ebay.com
Photo: ebay.com
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This has to be the team that I miss the most because I grew up on the hill and Copper King games were just a part of the summer.  A lot of it had to do with their fun promotions which included Batting Helmet Night, Quarter Beer Night and even Lawyer Appreciation Night where all lawyers who showed up were charged double.  The Kings relocated to Casper, Wyoming over 2 decades ago and now play in Grand Junction, Colorado.  I think.

BUTTE IRISH HOCKEY

Photo courtesy: hockeydb.com
Photo courtesy: hockeydb.com
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The Butte Irish were a ragtag hockey club known as much for their beer garden and fights as they were for their actual playing.  If all of the past Butte Sports teams were combined into a single hockey club, the Butte Irish would be the Hansen brothers.  The Irish were around for a few seasons during the mid 1990s and played at the Butte Civic Center.

THE BUTTE DAREDEVILS

Photo: Tommy O/Townsquare Media
Photo: Tommy O/Townsquare Media
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The Butte Daredevils were a CBA basketball team that played for a couple of seasons in the mid 2000s.  The Daredevils came to town with promises of professional-level competition for years to come and left with a line of players and staff waiting outside of the owners' office at the Civic Center waiting for checks that would never come.

Butte has certainly seen more than these teams come and go.  What are some other teams from the past that you remember?   How about the Copper Kings hockey club?  There has to be more.  Leave your memories in the comments section.

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