ECHL Franchise Histories

garnetpalmetto · Jan 9, 2018

After a discussion in another thread on the Johnstown Chief's history as well as the number of South Carolina-based teams in the League at any given time I thought it might not be a bad idea to do a franchise history based in part on the excellent Minor League Baseball League histories Mike McCann has on his page.

A few notes, for clarity's sake

A team on a row is the same franchise, thus the Greenville Swamp Rabbits are the same franchise as the Johnstown Chiefs.
This only covers team histories in the ECHL and only goes to the founding of the ECHL in 1988 after the merger of the ACHL and AAHL, so I've not included team histories before they entered the League (Allen, Quad Cities, etc. won't have their full histories in various other Leagues)
This only covers to the present - the future move of the Colorado Eagles to the AHL and of the Alaska Aces franchise to Maine would be covered next year
This only covers years franchises iced a team. Given the sometimes nebulous dormancies of some teams, it'd be difficult to say a team was dormant from this year to this year until the franchise was revoked. That said, you can sometimes see dormancies, such as when the Mississippi Sea Wolves were dormant in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
A future expansion on this might be to include the affiliation history of teams
I'm human and I acknowledge there may be some errors here - I humbly beg anybody with any corrections to let me know and I'll be glad to make them.

2017-2018

2016-2017

2015-2016

2014-2015

2013-2014

2012-2013

2011-2012

2010-2011

2009-2010

2008-2009

2007-2008

2006-2007

2005-2006

2004-2005

2003-2004

2002-2003

2001-2002

2000-2001

1999-2000

1998-1999

1997-1998

1996-1997

1995-1996

1994-1995

1993-1994

1992-1993

1991-1992

1990-1991

1989-1990

1988-1989

Adirondack Thunder
(Glens Falls, NY)

Stockton Thunder
(Stockton, CA)

Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (Atlantic City, NJ)

Birmingham Bulls
(Birmingham, AL)

Cincinnati Cyclones
(Cincinnati, OH)

Allen Americans
(Allen, TX)

Atlanta Gladiators
(Duluth, GA)

Gwinnett Gladiators
(Duluth, GA)

Mobile Mysticks
(Mobile, AL)

Brampton Beast
(Brampton, ON)

Cincinnati Cyclones
(Cincinnati, OH)

Miami Matadors
(Miami, FL)

Louisville RiverFrogs
(Louisville, KY)

Colorado Eagles (Windsor, CO)

Florida Everblades
(Estero, FL)

Fort Wayne Komets (Fort Wayne, IN)

Greenville Swamp Rabbits
(Greenville, SC)

Greenville Road Warriors
(Greenville, SC)

Johnstown Chiefs
(Johnstown, PA)

Idaho Steelheads
(Boise, ID)

Indy Fuel
(Indianapolis, IN)

Jacksonville Icemen
(Jacksonville, FL)

Evansville Icemen
(Evansville, IN)

Kalamazoo Wings
(Kalamazoo, MI)

Kansas City Mavericks
(Independence, MO)

Missouri Mavericks
(Independence, MO)

Manchester Monarchs
(Manchester, NH)

Ontario Reign
(Ontario, CA)

Texas Wildcatters
(Beaumont, TX)

Huntington Blizzard
(Huntington, WV)

Norfolk Admirals
(Norfolk, VA)

Bakersfield Condors
(Bakersfield, CA)

Orlando Solar Bears
(Orlando, FL)

Quad City Mallards
(Moline, IL)

Rapid City Rush
(Rapid City, SD)

Reading Royals
(Reading, PA)

Columbus Chill
(Columbus, OH)

South Carolina Stingrays
(North Charleston, SC)

Toledo Walleye
(Toledo, OH)

Toledo Storm
(Toledo, OH)

Tulsa Oilers
(Tulsa, OK)

Utah Grizzlies
(West Valley City, UT)

Lexington Men O'War
(Lexington, KY)

Macon Whoopee
(Macon, GA)

Tallahassee Tiger Sharks
(Tallahassee, FL)

Huntsville Blast
(Huntsville, AL)

Roanoke Valley Rampage
(Vinton, VA)

Roanoke Valley Rebels
(Vinton, VA)

Virginia Lancers
(Vinton, VA)

Wheeling Nailers
(Wheeling, WV)

Wheeling Thunderbirds
(Wheeling, WV)

Winston-Salem Thunderbirds
(Winston-Salem, NC)

Carolina Thunderbirds
(Winston-Salem, NC)

Wichita Thunder
(Wichita, KS)

Worcester Railers
(Worcester, MA)

Alaska Aces
(Anchorage, AK)

Elmira Jackals
(Elmira, NY)

Las Vegas Wranglers
(Las Vegas, NV)

San Francisco Bulls
(Daly City, CA)

Trenton Titans
(Trenton, NJ)

Trenton Devils
(Trenton, NJ)

Trenton Titans
(Trenton, NJ)

Chicago Express
(Hoffman Estates, IL)

Victoria Salmon Kings
(Victoria, BC)

Baton Rouge Kingfish
(Baton Rouge, LA)

Erie Panthers
(Erie, PA)

Charlotte Checkers
(Charlotte, NC)

Augusta Lynx
(Augusta, GA)

Raleigh IceCaps
(Raleigh, NC)

Dayton Bombers
(Dayton, OH)

Fresno Falcons
(Fresno, CA)

Mississippi Sea Wolves
(Biloxi, MS)

Phoenix RoadRunners
(Phoenix, AZ)

Columbia Inferno
(Columbia, SC)

Pensacola Ice Pilots
(Pensacola, FL)

Nashville Knights
(Nashville, TN)

Long Beach Ice Dogs
(Long Beach, CA)

Greenville Grrrowl
(Greenville, SC)

San Diego Gulls
(San Diego, CA)

Louisiana IceGators
(Lafayette, LA)

Pee Dee Pride
(Florence, SC)

Florence Pride
(Florence, SC)

Pee Dee Pride
(Florence, SC)

Knoxville Cherokees
(Knoxville, TN)

Peoria Rivermen
(Peoria, IL)

Columbus Cottonmouths
(Columbus, GA)

Hampton Roads Admirals
(Norfolk, VA)

Greensboro Generals
(Greensboro, NC)

Roanoke Express
(Roanoke, VA)

Arkansas RiverBlades
(North Little Rock, AR)

Jackson Bandits
(Jackson, MS)

Richmond Renegades
(Richmond, VA)

New Orleans Brass
(New Orleans, LA)

Jacksonville Lizard Kings
(Jacksonville, FL)

Louisville Ice Hawks
(Louisville, KY)

Greensboro Monarchs
(Greensboro, NC)

2017-2018

2016-2017

2015-2016

2014-2015

2013-2014

2012-2013

2011-2012

2010-2011

2009-2010

2008-2009

2007-2008

2006-2007

2005-2006

2004-2005

2003-2004

2002-2003

2001-2002

2000-2001

1999-2000

1998-1999

1997-1998

1996-1997

1995-1996

1994-1995

1993-1994

1992-1993

1991-1992

1990-1991

1989-1990

1988-1989

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

royals119 · Jan 9, 2018

Thanks for putting that together. Very handy to have that history available when someone brings up a question. Hopefully one of the mods can pin this thread.

I don't know if it is just my monitor, or the board format, but the chart is so much larger than the screen that it is a little hard to use - lots of scrolling back and forth and up and down to see where a team came and went. Maybe repeat the year row at the bottom, just above the slider bar, so you can tell where you are without having to keep jumping up and down? I don't know if a smaller font would help, without making it too hard to read.

If you are looking to work on affiliation history at some point, I can tell you the Royals:
01/02 - 07/08 LA Kings/Monarchs,
08/09 - 11/12 Maple Leafs/Marlies,
09/10-11/12 Bruins ( secondary)
12/13 to 13/14Washington/Hershey
14/15 to present Flyers/Phantoms

garnetpalmetto · Jan 9, 2018

royals119 said:
Thanks for putting that together. Very handy to have that history available when someone brings up a question. Hopefully one of the mods can pin this thread.

I don't know if it is just my monitor, or the board format, but the chart is so much larger than the screen that it is a little hard to use - lots of scrolling back and forth and up and down to see where a team came and went. Maybe repeat the year row at the bottom, just above the slider bar, so you can tell where you are without having to keep jumping up and down? I don't know if a smaller font would help, without making it too hard to read.

If you are looking to work on affiliation history at some point, I can tell you the Royals:
01/02 - 07/08 LA Kings/Monarchs,
08/09 - 11/12 Maple Leafs/Marlies,
09/10-11/12 Bruins ( secondary)
12/13 to 13/14Washington/Hershey
14/15 to present Flyers/Phantoms

Thanks Royals. It's not just your monitor - it's just a lot of data - nearly 30 years of League history. That said, I did take your suggestion and I've placed a row on the bottom with the season, mirroring the top row, and I also shrank the font down. I think it's at the smallest where it'd be legible.

Cyclones Rock · Jan 9, 2018

The current Cincinnati Cyclones lineage is correct.

The original Cincinnati Cyclones lineage (now Adirondack) is also correct.

Last year when Adirondack was playing in Cincinnati, it hit me that the Cyclones were playing the Cyclones. The joys of the low minors! LOL

Thanks for posting this thread!

210 · Jan 10, 2018

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECHL

royals119 · Jan 10, 2018

As far as the longest tenured current teams in the same city, I see it as:
Toledo '91 (continuous in same city, with two year break to build a new arena)
Wheeling '92
SC '93
Florida '98
Reading '01

I'm surprised to see Reading that high up the list. As a STH from the first season I've always thought of us as a "newcomer" to the league, but at this point the Royals have existed for more than half of ECHL history.

garnetpalmetto · Jan 10, 2018

royals119 said:
As far as the longest tenured current teams in the same city, I see it as:
Toledo '91 (continuous in same city, with two year break to build a new arena)
Wheeling '92
SC '93
Florida '98
Reading '01

I'm surprised to see Reading that high up the list. As a STH from the first season I've always thought of us as a "newcomer" to the league, but at this point the Royals have existed for more than half of ECHL history.

That depresses me a little since Columbia also joined that same year. I can only wonder what would have happened if they got a new rink when they wanted one.

CHRDANHUTCH · Jan 10, 2018

we forced the AHL Forum to institute the history/affiliation lineage.... nice job, Garnet, and Wikipedia isn't always accurate, 210, you should know that by now UNLESS it's a specific franchise

210 · Jan 10, 2018

News flash Hutch: Wiki is very accurate for things like this.

garnetpalmetto · Jan 10, 2018

210 said:
News flash Hutch: Wiki is very accurate for things like this.

It's as accurate as the contributors/editors want it to be. I'm not one of those people with a hate-on for Wikipedia as a resource, but just saying. At any rate, yes it's available on Wikipedia but I find "Go look it up on Wiki" to not be a terribly friendly (or useful) thing to say. Why shouldn't it also be here? Not to fault/embarrass/harass Hutch but yesterday he was sure there'd always been at least two teams in SC, which there hadn't. The point of this thread is for it to be a resource for us to use as we'd like - or not to use if you don't like it.

210 · Jan 10, 2018

I didn't say that it shouldn't be here, I simply indicated the information you wish to put here is available there.

JMCx4 · Jan 10, 2018

garnetpalmetto said:
... Not to fault/embarrass/harass Hutch but yesterday he was sure there'd always been at least two teams in SC, which there hadn't. ...

So does this exonerate me from thinking the Greenville Swamp Rabbits/Road Warriors play their home games in North Charleston? ... No? ... OK ...

HisIceness · Jan 11, 2018

Great memories here GP. For all the flak people like to give the NHL for teams in Carolina, Atlanta, Nashville etc., I think a lot of them don't know that places like Tallahassee, Florence SC, and Knoxville supported minor-league hockey pretty well in the 90's. I think the ECHL of the 90's might have been the closest thing to SlapShot we will ever see in real life. A lot of these players sort of become minor celebrities in their towns because there wasn't as much player turnover then so players stayed put 2 or more years, which also helped lead to some nasty rivalries. Sometimes the fans would even get involved, so much so that those who participated in the NBAs Malice at the Palace would tell them to tone it down. The Checkers in particular had two really good ones with Greensboro and the SC Stingrays (aka Stinkrays as Checkers fans liked to call them). Greensboro from what I remember from an older thread were hated among the rest of the league because of how physical and dirty they played.

Speaking of Greensboro, I remember having a conversation with a former Monarchs fans once about how the teams upgrade to the AHL in 1995 pissed a lot of people off. All the rivalries were suddenly gone, the ticket prices increased, and the team itself was not very good (and also didn't draw a lot of interest in the city for being the Florida Panthers AHL farm team). Then of course came the debacle that was the Canes playing there for 2 seasons. I'd like to see them get another shot, the Generals (1999-04) never really got a fair shake, everyone was still pissed about the Monarchs AHL stint/Canes temporary stay.

The ECHL in a way really helped pave the way for the NHL to expand it's footprint in the muggy Southeast. It helped introduce the game to those of us like me who were unfamiliar with it and it also gave transplants from Northern states their hockey fix. It really was the perfect scenario in the perfect part of the country at the right time.

royals119 · Jan 13, 2018

HisIceness said:
Great memories here GP. For all the flak people like to give the NHL for teams in Carolina, Atlanta, Nashville etc., I think a lot of them don't know that places like Tallahassee, Florence SC, and Knoxville supported minor-league hockey pretty well in the 90's. I think the ECHL of the 90's might have been the closest thing to SlapShot we will ever see in real life. A lot of these players sort of become minor celebrities in their towns because there wasn't as much player turnover then so players stayed put 2 or more years, which also helped lead to some nasty rivalries. Sometimes the fans would even get involved, so much so that those who participated in the NBAs Malice at the Palace would tell them to tone it down. The Checkers in particular had two really good ones with Greensboro and the SC Stingrays (aka Stinkrays as Checkers fans liked to call them). Greensboro from what I remember from an older thread were hated among the rest of the league because of how physical and dirty they played.

Speaking of Greensboro, I remember having a conversation with a former Monarchs fans once about how the teams upgrade to the AHL in 1995 pissed a lot of people off. All the rivalries were suddenly gone, the ticket prices increased, and the team itself was not very good (and also didn't draw a lot of interest in the city for being the Florida Panthers AHL farm team). Then of course came the debacle that was the Canes playing there for 2 seasons. I'd like to see them get another shot, the Generals (1999-04) never really got a fair shake, everyone was still pissed about the Monarchs AHL stint/Canes temporary stay.

The ECHL in a way really helped pave the way for the NHL to expand it's footprint in the muggy Southeast. It helped introduce the game to those of us like me who were unfamiliar with it and it also gave transplants from Northern states their hockey fix. It really was the perfect scenario in the perfect part of the country at the right time.

I agree - miss having all those cities in the league. My wife and I made many road trips to Charleston, Charlotte, Florence, Augusta, Greensboro, Greenville, Gwinnett, Pensacola, Biloxi, etc to see Royal games, and got a chance to visit a lot of places we probably otherwise wouldn't have seen.

HisIceness · Jan 13, 2018

Raleigh IceCaps, East Coast Hockey League

Good read here on the Raleigh Icecaps. Some funny snippets

<Dorton> was a livestock hall built in the 1950s, and we weren’t going to dig up the concrete floor to install pipes and whatever else you need for a proper ice system,” Wolff recalled in 2011. “Instead, we went out and purchased this system of mats that made really bad ice…we had some of the worst ice in the league.”

“The local media was completely ignorant of hockey, and expected us to fail,” said Wolff. “Pete <Bock> went to the local newspaper’s office to bring a puck to the sports editor – he had never seen one up close. The paper assigned their golf writer to cover the team because they wanted him to quit.

Pete and I didn’t know much about the sport, either. One day, a few weeks before the season started, he came to me slightly panicked, and said that we needed to buy paint for the ice right away. ‘What do you mean, paint for the ice?’ Apparently, in hockey, the ice gets painted…we had no idea.”

Dorton Arena for those who have never seen it or been in it is an odd looking facility. It was never really built to be anything more than just simply a livestock/trade show type of building. But because there was no where else in the Triangle to feasibly host a Hockey team, Dorton became home to the Icecaps. The arena is glass all the way around and some times the sun would shine right on the ice causing the rink to fog up so players and refs would have to skate around to clear it, causing fatigue before puck drop.

The Icecaps themselves were really popular in their first 4 years, they developed rivalries with Charlotte and Greensboro among others. They sort of developed a bit of a cult following, not as popular overall as the Durham Bulls or ACC hoops, but they got started at a time when half of the Northeast began moving to the Triangle and had nothing to get their Hockey fix and also at a time when the NHL started to expand into the sunbelt.

Going back to the Monarchs jumping to the AHL, that was about the time when NC State was lobbying for a new Basketball arena, something that was originally the vision of Jim Valvano but by the time he passed (RIP) the vision began to be more of an entertainment and multi-purpose type of building instead of just for NC State hoops. So of course naturally the AHL was intrigued by this and so started the beginning of the end for the Icecaps.

Little though did we know that just two years later, a gentleman named Peter Karmanos would announce he was moving his Hartford Whalers to Raleigh. So in a span of 10 years, Raleigh went from not knowing what the hell Ice Hockey was, to falling in love with an ECHL team playing in a livestock hall, to finding out the NHL is coming to town, to having a cup-winning team by 2006. Talk about a crazy whirlwind. :rolly:

garnetpalmetto · Jan 13, 2018

HisIceness said:
Raleigh IceCaps, East Coast Hockey League

Good read here on the Raleigh Icecaps. Some funny snippets

Dorton Arena for those who have never seen it or been in it is an odd looking facility. It was never really built to be anything more than just simply a livestock/trade show type of building. But because there was no where else in the Triangle to feasibly host a Hockey team, Dorton became home to the Icecaps. The arena is glass all the way around and some times the sun would shine right on the ice causing the rink to fog up so players and refs would have to skate around to clear it, causing fatigue before puck drop.

The Icecaps themselves were really popular in their first 4 years, they developed rivalries with Charlotte and Greensboro among others. They sort of developed a bit of a cult following, not as popular overall as the Durham Bulls or ACC hoops, but they got started at a time when half of the Northeast began moving to the Triangle and had nothing to get their Hockey fix and also at a time when the NHL started to expand into the sunbelt.

Going back to the Monarchs jumping to the AHL, that was about the time when NC State was lobbying for a new Basketball arena, something that was originally the vision of Jim Valvano but by the time he passed (RIP) the vision began to be more of an entertainment and multi-purpose type of building instead of just for NC State hoops. So of course naturally the AHL was intrigued by this and so started the beginning of the end for the Icecaps.

Little though did we know that just two years later, a gentleman named Peter Karmanos would announce he was moving his Hartford Whalers to Raleigh. So in a span of 10 years, Raleigh went from not knowing what the hell Ice Hockey was, to falling in love with an ECHL team playing in a livestock hall, to finding out the NHL is coming to town, to having a cup-winning team by 2006. Talk about a crazy whirlwind.

Great stories - and for visuals:

Unfortunately, the franchise would ultimately have something of an ignominous ending. The IceCaps relocated to Augusta, GA in the 1997-1998 season following the arrival of the Carolina Hurricanes and their first season in Greensboro, though it wouldn't be until the 1999-2000 season that the Hurricanes would actually play in Greensboro. Playing as the Augusta Lynx (a play on "links," a reference to Augusta National Golf Course) the team would make the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center (which would be renamed to James Brown Arena in 2006 in honor of the soul singer who grew up in Augusta). The Lynx would end up being one of the first ECHL teams to be unable to complete a season as they folded on 12/2/08 after their owner, a local car dealer, was unable to finance operations for the whole season.

JMCx4 · Jan 13, 2018

Ah, the roller derby. :laugh:

That's an architecturally interesting building, bordering on beautiful. No doubt difficult to maintain ice sheet quality with all those windows.

HisIceness · Jan 19, 2018

Stumbled upon this just now.

I'm fairly certain the team in white is the Greensboro Monarchs. I've heard about this fight from a former Monarchs ticket holder, fits the time frame (1993-94) and the description of opposing players entering the stands after someone threw a beer at them, and it looks like I found the footage. Apparently Sportscenter even showed this.

This was the only season in which the Huntsville Blast existed. They had been in Roanoke, Virginia for the past 4 years as the Lancers/Rebels/Rampage and ended up in Tallahassee the following season.

Edit: Found an article about this fight HOCKEY FANS, MONARCH FOES MIX IT UP COLISEUM FIGHT

I personally like how instead of a lifetime ban like they do now, it's just for the remainder of the season :laugh:

Jonesey · Mar 6, 2018

HisIceness said:
Stumbled upon this just now.

I'm fairly certain the team in white is the Greensboro Monarchs. I've heard about this fight from a former Monarchs ticket holder, fits the time frame (1993-94) and the description of opposing players entering the stands after someone threw a beer at them, and it looks like I found the footage. Apparently Sportscenter even showed this.

This was the only season in which the Huntsville Blast existed. They had been in Roanoke, Virginia for the past 4 years as the Lancers/Rebels/Rampage and ended up in Tallahassee the following season.

Edit: Found an article about this fight HOCKEY FANS, MONARCH FOES MIX IT UP COLISEUM FIGHT

I personally like how instead of a lifetime ban like they do now, it's just for the remainder of the season

You would be correct. I was 9 years old at the time and my dad was the equipment manager/trainer for Huntsville. I was actually at this game!

#17 for Huntsville is Scott Burfoot Scott Burfoot hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com

Cyclones Rock · Jul 26, 2020

http://www.chuckthewriter.com/choppers.html

Great story about what happened to the Fort Wayne Komets. May not exactly fit the thread, but a lot of fun stuff in it.

210 · Jul 27, 2020

Cyclones Rock said:
http://www.chuckthewriter.com/choppers.html

Great story about what happened to the Fort Wayne Komets. May not exactly fit the thread, but a lot of fun stuff in it.

Thanks for sharing that...

tarheelhockey · Aug 4, 2020

Jonesey said:
You would be correct. I was 9 years old at the time and my dad was the equipment manager/trainer for Huntsville. I was actually at this game!

#17 for Huntsville is Scott Burfoot Scott Burfoot hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com

You really should think about having him write down some of his memories from that time. I would 100% buy a behind-the-scenes book about the early days of the ECHL.

Jonesey · Aug 4, 2020

tarheelhockey said:
You really should think about having him write down some of his memories from that time. I would 100% buy a behind-the-scenes book about the early days of the ECHL.

Hmm.

That's actually not a bad idea. I wonder if he'd be interested at all.

HisIceness · Aug 4, 2020

Jonesey said:
Hmm.

That's actually not a bad idea. I wonder if he'd be interested at all.

I would read it.

ECHL Franchise Histories

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