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Orlando Solar Bears (IHL)
The Orlando Solar Bears were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Orlando, Florida. The Solar Bears played in the International Hockey League's Eastern Conference. They played their home games at the Orlando Arena. Facts : Turner Cup Champions: 1 — 2000–01 ::Runner-up: 2 — 1995–96, 1998–99 :Conference Champions: Eastern: 3 — 1995–96, 1998–99, 2000–01 :Division Champions: Central: 1 — 1995–96 :Main Rival: Detroit Vipers Franchise history The Solar Bears franchise started in 1995 and played in the International Hockey League (IHL) until the league folded in 2001. They were owned by the DeVos family, who also owned the Grand Rapids Griffins and the Kansas City Blades of the IHL and the Orlando Magic of the NBA. During their time in the IHL, the team made it to three Turner Cup finals, being swept by the Utah Grizzlies in 1996, losing in game seven to the Houston Aeros in 1999 and defeating the Chicago Wolves in five games ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orlando Solar Bears
The Orlando Solar Bears are a professional ice hockey team that plays their home games at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. They play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference and are affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League and Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League. History Orlando Pro Hockey Operations, L.P. and primary owners Joe Haleski, Bob Ohrablo, and Jason Siegel, obtained an expansion franchise in the ECHL in November 2011. The team revived the name of the original Orlando Solar Bears, who played in the International Hockey League from 1995 to 2001. The franchise also retained the original colors of their IHL predecessor, while adding the color Sunrise Gold. They are Orlando's third professional hockey team, after the original Solar Bears and Orlando Seals (2002–2004). Together with the Florida Everblades of Estero and the Jacksonville Icemen, they are one of three ECHL franchises in Florida. They are the eighth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2000–01 IHL Season
The 2000–01 IHL season was the 56th and final season of the International Hockey League, a North American minor professional league. Eleven teams participated in the regular season, and the Orlando Solar Bears won their first Turner Cup. Following the season, six teams (Admirals, Aeros, Griffins, Grizzles, Moose and Wolves) joined the American Hockey League as expansion teams. The Cyclones rejoined the East Coast Hockey League The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The E ... where they had previously played from 1990 to 1992. The remaining teams ceased operations. Regular season Eastern Conference Western Conference Turner Cup-Playoffs Quarterfinals (E1) Grand Rapids Griffins vs. (E4) Cleveland Lumberjacks (E2) Orlando Solar Bears vs. (E3) Cincinnati Cyclones (W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the league has an affiliation agreement with one NHL team. When NHL teams do not have an AHL affiliate, players are assigned to AHL teams affiliated with other NHL teams. Twenty-six AHL teams are located in the United States and the remaining six are in Canada. The league offices are located in Springfield, Massachusetts, and its current president is Scott Howson. In general, a player must be at least 18 years of age to play in the AHL or not currently be beholden to a junior ice hockey team. The league limits the number of experienced professional players on a team's active roster during any given game; only five skaters can have accumulated four full seasons of play or more at the professional level (goaltenders are exempt from this rule and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chicago Wolves
The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League and are the top minor-league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois, and are owned by Chicago business owners Don Levin and Buddy Meyers. Originally a member of the International Hockey League, the Wolves joined the AHL after the IHL folded in 2001. History The Wolves won the Turner Cup twice (1998, 2000) in the IHL and the Calder Cup thrice (2002, 2008, and 2022). The Wolves qualified for all but five postseasons (2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13, and 2015–16 seasons), appearing in eight league championship finals (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2019 and 2022) in their 22-year history. The team's most notable player was forward Steve Maltais, who until his retirement after the 2004–05 season had played every season of the franchise and holds mos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Houston Aeros (1994–2013)
The Houston Aeros were a professional ice hockey team in the International Hockey League (IHL) and the American Hockey League (AHL). The team played in Houston, Texas, at The Summit (renamed Compaq Center in 1998) from 1994 until 2003 and the Toyota Center from 2003 to 2013. In the IHL, the team operated as an independent minor league team from 1994 to 2001, though the team occasionally accepted players on loan from various National Hockey League (NHL) clubs for development. Upon joining the AHL for the 2001–02 season, they became the primary affiliate of the one-year-old NHL expansion team, the Minnesota Wild, a partnership they maintained until the franchise's relocation in 2013. While the team's only formal partnership with the Dallas Stars was a partial affiliation agreement during the 2004–05 season, Dallas occasionally sent some of their prospects to the Aeros on individual loans from 1993 to 2005, until the establishment of the Iowa Stars gave Dallas its own primary ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Utah Grizzlies (1995–2005)
The Utah Grizzlies were an ice hockey team in the International Hockey League (IHL) and American Hockey League (AHL). They originally played at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, before relocating to the E Center in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Valley City in 1997. After the 2004–05 season, the franchise was suspended. It was sold in 2006 and moved to Cleveland where it returned to play in 2007 as the Lake Erie Monsters. A new Utah Grizzlies franchise in the ECHL began play in 2005. History The original Utah Grizzlies moved to Utah in 1995 after one IHL season in Denver, Colorado, as the NHL's Quebec Nordiques relocated to Denver to become the Colorado Avalanche. The Grizzlies were admitted to the AHL in 2001 after the IHL folded. They played their home games in the Delta Center until the E Center was built a couple seasons after their arrival in Salt Lake. While in Denver, the Grizzlies won the 1994–95 Turner Cup, the championship of the IHL. After relocating to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. It is the premier men's professional basketball league in the world. The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). It changed its name to the National Basketball Association on August 3, 1949, after merging with the competing National Basketball League (NBL). In 1976, the NBA and the American Basketball Association (ABA) merged, adding four franchises to the NBA. The NBA's regular season runs from October to April, with each team playing 82 games. The league's playoff tournament extends into June. , NBA players are the world's best paid athletes by average annual salary per player. The NBA is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB), which is recognized by the F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was established in 1989 as an expansion franchise, and such notable NBA stars as Shaquille O'Neal, Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady, Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis and Nikola Vučević have played for the club throughout its history. , the franchise has played in the NBA playoffs 16 times in 32 seasons, and twice went to the NBA Finals, in 1995 and 2009. Orlando has been the second most successful of the four expansion teams brought into the league in 1988 and 1989 in terms of winning percentage and playoff success, after the Miami Heat. Franchise history 1985–1986: Team creation In September 1985, Orlando businessman Jim L. Hewitt approached Philadelphia 76ers general manager Pat Williams as they met in Texas on hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kansas City Blades
The Kansas City Blades were a professional ice hockey team in the International Hockey League (IHL) from 1990 until 2001, when the league folded. The Blades were based in Kansas City, Missouri, at Kemper Arena. Team history Russ and Diane Parker bought the dormant Toledo Goaldiggers franchise and moved it to Kansas City in 1990. Russ Parker conducted a contest to name the team and fans chose the name "Jazz". However, because the NBA's Utah Jazz were already using that name, Parker decided to use the second most popular name, "Blades." George Brett was one of a number of local residents that had submitted the name "Blades" during the naming contest. For the 1990-91 season, the Blades had partial NHL affiliations with the Edmonton Oilers and Hartford Whalers. From 1991 to 1996, they were the primary affiliate of the San Jose Sharks (coincidentally, the ''Blades'' moniker was the first-place finisher for the Sharks' "name the team" contest, but the ownership feared negative c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grand Rapids Griffins
The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and play home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League and are the 2013 and 2017 Calder Cup champions. The franchise began in the now-defunct International Hockey League in 1996 and merged into the AHL in 2001. Three players have since had their numbers retired. Franchise history The return of professional hockey to Grand Rapids The team is the third International Hockey League (IHL) franchise in Grand Rapids, following the Grand Rapids Rockets of the 1950s and the Grand Rapids Owls of the late 1970s, and owes its existence to the construction of a 10,000-plus capacity arena in the downtown area. Following the project's authorization, Amway executives Dave Van Andel and Dan DeVos formed West Michigan Hockey, Inc., in January 1995 with the intent of securing a minor league hockey fra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Detroit Vipers
The Detroit Vipers were an International Hockey League team. The team was founded in 1994, and played at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Their mascot was a polar bear named Vipe-bear. History Beginning The Vipers were originally formed as the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in 1969. In 1994, the franchise was purchased by Palace Sports and Entertainment (owners of the Detroit Pistons and the Palace of Auburn Hills) and relocated for the 1994–95 season. A sponsorship deal with the Chrysler Corporation led to the naming of the team after their Dodge Viper, although the team's logo primarily featured a common Viperidae (a venomous snake). A similar deal was in place with another Palace Sports-owned team, the Detroit Neon of the Continental Indoor Soccer League, which switched its sponsorship to GMC in its final year and renamed the team the Detroit Safari after yet another vehicle, the Safari. The team hired former Buffalo Sabres coach Rick Dudley as head coach. Their first season ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Turner Cup
The Turner Cup was the championship trophy of the International Hockey League from 1945 to 2001 and the renamed United Hockey League from 2007 to 2010. The Cup was named for Joe Turner, a goaltender from Windsor, Ontario. Turner became professional with the Detroit Red Wings organization, and played one season with the Indianapolis Capitals in the American Hockey League. Turner was killed in Belgium during World War II, while serving with the United States Army. It was the championship trophy to the incarnation of the IHL that existed from 1945 to 2001 before it was retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame. In July 2007, the United Hockey League officially changed its name to "International Hockey League". The new IHL put forth a request to the Hockey Hall of Fame to take a controlling interest in the Turner Cup. The name Turner Cup was restored on September 24, 2007 as a tribute to the original IHL. When the incarnation of the IHL that existed from 2007 to 2010 folded, the Cup was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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