The Augusta Lynx were a
minor-league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...
professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
team based in
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...
. The Lynx played their home games at the
James Brown Arena
James Brown Arena (formerly known as Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center) is a multi-purpose complex located in Augusta, Georgia. It is managed by Spectra Experiences.
It features an 8,000-seat arena, renamed the James Brown Arena, in honor of ...
. The Lynx, who played in the
ECHL
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 ...
, had affiliations with the
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...
of the
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
and the
Norfolk Admirals Norfolk Admirals has been the name of two professional ice hockey franchises:
* Norfolk Admirals (AHL), a team which played in the American Hockey League from 2000 to 2015
*Norfolk Admirals (ECHL)
The Norfolk Admirals are a professional ice hock ...
of the
AHL.
The team was named for
The Masters
The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first maj ...
golf tournament held annually in Augusta, with the "Lynx" name a play on the golf term "hitting the links". The Lynx folded midway through the 2008-09 season on December 2, 2008, when it was announced that they were suspending operations and voluntarily relinquishing their league membership.
The Lynx failure marked the first time in the ECHL's history a franchise folded mid-season.
History of the Augusta Lynx
The Augusta Lynx were formed in 1991 as the
Raleigh IceCaps. The IceCaps moved to Augusta in 1998, a year after the
Hartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to ...
moved to
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, becoming the
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
.
The Lynx were replaced in their market by the
Augusta Riverhawks
The Augusta RiverHawks were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Augusta, Georgia. They played in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) from 2010 to 2013. They played their home games at the James Brown Arena.
History
The ...
, a team in the
Southern Professional Hockey League
The Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) is a professional ice hockey independent minor league based in Huntersville, North Carolina, with teams located primarily in the southeastern United States as well as Illinois and Indiana in the mid ...
, which began operations with the 2010–11 season.
Season-by-season record
''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout Losses, PTS = Points, PCT = Winning Percentage, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalty Infraction Minutes''
Augusta's final season roster
^ - Currently Called Up
References
External links
Augusta Lynx Official WebsiteECHL Official Website
{{Georgia Sports
Defunct ECHL teams
Sports in Augusta, Georgia
Ice hockey teams in Georgia (U.S. state)
Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States
Ice hockey clubs established in 1998
Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2008
New Jersey Devils minor league affiliates
Florida Panthers minor league affiliates
Anaheim Ducks minor league affiliates
Atlanta Thrashers minor league affiliates
Tampa Bay Lightning minor league affiliates
1998 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
2008 disestablishments in Georgia (U.S. state)