The Missouri River Otters were a

minor Minor may refer to: * Minor (law), a person under the age of certain legal activities. ** A person who has not reached the age of majority * Academic minor, a secondary field of study in undergraduate education Music theory *Minor chord ** Barb ...

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

St. Charles, Missouri Saint Charles (commonly abbreviated St. Charles) is a city in, and the county seat of, St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 65,794 at the 2010 census, making St. Charles the ninth-largest city in Missouri. Situated on t ...

. They played in the

United Hockey League The United Hockey League (UHL), originally known as the Colonial Hockey League from 1991 to 1997 and last known as the International Hockey League from 2007 to 2010, was a low-level minor professional ice hockey league, with teams in the Unite ...

from 1999 to 2006. They played their home games at the St. Charles

Family Arena The Family Arena is a multi-purpose arena in St. Charles, Missouri, built in 1999. The arena seats 9,643 for hockey, 9,755 for football, 10,467 for basketball, 6,339 for half-house concerts and up to 11,522 for end-stage concerts. In addition t ...

, which also opened in October 1999.

History

The River Otters were launched in the

(UHL) for the 1999–2000 season owned by New York-based United Sports Ventures, an organization that operated several teams in the league. The team's first head coach was former

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the s ...

' player

Mark Reeds Mark Allen Reeds (January 24, 1960 – April 14, 2015) was a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and a former player who had played in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1981 and 1989. He was born in Toronto, Ontario, but grew up in Bur ...

and they had their home opener on October 23, 1999, with a sellout attendance for a 6–2 win over the

Asheville Smoke The Asheville Smoke were a minor professional ice hockey team in the United Hockey League. Home games were played in the Asheville Civic Center in Asheville, North Carolina. Team history The team played in Asheville, North Carolina, from 1998 ...

Lonnie Loach Lonnie Loach (born April 14, 1968) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Loach spent the majority of his career in the IHL but also played briefly in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators, Los Angeles Kings, and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. ...

, who wore #33, played for the team from 1999 to 2003 and is the only person to have his number retired by the team. The team was sold in December 2001 to local ownership group River City Hockey LLC. consisting of Kevin Fitzpatrick, Dan O'Donnell, and David Black. The team was purchased by Mike Shanahan Jr. in 2004. During the

National Hockey League 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 ...

(NHL) lockout in 2004–05, NHL defenseman

Barret Jackman Barret D. Jackman (born March 5, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the St. Louis Blues and the Nashville Predators. Jackman was selected 17th overall in the 1999 NHL E ...

decided to stay in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

and play hockey for the River Otters during the lockout, along with center Ryan Johnson, defenseman

Bryce Salvador Bryce Chadwick Salvador (born February 11, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Salvador was drafted in the sixth round, 138th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. During his professional caree ...

and right winger

Jamal Mayers Jamal David Mayers (born October 24, 1974) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He spent time playing for the St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, San Jo ...

. The team also signed former NHL players such as Jim Montgomery and

Dennis Vial Dennis Vial (born April 10, 1969) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Vial played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, and Ottawa Senators. He also played in the North American minor l ...

during this season. On January 25, 2006, the Missouri River Otters hosted the 2006

All Star Classic, which included events such as an UHL alumni vs. St. Louis Blues alumni pre-game show to raise money for St. Louis Children's Hospital. In late April 2006, team owner and president Mike Shanahan Jr. decided to fold the team due to lack of attendance, issues with the lease at the

, and a steep

workers' compensation Workers' compensation or workers' comp is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her emp ...

bill. The staff was then let go as the announcement was made that the team would not play in the upcoming

2006–07 UHL season The 2006–07 United Hockey League The United Hockey League (UHL), originally known as the Colonial Hockey League from 1991 to 1997 and last known as the International Hockey League from 2007 to 2010, was a low-level minor professional ice h ...

. While leaving open the possibility of a sale, Shanahan said that the competition for the sports dollar in the greater St. Louis area meant that the team would likely fold instead of being sold.

References

External links

Missouri River Otters at HockeyDB
{{IHL Ice hockey clubs established in 1999 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2006 Defunct United Hockey League teams Ice hockey teams in Missouri Sports in St. Charles, Missouri 1999 establishments in Missouri Professional ice hockey teams in Missouri 2006 disestablishments in Missouri