The Orlando Solar Bears were a

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

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 Nor ...

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

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

. The Solar Bears played in the International Hockey League's Eastern Conference. They played their home games at the

Orlando Arena Amway Arena (originally known as Orlando Arena and later TD Waterhouse Centre) was an indoor arena located in Orlando, Florida. It was part of the Orlando Centroplex, a sports and entertainment complex located in Downtown Orlando. The arena was ...

Facts

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 professi ...

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 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 Sal ...

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 The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey, 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 H ...

and the

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 Pa ...

of the IHL and the

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 establ ...

of the

NBA 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 St ...

. During their time in the IHL, the team made it to three Turner Cup finals, being swept by the

Utah Grizzlies The Utah Grizzlies are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah. Franchise history The current Utah Grizzlies franchise started in 1981 as the Nashville South Stars ...

in 1996, losing in game seven to the Houston Aeros in 1999 and defeating the

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 C ...

in five games in 2001, which was the final

Championship. Several IHL teams were taken into the

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 Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

, but the Solar Bears were not among them. The DeVos family could only bring one team into the AHL, and chose the Griffins because the Solar Bears had never drawn well despite their on-ice success, including being the second-last team to win the

. A handful of Solar Bears went on to play for the team they defeated for the championship, the

, in the AHL, most notably goalie

Norm Maracle Norm Maracle (born October 2, 1974) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Prior to ending his career in Europe, Maracle played in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings and Atlanta Thrashers. Playing career Juni ...

, the IHL

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

of that deciding playoff series. That Wolves team went on to win the

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its curr ...

in their first AHL season. During its inaugural season, the Solar Bears starred center

Alfie Turcotte Real Jean "Alfie" Turcotte (born June 5, 1965) is an American former ice hockey player. Biography Turcotte was born in Gary, Indiana, and raised in Holt, Michigan. As a youth, he played in the 1978 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament w ...

, former first round pick of the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

. Other notable team members included:

Hubie McDonough Hubert Boniface McDonough (born July 8, 1963) is an American former professional ice hockey center. He played in the National Hockey League between 1988 and 1993 with the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders, and San Jose Sharks. Playing career ...

(

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

), C.; Pat Neaton, D.;

Barry Dreger Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 195 ...

, D.; Todd Richards, F.;

Craig Fisher Craig Fisher (born June 30, 1970) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who currently works in the athletic administration for Ontario Tech University (UOIT), having previously served as the head coach of the UOIT hockey team. Fis ...

(

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...

), D.;

Curtis Murphy Curtis Murphy (born December 3, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Career Murphy was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Minnesota Wild in on June 18, 2001, and he played one game in the National Hockey League wit ...

, D.;

Allan Bester Allan Bester (born March 26, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and Dallas Stars between 1984 and 1996. Playing career Bester w ...

, G.;

Scott LaGrand Scott LaGrand (born February 11, 1970) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender who played nine seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL), International Hockey League (IHL), and East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). Playing career ...

; Dave Barr. C.; Mark Beaufait, F.;

Todd Krygier Todd Andrew Krygier (born October 12, 1965) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Hartford Whalers, Washington Capitals, and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim between 1989 and 1997. Inter ...

(

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL) ...

), F.; Kirby Law, F.;

Mike Hartman Michael Jay Hartman (born February 7, 1967) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played in 397 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 13 seasons the Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets, Tampa Bay Lightning, and New York Ranger ...

, F.; Jason Blake, F.;

Zac Boyer Zachary Jason Boyer (born October 25, 1971) is a Canadian former National Hockey League Winger (ice hockey), right winger. In the final game of the 1992 Memorial Cup, Boyer scored the championship-winning goal for the Kamloops Blazers with 14 ...

, F.; Grigori Panteleev, F; Herbert Vasiljevs, F.; and Dan Snyder, F. In the 1999 Turner Cup Conference Finals, the Solar Bears completed the only successful comeback from a 0–3 deficit in the 56-year history of the International Hockey League, against the

. In Game 7, rookie Jason Blake scored twice in regulation and winger

got the game-winner 25 seconds into the second overtime, giving Orlando a 5–4 victory. The Solar Bears went on to lose in the finals, 4 games to 3, to the Houston Aeros. In 2011, 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 ...

announced a new franchise had been awarded to Orlando. On November 16, 2011, it was announced that the new team would be named the

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 t ...

Season-by-season record

''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, SOL = Shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against'' Wins are worth two points, losses are worth zero points and ties, overtime losses and shootout losses are worth one point.

IHL Awards and Trophies

*2000–01 Eastern Conference Champions Trophy *1995–96, 1998–99, 2000–01

James Norris Memorial Trophy The James Norris Memorial Trophy, or simply the Norris Trophy, is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's top "defenceman, defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position". It is name ...

(Best Goaltender – Statistical) *

Scott Fankhouser Scott A. Fankhouser (born July 1, 1975) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 23 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Atlanta Thrashers between 1999 and 2001. The rest of his career, which lasted from ...

: 2000–01 Commissioners' Trophy (Coach of the Year) * Pete Horachek: 2000–01

Ken McKenzie Trophy The Ken McKenzie Trophy was awarded annually to the Central Hockey League's leading points scorer in the regular season. The award was named for Ken McKenzie, the co-founder and longtime president and publisher of ''The Hockey News''. Previously ...

(American Born Rookie of the Year) * Brian Felsner: 1996–97 * Eric Nickulas: 1997–98 *

Brian Pothier Brian Pothier (born April 15, 1977) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. Pothier played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 2000 until 2010. Playing career As a youth, Pothier played in the 1991 Quebec International Pee ...

: 2000–01

James Gatschene Memorial Trophy The James Gatschene Memorial Trophy was awarded annually to the International Hockey League player selected as most valuable through his display of outstanding playing ability and sportsmanlike conduct over the course of the regular season, as ch ...

(Most Valuable Player) *

: 2000–01 N.R. Poile Trophy (Playoff MVP) *

: 2000–01 Gary F. Longman Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year) *

: 2000–01 Comeback Player of the Year *

Kevin Smyth Kevin Smyth (born November 22, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 58 games in the National Hockey League. He played with the Hartford Whalers. He spent parts of three seasons with the Hartford Whalers between 1 ...

: 1996–97

Orlando Solar Bear Individual Records

Most Goals in a season:

, 74 (1995–96)
Most Assists in a season: Mark Beaufait, 79 (1995–96)
Most Points in a season:

, 130 (1995–96)
Most Penalty Minutes in a season:

, 387 (1996–97)
Most Wins in a season:

, 37 (1996–97)
Most Shutouts in a season:

, 8 (2000–01)

References

{{IHL (1945–2001) International Hockey League (1945–2001) teams Ice hockey teams in Orlando, Florida Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States Ice hockey clubs established in 1995 Sports clubs disestablished in 2001 Ice hockey teams in Florida 1995 establishments in Florida 2001 disestablishments in Florida Atlanta Thrashers minor league affiliates