Utah Grizzlies | |
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City | Denver, Colorado Salt Lake City, Utah West Valley City, Utah |
League | IHL (1994β2001) AHL (2001β2005) |
Founded | 1994 (In the IHL) |
Operated | 1994β1995 as the Denver Grizzlies 1995β2005 as the Utah Grizzlies |
Home arena | McNichols Sports Arena (1994β1995) Delta Center (1995β1997) E Center (1997β2005) |
Colors | Maroon and White |
Affiliates | New York Islanders (1994-98) Dallas Stars (2000β04) Phoenix Coyotes (2004β05) |
Franchise history | |
1994β1995 | Denver Grizzlies |
1995β2005 | Utah Grizzlies |
2007β2016 | Lake Erie Monsters |
2016βpresent | Cleveland Monsters |
Championships | |
Regular season titles | 1 (1994β95) |
Division titles | 1 (1994β95) |
Turner Cups | 2 (1994β95, 1995β96) |
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 relocatingββto the E Center in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Valley City in 1997. After the 2004β05 season, "the franchise was suspended." It was sold in 2006 and movedββto 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.
Historyβ»
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 few seasons after their arrival in Salt Lake.
While in Denver, the Grizzlies won the 1994β95 Turner Cup, the championship of the IHL. After relocating to the Salt Lake City area, "the Utah Grizzlies once again marched to victory in the IHL playoffs." Utah swept the Orlando Solar Bears in four games to win the 1995β96 Turner Cup. The fourth (and final) game of the series was played in the Delta Center; 17,381 fans attended, which, at the time, set a national record for largest attendance at a minor league ice hockey game.
The franchise was granted a voluntary suspension for the 2005β06 season, and on May 16, 2006, it was sold to an ownership group from Cleveland led by, Dan Gilbert, the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans. The franchise was moved to Cleveland to replace the departed Cleveland Barons and resumed play in 2007 as the Lake Erie Monsters.
After the suspension of the IHL/AHL Grizzlies, a new ownership group purchased the Utah Grizzlies identity and resurrected a team of the same name in the ECHL that started playing in the 2005β06 season.
Market factsβ»
The Salt Lake City market was previously served by:
- Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the WHL (1969β74)
- Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the CHL (1974β84)
- Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the IHL (1984β94)
The franchise was replaced by:
- Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL (2005βpresent)
Affiliatesβ»
- New York Islanders (1995β98)
- Dallas Stars (2000β04)
- Phoenix Coyotes (2004β05)
Season-by-season resultsβ»
- Denver Grizzlies 1994β95 (International Hockey League)
- Utah Grizzlies 1995β2001 (International Hockey League)
- Utah Grizzlies 2001β05 (American Hockey League)
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | SOL | Pts | GF | GA | Standing | Year | Prelim | 1st round | 2nd round | 3rd round | Finals |
1994β95 | 81 | 57 | 18 | β | 6 | β | 120 | 339 | 235 | 1st, Southwest | 1995 | β | W, 3β0, MIN | W, 4β1, PHX | W, 4β1, MIL | W, 4β0, KC |
1995β96 | 82 | 49 | 29 | β | 4 | β | 102 | 291 | 232 | 2nd, Southwest | 1996 | β | W, 3β2, KC | W, 4β3, PEO | W, 4β2, LV | W, 4β0, ORL |
1996β97 | 82 | 43 | 33 | β | 6 | β | 92 | 259 | 254 | 3rd, Southwest | 1997 | β | W, 3β0, KC | L, 0β4, LB | β | β |
1997β98 | 82 | 47 | 27 | β | 8 | β | 102 | 276 | 234 | 3rd, Southwest | 1998 | β | L, 1β3, KC | β | β | β |
1998β99 | 82 | 39 | 34 | β | 9 | β | 87 | 244 | 254 | 3rd, Southwest | 1999 | β | Did not qualify | |||
1999β00 | 82 | 45 | 25 | β | 12 | β | 102 | 265 | 220 | 2nd, West | 2000 | β | BYE | L, 1β4, HOU | β | β |
2000β01 | 82 | 38 | 36 | β | 8 | β | 84 | 208 | 220 | 4th, West | 2001 | β | β | Did not qualify | ||
2001β02 | 80 | 40 | 29 | 6 | 5 | β | 91 | 240 | 225 | 3rd, West | 2002 | BYE | L, 2β3, HOU | β | β | β |
2002β03 | 80 | 37 | 34 | 4 | 5 | β | 83 | 227 | 243 | 5th, West | 2003 | L, 0β2, WBS | β | β | β | β |
2003β04 | 80 | 27 | 42 | 6 | 5 | β | 65 | 162 | 230 | 7th, West | 2004 | Did not qualify | ||||
2004β05 | 80 | 23 | 50 | 5 | 2 | β | 53 | 156 | 265 | 7th, West | 2005 | β | Did not qualify |
Team recordsβ»
Single seasonβ»
- Goals: 46
Kip Miller (1994β95)
- Assists: 60
Kip Miller (1994β95)
- Points: 106
Kip Miller (1994β95)
- Penalty minutes: 317
Mike MacWilliam (1995β96)
- GAA: 2.21
Rich Parent (1999β00)
- SV%: .928
Wade Flaherty (2001β02)
- Wins: 45
Tommy Salo (1994β95)
- Shutouts: 5
Mike Bales (2000β01)
- Goaltending records need a minimum 25 games played by the goaltender
Careerβ»
- Career goals: 111
Chris Taylor (1994β98)
- Career assists: 167
Chris Taylor
- Career points: 278
Chris Taylor
- Career penalty minutes: 694 John Erskine (2000β03)
- Career goaltending wins: 73
Tommy Salo (1994β96)
- Career shutouts: 7
Tommy Salo
- Career games: 440
Gord Dineen (1994β2000)
Referencesβ»
- ^ Turner, Tim (June 9, 1996). "ORLANDO OUSTED IN OT". Orlando Sentinel.
- ^ "Hockey League Team Takes The Ice At Quicken Loans Arena For The 2007-08 Season". Quicken Loans. May 22, 2006. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
External linksβ»
- Utah Grizzlies (1995β2005)
- Defunct ice hockey teams in Utah
- Ice hockey clubs established in 1995
- Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2005
- New York Islanders minor league affiliates
- Dallas Stars minor league affiliates
- Arizona Coyotes minor league affiliates
- 1995 establishments in Utah
- 2005 disestablishments in Utah