Huntsville Channel Cats

The Huntsville Channel Cats was a professional ice hockey team. based in Huntsville, Alabama, USA. The franchise was a member of several different leagues the SHL – Southern Hockey League (1995 - 1996), the CHL – Central Hockey League (1996 - 2000) and the SEHL – South East Hockey League (2003 - 2004). They played their home games at Von Braun Center Arena in downtown Huntsville.

The early years (1995 – 1999)
In 1995 two doctors in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, Dr. John Staley and Dr. John Minchey, created a new hockey franchise (Huntsville Channel Cats) in Huntsville, Alabama, to join the newly-expanded Southern Hockey League. The Channel Cats won the league's first and only championship, as the SHL folded later that year. The Channel Cats then joined the eastern division of the Central Hockey League for the 1996 - 1997 season. The Channel Cats remained with the CHL for five seasons winning the CHL championship (William Levins Trophy) in 1999.

New ownership (2000 – 2004)
Following the 1999 championship win the team was sold to a Boaz, Alabama, USA businessman, John Cherney. Mr. Cherney felt that the team had a bad name with the local busness comunity and changed the name of the team to the Huntsville Tornado along with the team colors to red and white. Many fans took offense to the new name that referenced a tornado that struck South Huntsville in 1989 killing 21 people. The new 2000 - 2001 seasons saw many fan favorites leave the team, and with a drop down in the standings resulted in a drop in attendance. Amid concerns over sharing arena space and weekend dates with the UAH Chargers hockey team and the new NBDL Huntsville Flight basketball team, as well as the CHL's desire to contract to more South-Central US markets, the team did not compete in the next two seasons. Mr. Cherney had also threatened to move the team to Madison, Alabama, a suburb of Huntsville, if he did not get the dates he wanted, but to no avail.

In 2002, Mr. Cherney became involved in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL), but in 2003 founded a new league named the South East Hockey League (SEHL). The SEHL was made mostly of teams from the now defunct ACHL. After the formation of the league, he asked the Huntsville Hockey community if he would re-establish a team in Huntsville what name they would like to see play, the Tornado or Channel Cats. The Public responded with the Channel Cats. The Channel Cats were revived for the 2003 - 2004 season and won the only SEHL league championship in the 4-team league.

The end of a dynasty
Following the 2003 - 2004 season, both the SEHL and World Hockey Association 2 (WHA2) fell into disarray. Keith Jeffries, president of HSV Sports, LLC and who's company had been contracted to run the Channel Cats front office during the 2003 - 2004 season (and currently also operates the local Tennessee Valley Vipers (AF2) Arena Football franchise) made a bid to have a new hockey team in the upstart Eastern Hockey League (later to be renamed the Southern Professional Hockey League before the league first season) be placed in Huntsville's Von Braun Center. The new league would join teams from the now-defunct WHA2 and soon to be defunt SEHL. The Von Braun Center choose to accept the new franchise over the Cats, bringing an end to the Channel Cats name. Other teams from the SEHL soon followed Huntsville's lead and joined the SPHL as well. The new franchise would be named the Huntsville Havoc, and would successfully carry on the legacy of pro hockey in Huntsville.

Team
(as of the end 2006 - 2007 season these records are tied with other teams or are still held by Huntsville)


 * Most Consecutive Wins in a Season (Tied with other teams in the CHL)
 * 12 1996 - 1997 Huntsville


 * Most Penalty Minutes (one team) in a Game (CHL)
 * 241: 11/05/1999 Huntsville


 * Most Penalty Minutes (both teams) in a Game (CHL)
 * 438: 11/05/1999 Fayetteville & Huntsville

Single-season

 * Goals: 65 Chris George (98-99)
 * Assists: 92 Jonathan DuBois (97-98)
 * Points: 129 Jonathan DuBois (97-98)
 * Penalty Minutes: 346 Mike Degurse (97-98)
 * GAA: 2.74 Matt Carmichael (03-04)
 * SV%: .922 Matt Carmichael (03-04)
 * Wins: 39 Derek Puppa (98/99)

Play-Offs

 * Wins: 11 Derek Puppa Huntsville (98/99)

Career

 * Career Goals: 234 Chris George
 * Career Assists: 323 Jonathan DuBois
 * Career Points: 453 Jonathan DuBois
 * Career Penalty Minutes: 1312 Mike Degurse
 * Career Goaltending Wins: 66 Matt Carmichael
 * Career Shutouts: 3 Brent Belecki
 * Career Games: 333 Chris George

Trivia

 * The trophy for the 1996 SHL championships was an old style metal milk can called “The Can”.


 * Won at least one championship in each league it was a member of.


 * After their SHL win in 1996 until the end of the 1999 – 2000 season, before each game Huntsville, Alabama was referred to as “the hockey capital of the south”.


 * The mascot of the Huntsville Channel cats (and Huntsville Tornado) was a channel catfish named Finley. She wore a Huntsville Hockey jersey, gloves, helmet and ice skates.


 * The Huntsville Channel Cats was featured on a Nationly televised No Opportunity Wasted (NOW). On that show United States Postal Service letter carrier Mike Orsini livied his deam of playing Pro hockey. The game was on Match 17, 2004 and in 29 mins of play as a goalie allowed only one goal and got the Win.  It was also the last regular season game played by a team named the Huntsville Channel Cats.

Other Huntsville, Alabama Professional Hockey Teams
The Huntsville Blast (ECHL) 1993 – 1994 The Huntsville Tornado (CHL) 2000 – 2001 The Huntsville Havoc (SPHL) 2004 – Present