| St. John's IceCaps | |
 | |
| City: | St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador |
|---|---|
| League: | American Hockey League |
| Conference: | Eastern Conference |
| Division: | Atlantic Division |
| Founded: | 2011 |
| Home Arena: | Mile One Centre |
| Colors: | White, Polar Night Blue, Aviator Blue, Silver
|
| Owner(s): |  True North Sports and Entertainment
|
| General Manager: | Craig Heisinger |
| Head Coach: | Keith McCambridge |
| Captain: | Jason Jaffray |
| Affiliates: | Winnipeg Jets (NHL) Colorado Eagles (ECHL) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1994–1996 IHL: | Minnesota Moose |
| 1996–2001: | Manitoba Moose |
| 2001–2011 AHL: | Manitoba Moose |
| 2011-present: | St. John's IceCaps |
The St. John's IceCaps are a minor league professional ice hockey team based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL) and are the AHL affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL).
From 1996 to 2011, the team was known as the Manitoba Moose and played in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, but with the purchase and relocation of the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg by parent company True North Sports and Entertainment, the team has been leased to Danny Williams and relocated to St. John's, returning the AHL to Atlantic Canada after a six-year absence.[1][2][3]
Franchise history
The franchise began life in 1994 as the Minnesota Moose of the International Hockey League. The team played two seasons in St. Paul, Minnesota before relocating to Winnipeg in 1996 following the departure of the original Winnipeg Jets to Phoenix, Arizona. The renamed Manitoba Moose continued in the IHL until the league folded in 2001, at which time they joined the AHL and became the official farm team of the Vancouver Canucks. During their 15-year run in Winnipeg, the Moose made it to the Calder Cup Finals once, in 2009. They squared off against the Hershey Bears but lost the best-of-seven series 4-2.
In May 2011, multiple reports had confirmed that there was a deal in place between True North Sports and Entertainment and the owners of the Atlanta Thrashers to relocate the Thrashers to Winnipeg for the 2011-12 NHL season.[4] At the same time. there were reports that former Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams had a deal in place that would see the Manitoba Moose relocate to St. John's for the 2011-2012 American Hockey League season.[5] On June 2, 2011, Williams announced that he had tentative deals in place with the City of St. John's and True North to relocate the Moose to St. John's; the following day City Council approved the deal.[6][7] On June 10, the AHL Board of Governors unanimously approved the franchise's relocation to St. John's.[3] Later that day, Williams and Craig Heisinger, of True North Sports and Entertainment, held an event at Mile One Centre officially announcing the relocation of the Manitoba Moose to St. John's.[8]
Coincidentally, the nearby community of Conception Bay South had been awarded the Kraft Hockeyville exhibition game for 2011, which would have featured the Atlanta Thrashers facing the Ottawa Senators. Because of the proximity of St. John's and Conception Bay South, as well as St. John's receiving the former Thrashers' farm team, the game between the Senators and the team that since has become the Jets was relocated to the Mile One Centre,[9] making it the first IceCaps-related game since the announcement of the relocation. The de facto home Jets defeated the Senators, 3–1.
IceCaps games are expected to be broadcast on CJYQ.[10]
Name
Following the announcement of the team's relocation to St. John's, Williams stated that while he would prefer to hold a fan contest to name the team there was not enough time before the season started and that the team's advisory committee would decide the name.[11] He immediately ruled out retaining the "Moose" moniker, which the team had in Minnesota and Manitoba. Williams cited vehicular accidents in Newfoundland and Labrador involving the animal as one of the reasons behind not retaining the name.[12] In June, several media outlets started reporting that the team would be known as the St. John's IceCaps, this after St. John's IceCaps Inc. was registered with Newfoundland and Labrador's registry of deeds and companies.[13] On July 29, 2011, the official announcement was made that the team would be known as the St. John's IceCaps.[11]
Current roster
Template:St. John's IceCaps roster
References
- ↑ "Moose moniker to crash on the Rock", 2011-06-04. Retrieved on 2011-06-07.
- ↑ "Strictly a landlord with AHL team: St. John's", 2011-06-03. Retrieved on 2011-06-07.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "AHL returning to St. John's", American Hockey League, 2011-06-10. Retrieved on 2011-06-07.
- ↑ McGran, Kevin (2011-05-28). After Winnipeg, where does NHL go next?. Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved on 2011-05-31.
- ↑ "Williams behind new AHL team for St. John’s", 2011-05-21. Retrieved on 2011-06-08.
- ↑ "AHL team closer to coming to St. John's", 2011-06-01. Retrieved on 2011-06-10.
- ↑ "Strictly a landlord with AHL team: St. John's", 2011-06-03. Retrieved on 2011-06-10.
- ↑ "Pro hockey returning to St. John's", 2011-06-10. Retrieved on 2011-06-10.
- ↑ NHL set to play preseason games all over world. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
- ↑ IceCaps will be seen and heard this season. The Telegram. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "IceCaps usher in new wave of hockey to St. John's", 29 July 2011. Retrieved on 30 July 2011.
- ↑ "Moose To Lose Name In St. John's Due To Animal's Deadly Past", 10 June 2011. Retrieved on 30 July 2011.
- ↑ "St. John's Ice Caps, anyone?", 29 June 2011. Retrieved on 30 July 2011.
External links
- http://www.stjohnsicecaps.com/ Official Website
| St. John's IceCaps | |
|---|---|
| Formerly the Manitoba Moose • Based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador | |
| St. John's IceCaps | Franchise • Manitoba Moose • Players • Coaches • General managers • President • Seasons |
| Owners | True North Sports & Entertainment |
| Arenas | Mile One Centre |
| Affiliates | Winnipeg Jets (NHL) • Colorado Eagles (ECHL) |
| This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at St. John's IceCaps. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA). |