Tallahassee Tiger Sharks
| Tallahassee Tiger Sharks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Tallahassee, Florida |
| League | ECHL |
| Founded | 1981 (In the CHL) |
| Operated | 1994–2001 |
| Home arena | Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center |
| Head coach |
Terry Christensen (1994-1998, 1999-2000) Jeff Brubaker (1998-1999) Gerry Fleming (2000-2001) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1981–1983 | Nashville South Stars |
| 1983–1990 | Virginia Lancers |
| 1990–1992 | Roanoke Valley Rebels |
| 1992–1993 | Roanoke Valley Rampage |
| 1993–1994 | Huntsville Blast |
| 1994–2001 | Tallahassee Tiger Sharks |
| 2001–2002 | Macon Whoopee |
| 2002–2003 | Lexington Men O' War |
| 2005–present | Utah Grizzlies |
The Tallahassee Tiger Sharks were a minor professional ice hockey team that played in the ECHL from 1994 to 2001. Under this period they served as a minor league affiliate to New York Islanders (1994–95), Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens.
While in Tallahassee, they played their games at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center. Several local attempts have been made by local residents to revive or bring a new ice hockey team to Tallahassee; none have proved to be successful.
Previous ECHL franchise identities included:
- Virginia Lancers (1988–1990)
- Roanoke Valley Rebels (1990–1992)
- Roanoke Valley Rampage (1992–1993)
- Huntsville Blast (1993–1994)
The franchise became the Macon Whoopee for the 2001–02 season. Afterwards it became the Lexington Men O' War and since 2005 has been the Utah Grizzlies.
The Tiger Sharks' first colors were black and gray. White was used as an accent color, but is also considered to be an official color. At the start of the 1998-99 ECHL season, the colors then changed to red, white, and black.
Famed hockey coach Terry Christensen coached the Tiger Sharks for five of the team's first six seasons and was also the team's owner.[1] Jeff Brubaker, a former NHL enforcer who won the ECHL's Riley Cup as the coach of the Greensboro Monarchs, coached the team during the 1998-99 season while Christensen left the organization to join the Miami Matadors. Gerry Fleming, a former enforcer who spent ten years with the Fredericton Canadiens as both a player and as an assistant coach, coached the Tiger Sharks in their final season.
Notable former Tiger Sharks
- Louis Bedard
- Brent Cullaton
- Nicholas Edlund
- Mitch Fritz
- Ben Guite
- Rodrigo Lavinsch
- Todd Reirden
- Manon Rhéaume
- Michael Ryder
- Alexander Savchenkov
- Aleksandr Smirnov
- Darren Schwartz
- Mark Richards
- Cal Ingraham
- Jim Paradise
- Mark Streit
Playoffs
- 1994–95: Defeated Hampton Roads 3-1 in first round; defeated Birmingham 3-1 in quarterfinals; lost to Richmond 3-2 in semifinals.
- 1995–96: Defeated Raleigh 3-1 in first round; defeated Richmond 3-1 in quarterfinals; lost to Charlotte 3-1 in semifinals.
- 1996–97: Lost to Pensacola 3-0 in first round.
- 1997–98: Did not qualify.
- 1998–99: Did not qualify.
- 1999–00: Did not qualify.
- 2000–01: Did not qualify.
Mascot
The Tiger Sharks' mascot was an ice-skating 6-foot-tall (1.8 m) gray tiger shark named Frenzy. Frenzy was immensely popular among Tiger Sharks fans (and Tallahassee natives in general). The following website has some light-hearted "biographical" info on Frenzy:
References
- ↑ Staff writer (April 23, 1998). "Pierson named Lynx assistant general manager". augusta.com. Retrieved December 3, 2011.