Saginaw Spirit
Saginaw Spirit | |
---|---|
founding | 2002 |
history |
St. Catharines Falcons 1943–1947 St. Catharines Teepees 1947–1962 St. Catharines Black Hawks 1962–1976 Niagara Falls Flyers 1976–1982 North Bay Centennials 1982–2002 Saginaw Spirit since 2002 |
Stadion | The Dow Event Center |
Location | Saginaw , Michigan |
Team colors | midnight blue, red, silver & yellow |
league | Ontario Hockey League |
Conference | Western Conference |
division | West Division |
Head coach | Greg Gilbert |
General manager | Jim Paliafito |
Cooperations | Leamington Flyers |
Memorial Cups | no |
J. Ross Robertson Cups | no |
The Saginaw Spirit are an American junior ice hockey team from Saginaw , Michigan , which currently plays in the Ontario Hockey League , one of the three professional junior leagues in the Canadian Hockey League .
history
The team was formed in 2002 when the North Bay Centennials and their owner Dick Garber moved from the Canadian province of Ontario to Saginaw and started gaming there under their new name.
Today's franchise has its roots in St. Catharines , Ontario , where it played as Falcons , Teepees and Black Hawks from 1943 to 1976 . In 1954 and 1960 the team won the Memorial Cup , the Canadian junior championship. In 1976 , the St. Catharines Black Hawks moved to Niagara Falls , where they were on the ice as flyers until they moved to North Bay again .
Since the team has settled in Michigan , the club has done extensive advertising work, so that both the fan base and the number of season ticket holders has been greatly increased. Today, the Spirit have one of the highest averages in the Ontario Hockey League.
In the 2005/06 season, the franchise reached the OHL playoffs for the first time as Saginaw Spirit, from which, however, they were eliminated in the first round against the Guelph Storm .
Trainer
- 2002/03: - Dennis Desrosiers
- 2003/04: - Dennis Desrosiers / Moe Mantha
- 2004/05: - Doug Lidster / Bob Mancini
- 2005/06: - Bob Mancini
- 2006/07: - Bob Mancini
player
Awards
Players, the Saginaw Spirit, who received a league-wide award:
- 2003/2004: Patrick McNeill - Jack Ferguson Award - First draft pick in the OHL Priority Draft
-
2005/06:
- Ryan Daniels - FW "Dinty" Moore Trophy - Goalkeeping rookie with the best goals against
- Craig Goslin - OHL Executive of the Year
-
2006/07:
- Tom Pyatt - William Hanley Trophy - Most Athletic Player of the Year
- Craig Goslin - OHL Executive of the Year
First-round draft picks in the NHL Entry Draft
Surname | year | Draft position | team |
Matt Corrente | 2006 | 30th | New Jersey Devils |
NHL player
Since 2002, the Saginaw Spirit produced some players who later played games in the National Hockey League :
- Paul Bissonnette
- TJ Brodie
- Ben Chiarot
- Matt Corrente
- Filip Hronek
- Jamie Oleksiak
- Geoff Platt
- Dalton Prout
- Tom Pyatt
- Brandon Saad
- Chris Thorburn
- Vincent Trocheck
Results
Regular season
season | SP | S. | N | U / PN | OTN | P | T | GT | Placement division |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002/03 | 68 | 11 | 45 | 5 | 7th | 34 | 158 | 275 | 5th place west |
2003/04 | 68 | 16 | 45 | 3 | 4th | 39 | 161 | 228 | 5th place west |
2004/05 | 68 | 18th | 42 | 4th | 4th | 44 | 150 | 260 | 4th place west |
2005/06 | 68 | 36 | 30th | 0 | 2 | 74 | 242 | 246 | 2nd place west |
2006/07 | 68 | 44 | 21st | 3 | 0 | 91 | 291 | 217 | 2nd place west |
2007/08 | 68 | 33 | 25th | 2 | 8th | 76 | 234 | 231 | 4th place west |
2008/09 | 68 | 36 | 24 | 4th | 4th | 80 | 235 | 219 | 2nd place west |
2009/10 | 68 | 34 | 27 | 3 | 4th | 75 | 240 | 230 | 4th place west |
2010/11 | 68 | 40 | 22nd | 2 | 4th | 86 | 243 | 207 | 1st place west |
2011/12 | 68 | 33 | 27 | 7th | 1 | 74 | 259 | 259 | 3rd place west |
2012/13 | 68 | 32 | 29 | 3 | 4th | 71 | 250 | 264 | 4th place west |
2013/14 | 68 | 33 | 30th | 1 | 4th | 71 | 254 | 248 | 3rd place west |
Playoffs
- 2002-03 did not qualify
- 2003-04 did not qualify
- 2004–05 did not qualify
- 2005-06 0-4 against the Guelph Storm in the Conference quarterfinals
- 2006–07 2-4 against Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the conference quarterfinals
- 2007-08 0-4 against Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the conference quarterfinals
- 2008-09 0-4 against the London Knights in the Conference semifinals
- 2009-10 2-4 against the Kitchener Rangers in the Conference quarterfinals
-
2010-11 4-2 against the Guelph Storm in the Conference quarterfinals
2-4 against the Windsor Spitfires in the Conference semifinals -
2011-12 4-2 against the Sarnia Sting in the Conference quarterfinals
2-4 against the London Knights in the Conference semifinals - 2012–13 0-4 against the London Knights in the Conference quarter-finals
- 2013-14 1-4 against the Erie Otters in the Conference quarter-finals
arena
The Spirit plays its home games in the 5,527-seat Wendler Arena , which is part of The Dow Event Center complex in downtown Saginaw. On January 31, 2007 , the OHL All-Star Classic also took place in the arena. It was the first time that the league's All-Star Game was played in a US city. Previously, the stadium with an ice surface of 58.5 mx 26 m was home to the Saginaw Gears, Saginaw Generals, Saginaw Hawks, Saginaw Wheels and Saginaw Lumber Kings.
Web links
- Official of the club website (English)
- Official homepage of the Ontario Hockey League (English)