Cincinnati Cyclones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cincinnati Cyclones |
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| City | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| League | ECHL |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | Central |
| Founded | 1995 (Current ECHL franchise) 1992 (IHL franchise) 1990 (First ECHL franchise) |
| Home arena | Heritage Bank Center |
| Colors | Red, black, gray, white |
| Owner(s) | Nederlander Entertainment |
| General manager | Kristin Ropp |
| Head coach | Jason Payne |
| Media | Andrew Mossbrooks |
| Affiliates | Buffalo Sabres (NHL) Rochester Americans (AHL) |
| Franchise history | |
| First ECHL franchise | |
| 1990–1992 | Cincinnati Cyclones |
| 1992–2001 | Birmingham Bulls |
| 2001–2005 | Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies |
| 2005–2015 | Stockton Thunder |
| 2015–present | Adirondack Thunder |
| IHL franchise | |
| 1992–2001 | Cincinnati Cyclones |
| Current ECHL franchise | |
| 1995–1998 | Louisville RiverFrogs |
| 1998–1999 | Miami Matadors |
| 2001–present | Cincinnati Cyclones |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 2 (2007–08, 2018–19) |
| Division Championships | 5 (1995–96, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2012–13, 2018–19) |
| Conference Championships | 3 (2007–08, 2009–10, 2013–14) |
| Kelly Cups | 2 (2007–08, 2009–10) |
The Cincinnati Cyclones are a professional ice hockey team from Cincinnati, Ohio. They are part of the ECHL, which is a minor league for hockey players. The team first started in 1990.
The Cyclones used to play at the Cincinnati Gardens. Now, their home arena is the Heritage Bank Center. They are connected to bigger hockey teams: the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL and the Rochester Americans in the AHL. This means players can move between these teams.
Cincinnati has had Cyclones teams in two different leagues over the years. They played in the International Hockey League (from 1992 to 2001) and the ECHL (from 1990 to 1992, and again from 2001 to 2004, and from 2006 until today).
Overall, the Cyclones have won two Kelly Cup championships (in 2008 and 2010). They also have three conference championships (2008, 2010, 2014). They won two overall points championships (2008, 2019) and five division championships (1996, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2019). The 2007–08 season was their best, with 55 wins and 115 points. They won their first conference and league championships that year.
Contents
Team History
There have been three different teams called the Cincinnati Cyclones. Two of these teams played in the ECHL, and one played in the IHL.
Early ECHL Years: 1990–1992
The very first Cincinnati Cyclones team began in 1990. They played their games at the Cincinnati Gardens. In their first season (1990–91), they lost in the first round of the playoffs. The next season (1991–92), they made it to the semifinals but lost there.
The owner of this team, Doug Kirchhofer, decided to start a new team in the International Hockey League. He moved the Cyclones name to this new IHL team. He then sold the ECHL team to another owner, who moved it to Birmingham, Alabama, and it became the Birmingham Bulls.
The IHL Years: 1992–2001
The Cyclones' first season in the IHL (1992–93) was one of only two seasons they didn't make the playoffs. Paul Lawless joined the team that year. He later became a coach and had his jersey number retired because he was so important to the team's success.
During their time in the IHL, the Cyclones had eight seasons in a row where they earned more than 90 points. This streak ended when the International Hockey League closed down in 2001. In the 1995–96 season, they won their only division and conference championships in the IHL. However, they lost in the semifinals to the Orlando Solar Bears.
In 1997, the Cyclones moved from the Cincinnati Gardens. The team's owner bought and renovated another arena downtown, which is now known as the Heritage Bank Center.
Return to the ECHL: 2001–2004
The third Cyclones team actually started in 1995 as the Louisville RiverFrogs in Louisville, Kentucky. After three years, the team moved to Miami and became the Miami Matadors. After one season in Florida, the team was bought by a group in Birmingham, Alabama.
When the IHL closed, the Cyclones name was sold to this group. They moved the team to Cincinnati, and it became the new Cincinnati Cyclones.
In their first year back in the ECHL, the Cyclones didn't reach 90 points, ending their long streak. Former Cyclones player Paul Lawless became the head coach during this season. Before the 2003–04 season, another former player, Chris Cichocki, became head coach. However, the team had its worst season ever, with only 54 points, and missed the playoffs.
In April 2004, the Cyclones stopped playing for a while. This was mainly because they weren't making enough money. Also, construction in downtown Cincinnati made it hard for fans to get to the arena. This left Cincinnati without a minor league hockey team for a year.
Resumed Play: 2006–Present
On April 21, 2006, the Cyclones announced they would start playing again in the 2006–07 ECHL season. They returned to play at U.S. Bank Arena (now Heritage Bank Center). They also partnered with the Montreal Canadiens (NHL) and the Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL).
The Cyclones won their first game back on October 20, 2006, beating the Pensacola Ice Pilots 3–1. Their coach, Chuck Weber, was a finalist for the ECHL's Coach of the Year award.
In 2007, the Cyclones also partnered with the Nashville Predators (NHL) and the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL). The 2007–08 season was amazing for the Cyclones. They broke many team and league records. On February 22, 2008, they tied the ECHL record with 14 wins in a row. The next day, they set a new record with 15 wins in a row!
The team finished the regular season with 115 points, winning the Brabham Cup for the best regular season record. Coach Chuck Weber won the ECHL Coach of the Year award. Player David Desharnais won three awards: Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, and Leading Scorer with 106 points.
In the playoffs, the Cyclones swept the Johnstown Chiefs (4-0). They then beat the Reading Royals in seven games. Next, they defeated the South Carolina Stingrays in five games to win the American Conference Championship.
Finally, the Cyclones faced the Las Vegas Wranglers in the Kelly Cup Finals. They won the championship in six games, clinching their first title in team history! The last game was played in Cincinnati in front of a record crowd of 12,722 fans. Goalie Cedrick Desjardins was named the Kelly Cup Playoff MVP.
After this big win, Coach Chuck Weber and assistant coach Dean Stork signed extensions. Weber was also made vice president.
The 2008–09 season was still good, with 41 wins. They won their division again. They won two playoff series but were swept by the South Carolina Stingrays in the conference finals.
The 2009–10 season was even better, with 44 wins. They beat the South Carolina Stingrays in the first round. Then they defeated the Charlotte Checkers in a tough seven-game series.
In the American Conference Final, the Cyclones played the Reading Royals. Cincinnati made history by coming back from being down 3-0 in the series to win it 4-3! This was only the sixth time in professional hockey history a team had done that.
The Cyclones then defeated the Idaho Steelheads in the 2010 Kelly Cup Final, winning four games to one. They won their second Kelly Cup title in just three years! Rookie goalies Robert Mayer and Jeremy Smith shared the Kelly Cup playoffs MVP award.
Before the 2010–11 season, the Cyclones had many coaching changes. Despite this, they made the playoffs but lost in the first round. The 2011–12 season was not as successful, and they missed the playoffs.
The Cyclones bounced back in the 2012–13 season. They won their division championship and finished second in their conference. Coach Jarrod Skalde won Coach of the Year. They won two playoff series but lost in the conference final.
In 2013–14, under new coach Ben Simon, the Cyclones had another strong season. They made it to their third Kelly Cup Finals but lost to the Alaska Aces. Even though they lost, Cincinnati goaltender Rob Madore was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2014 Kelly Cup playoffs. He was the first player from a losing team to win this award in ECHL history.
After the 2014–15 season, Matt Macdonald became the head coach. In 2016, the Cyclones had their first-ever sellout crowd at US Bank Arena, with 16,529 fans! This was a record for a professional hockey game at the arena.
Before the 2017–18 season, the Cyclones changed their NHL and AHL partners. They are now affiliated with the Buffalo Sabres and Rochester Americans.
In the 2018–19 season, Matt Thomas became the new head coach. He led the team to win the regular season title and their second Brabham Cup. He also won the Coach of the Year award. However, the team lost in the division finals.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cyclones did not play in the 2020–21 ECHL season. Before the 2021–22 season, Jason Payne became the new head coach.
Team Uniforms
The Cincinnati Cyclones introduced their mascot, Twister, in 1995. For many years, Twister was a main part of their jersey designs.
However, before the 2014–15 season, the team completely changed their uniforms and colors. Twister was removed from the jerseys, and the color yellow was no longer used. The red color was changed from a dark maroon to a brighter red.
The new logo shows a twister, or cyclone, in the middle of a "C" for Cincinnati. The jersey styles also changed from classic hockey looks to more modern designs. The home, away, and alternate jerseys all have red shoulders and red stripes on the arms. The home jerseys are white with red trim, the away jerseys are black with red trim, and the alternate jerseys are gray with black trim. All three jerseys look similar, just with different main colors.
Famous Players
Over the years, many talented players have been part of the Cincinnati Cyclones. Here are a few notable ones:
- Greg Stewart played for the Cyclones in 2006–07. He was the first player coached by Chuck Weber to reach the NHL.
- Kevin Kerr is one of the top scorers for non-NHL players. He played three seasons with Cincinnati, scoring 145 points.
- Gilbert Dionne scored 134 goals for the team and won an MVP award in an IHL All-Star Game.
- Don Biggs was a key player for many years. He played 458 games for Cincinnati, scoring 147 goals and 444 points, which are team records.
- Cedrick Desjardins was the MVP of the 2008 Kelly Cup Playoffs.
- J.T. Wyman played briefly for the Cyclones and later reached the NHL with Montreal.
- David Desharnais played in the 2007–08 season and was the ECHL Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year with 106 points. He also won the Kelly Cup with the team and later played in the NHL.
- Byron Froese played for the Cyclones from 2013 to 2015. He later played for several NHL teams, including the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- Coach Ron Smith was the head coach from 1995 to 2001. He holds the team record for most wins by a coach, with 266 victories.
Retired Numbers
The Cincinnati Cyclones have honored several important people and groups by retiring their jersey numbers:
- 7 – The Seventh Man (representing the fans)
- 13 – Paul Lawless (retired on April 2, 1999)
- 21 – Gilbert Dionne (retired on December 2, 2006)
- 22 – Don Biggs
- 14 – Pete Rose (This was an honorary retirement by the Cyclones.)
