Utah Grizzlies (1995–2005) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Utah Grizzlies |
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| City | Denver, Colorado Salt Lake City, Utah West Valley City, Utah |
| League | IHL (1994–2001) AHL (2001–2005) |
| Founded | 1994 (In the IHL) |
| Operated | 1994–1995 as the Denver Grizzlies 1995–2005 as the Utah Grizzlies |
| Home arena | McNichols Sports Arena (1994–1995) Delta Center (1995–1997) E Center (1997–2005) |
| Colors | Maroon and White |
| Affiliates | New York Islanders (1994-98) Dallas Stars (2000–04) Phoenix Coyotes (2004–05) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1994–1995 | Denver Grizzlies |
| 1995–2005 | Utah Grizzlies |
| 2007–2016 | Lake Erie Monsters |
| 2016–present | Cleveland Monsters |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 1 (1994–95) |
| Division Championships | 1 (1994–95) |
| Turner Cups | 2 (1994–95, 1995–96) |
The Utah Grizzlies were a professional ice hockey team. They played in the International Hockey League (IHL) and later the American Hockey League (AHL). The team first played at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. In 1997, they moved to the E Center in West Valley City. After the 2004–05 season, the team stopped playing. It was sold in 2006 and moved to Cleveland. There, it became the Lake Erie Monsters in 2007. A new team called the Utah Grizzlies started playing in the ECHL in 2005.
Contents
Team History: From Denver to Utah
The original Utah Grizzlies team moved to Utah in 1995. Before that, they played for one season in Denver, Colorado. They were called the Denver Grizzlies. This move happened because the NHL team, the Quebec Nordiques, moved to Denver. They became the Colorado Avalanche.
Joining the AHL
The Grizzlies joined the AHL in 2001. This happened after their first league, the IHL, stopped operating. The team played its home games at the Delta Center. A few seasons after they arrived in Salt Lake, the E Center was built. The Grizzlies then moved to the E Center.
Winning the Turner Cup
While in Denver, the Grizzlies won the Turner Cup in the 1994–95 season. This was the championship trophy for the IHL. After moving to Salt Lake City, the Utah Grizzlies won the Turner Cup again. They swept the Orlando Solar Bears in four games. This win happened in the 1995–96 IHL playoffs.
The final game of that series was played at the Delta Center. A huge crowd of 17,381 fans watched the game. At that time, this was a national record for the most people at a minor league ice hockey game.
Team Changes and New Beginnings
The franchise took a break for the 2005–06 season. On May 16, 2006, the team was sold. A group from Cleveland bought it. This group was led by Dan Gilbert. He also owns the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team. The team then moved to Cleveland. It started playing again in 2007 as the Lake Erie Monsters.
After the IHL/AHL Grizzlies stopped playing, a new group bought the "Utah Grizzlies" name. They started a new team with the same name in the ECHL. This new team began playing in the 2005–06 season.
Team Affiliates
Hockey teams often have "affiliates." These are smaller teams that work with bigger NHL teams. Players can move between the affiliate team and the NHL team. The Utah Grizzlies were affiliated with these NHL teams:
- New York Islanders (1995–98)
- Dallas Stars (2000–04)
- Phoenix Coyotes (2004–05)
Season-by-Season Results
Here's how the Utah Grizzlies performed each season:
- Denver Grizzlies 1994–95 (International Hockey League)
- Utah Grizzlies 1995–2001 (International Hockey League)
- Utah Grizzlies 2001–05 (American Hockey League)
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | SOL | Pts | GF | GA | Standing | Year | Prelim | 1st round | 2nd round | 3rd round | Finals |
| 1994–95 | 81 | 57 | 18 | — | 6 | — | 120 | 339 | 235 | 1st, Southwest | 1995 | — | W, 3–0, MIN | W, 4–1, PHX | W, 4–1, MIL | W, 4–0, KC |
| 1995–96 | 82 | 49 | 29 | — | 4 | — | 102 | 291 | 232 | 2nd, Southwest | 1996 | — | W, 3–2, KC | W, 4–3, PEO | W, 4–2, LV | W, 4–0, ORL |
| 1996–97 | 82 | 43 | 33 | — | 6 | — | 92 | 259 | 254 | 3rd, Southwest | 1997 | — | W, 3–0, KC | L, 0–4, LB | — | — |
| 1997–98 | 82 | 47 | 27 | — | 8 | — | 102 | 276 | 234 | 3rd, Southwest | 1998 | — | L, 1–3, KC | — | — | — |
| 1998–99 | 82 | 39 | 34 | — | 9 | — | 87 | 244 | 254 | 3rd, Southwest | 1999 | — | Did not qualify | |||
| 1999–00 | 82 | 45 | 25 | — | 12 | — | 102 | 265 | 220 | 2nd, West | 2000 | — | BYE | L, 1–4, HOU | — | — |
| 2000–01 | 82 | 38 | 36 | — | 8 | — | 84 | 208 | 220 | 4th, West | 2001 | — | — | Did not qualify | ||
| 2001–02 | 80 | 40 | 29 | 6 | 5 | — | 91 | 240 | 225 | 3rd, West | 2002 | BYE | L, 2–3, HOU | — | — | — |
| 2002–03 | 80 | 37 | 34 | 4 | 5 | — | 83 | 227 | 243 | 5th, West | 2003 | L, 0–2, WBS | — | — | — | — |
| 2003–04 | 80 | 27 | 42 | 6 | 5 | — | 65 | 162 | 230 | 7th, West | 2004 | Did not qualify | ||||
| 2004–05 | 80 | 23 | 50 | 5 | 2 | — | 53 | 156 | 265 | 7th, West | 2005 | — | Did not qualify | |||
Team Records: Top Players
These are some of the best performances by Utah Grizzlies players.
Single Season Records
- Most Goals: 46 by
Kip Miller (1994–95) - Most Assists: 60 by Kip Miller (1994–95)
- Most Points: 106 by Kip Miller (1994–95)
- Most Penalty Minutes: 317 by
Mike MacWilliam (1995–96) - Best Goals Against Average (GAA): 2.21 by Rich Parent (1999–00)
- Best Save Percentage (SV%): .928 by Wade Flaherty (2001–02)
- Most Wins (Goaltender): 45 by
Tommy Salo (1994–95) - Most Shutouts: 5 by Mike Bales (2000–01)
Note: Goaltending records require a minimum of 25 games played by the goalie.
Career Records
- Career Goals: 111 by Chris Taylor (1994–98)
- Career Assists: 167 by Chris Taylor
- Career Points: 278 by Chris Taylor
- Career Penalty Minutes: 694 by John Erskine (2000–03)
- Career Goaltending Wins: 73 by Tommy Salo (1994–96)
- Career Shutouts: 7 by Tommy Salo
- Career Games Played: 440 by Gord Dineen (1994–2000)
