Erie Panthers
The Erie Panthers were a professional ice hockey team, and one of the founding members in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). Based in Erie, Pennsylvania, from 1988 to 1996, they were one of the most prolific teams in the ECHL. The Panthers were known for their ability to score goals quickly and often, as well as for the over-aggressive style of play that led to an abundance of fights. They currently hold records in 15 different categories in the ECHL and are in the top five of 38 different categories.
Erie Panthers | |
---|---|
City | Erie, Pennsylvania |
League | East Coast Hockey League |
Conference | East/West/North |
Founded | 1988 |
Home arena | Louis J. Tullio Arena |
Colors | Black, grey, white |
Owner(s) | Henry Brabham |
General manager | Ron Hansis |
Head coach | Ron Hansis (1988β95) Barry Smith (1995β96) |
Affiliate(s) | New York Islanders (1989β90), Buffalo Sabres (1992β94) |
Franchise history | |
1988β1996 | Erie Panthers |
1996β2003 | Baton Rouge Kingfish |
2004β2011 | Victoria Salmon Kings |
History
The Panthers were created by Henry Brabham,[1] who was also an intricate part of the creation of the ECHL itself. Erie was chosen as a location due to the success of the former Erie Golden Blades. The Panthers enjoyed success earlier on in their existence with five straight playoff appearances. Though never winning the league championship, the team was named the regular season champs for the 1989β90 season. The next three years would bring about the end of the Panthers franchise with three straight losing seasons.
In 1996, the team would be moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and renamed the Baton Rouge Kingfish. There the team's struggles continued, making the playoffs in only one of seven seasons in Baton Rouge. In 2004, the franchise again relocated, this time moving 4,400 miles northwest to Victoria, British Columbia. The franchise continued operation there as the Victoria Salmon Kings, garnering a Division Championship in the 2007β08 season.[2]
The franchise finally ceased operations following the 2010β11 ECHL season, making way for the WHL's Victoria Royals.[3] This marked the end of a 23-year franchise run, the longest in the league behind the Wheeling Nailers (Carolina Thunderbirds) and the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (Johnstown Chiefs), both of which continue to operate.
Jersey and Logos
The Panthers' jerseys were black, white, and grey. The Home jersey had a white background, while the away jersey had a black background. The original logo was that of a grey panther and a hockey stick. During the 1991β92 season, the use of an alternate logo was added. This logo was the face of a growling panther in dark blue. The 1994β95 season saw the last logo change for the Panthers. This logo was a caricature of a panther, under the word "Erie". Also used during the 1994β95 season was a "20th Anniversary of Hockey in Erie" patch.
The Erie Insurance Arena
The home of the Erie Panthers was the newly constructed Civic Center, now known as the Erie Insurance Arena, located in downtown Erie, Pennsylvania. The five-year-old arena held roughly 5,500 fans and served as one of the loudest places to play in the ECHL for eight years. Despite being a fairly new building, the Tullio Arena lacked a proper sound dampening system with the playing surface being surrounded on all sides by uncovered concrete walls. This design allowed the already loud noise of the crowd to be amplified throughout the building.
Coaches
1989β95:
Head coach: Ron Hansis
Asst. Coach: Barry Smith
1995β96:
Head coach: Barry Smith
Players
Over the course of the eight seasons in Erie, 225 players suited up for the Panthers,[4] with sixty-eight of those having already been drafted in the NHL Entry Draft or NHL Supplemental Draft. Only three players have played in the NHL after playing for the Panthers.
Former players typically took one of two paths after leaving the team. They either played out their career in European hockey leagues, or joined the Roller Hockey International league.
NHL alumni
Player | Teams | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | W | L | T | GAA | SV% |
Peter Skudra | PIT, BUF, BOS, VAN | 147 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 54 | 47 | 20 | 2.73 | .900 |
Barry Potomski | LAK | 68 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 277 | - | - | - | - | - |
Bill McDougall | DET, EDM, TBL | 28 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 12 | - | - | - | - | - |
Individual Awards
1989 Coach of the Year: Ron Hansis
1989 MVP Award: Daryl Harpe
1989 Leading Scorer: Daryl Harpe
1989 Defenseman of the Year: Kelly Szauter
1990 MVP Award: Bill McDougall
1990 Rookie of the Year: Bill McDougall
1990 Leading Scorer: Bill McDougall
1995 Rookie of the Year: Kevin McKinnon
1995 Leading Scorer: Scott Burfoot
Season by season results
Season | Conf. | GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Pct | GF | GA | PIM | Playoffs |
1988β89 | None | 60 | 37 | 20 | 0 | 3 | 77 | 0.642 | 327 | 256 | 1944 | Lost in 1st round |
1989β90 | None | 60 | 38 | 16 | 0 | 6 | 82 | 0.683 | 357 | 251 | 1813 | Lost in 2nd round |
1990β91 | East | 64 | 31 | 30 | 0 | 3 | 65 | 0.508 | 302 | 302 | 1845 | Lost in 1st round |
1991β92 | West | 64 | 33 | 27 | 0 | 4 | 70 | 0.547 | 284 | 309 | 1662 | Lost in 1st round |
1992β93 | West | 64 | 35 | 25 | 0 | 4 | 74 | 0.578 | 305 | 307 | 2012 | Lost in 2nd round |
1993β94 | North | 68 | 27 | 36 | 0 | 5 | 59 | 0.434 | 264 | 334 | 2052 | Did not qualify |
1994β95 | North | 68 | 18 | 46 | 0 | 4 | 40 | 0.294 | 256 | 356 | 2092 | Did not qualify |
1995β96 | North | 70 | 25 | 40 | 0 | 5 | 55 | 0.393 | 227 | 293 | 2433 | Did not qualify |
Playoffs
- 1988β89: Lost to Carolina 4-0 in semifinals.
- 1989β90: Defeated Hampton Roads 3-2 in quarterfinals; lost to Greensboro 2-0 in semifinals.
- 1990β91: Lost to Johnstown 3-2 in quarterfinals.
- 1991β92: Lost to Johnstown 3-1 in first round.
- 1992β93: Defeated Greensboro 1-0 in first round; lost to Toledo 3-1 in quarterfinals.
Championships
1988β89 Henry Brabham Cup (Regular season points champions)
Team records
Team Records for a single season | ||
Statistic | Total | Season |
---|---|---|
Most points | 82 | 1989β90 |
Most wins | 38 | 1989β90 |
Most goals for | 357 | 1989β90 |
Fewest goals for | 227 | 1995β96 |
Fewest goals against | 251 | 1989β90 |
Most goals against | 356 | 1994β95 |
Longest win streak | 12 | 1989β90 |
Most power-play goals | 108 | 1992β93 |
Individual player records for a single season | |||
Statistic | Player | Total | Season |
---|---|---|---|
Most Goals | Bill McDougall | 80 | 1989β90 |
Most Assists | Daryl Harpe | 84 | 1989β90 |
Most Points | Bill McDougall | 148 | 1989β90 |
Most Points, rookie | Kevin McKinnon | 85 | 1994β95 |
Most Points, defenceman | Ryan Kummu | 76 | 1991β92 |
Most Penalty Minutes | Greg Spenrath | 344 | 1992β93 |
Best GAA (Goalie) | Craig Barnett | 3.93 | 1989β90 |
Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played |
Top 10 points leaders in Panthers history | |||
Player | Total | Seasons (#) | |
---|---|---|---|
Peter Buckeridge | 275 | 1989β93 (4) | |
Daryl Harpe | 194 | 1988β90 (2) | |
Ed Zawatsky | 189 | 1990β93 (3) | |
Ryan Kummu | 185 | 1989β92 (3) | |
Doug Stromback | 178 | 1988β91 (3) | |
Grant Ottenbreit | 171 | 1988β91 (3) | |
Bill McDougall | 148 | 1989β90 (1) | |
Glen Goodall | 126 | 1991β93 (2) | |
Stephane Charbonneau | 121 | 1993β95 (2) | |
Bill Gall | 117 | 1991β93 (2) |
Top 10 penalty leaders in Panthers history | |||
Player | Total | Seasons (#) | |
---|---|---|---|
Grant Ottenbreit | 845 | 1988β91 (3) | |
Greg Spenrath | 751 | 1990β93 (2) | |
Cam Brown | 698 | 1992β96 (3) | |
Ryan Kummu | 495 | 1989β92 (3) | |
Brad Harrison | 450 | 1994β96 (2) | |
Steve Wienke | 364 | 1988β92 (3) | |
Jim Lessard | 307 | 1992β94 (2) | |
Daryl Harpe | 304 | 1988β90 (2) | |
Rob McDougall | 301 | 1988β91 (3) | |
Dan O'Rourke | 296 | 1993β94 (1) |
League Records
The Erie Panthers are ranked in the Top 5 of 38 categories kept track of by the ECHL. Of those, they are ranked #1 in 15 categories. Below is only a partial list of these records.
See Also: List of Erie Panthers League Records.
Most penalty minutes (Career)
#1: 2,425 - Cam Brown (Chill 91-93, Panthers 93-96, Kingfish 96-02, Gladiators 02-06)[5]
Most goals, both teams (One game)
#1: 21 - Erie Panthers (13) vs. Carolina Thunderbirds (8), Dec. 21, 1988[6]
#2: 20 - Richmond Renegades (15) vs. Erie Panthers (5), Dec. 23, 1990[6]
#3: 19 - Erie Panthers (11) vs. Knoxville Cherokees (8), Mar. 18, 1989[6]
Highest goals-per-game average (One season)
#1: 5.95 - Erie Panthers, 1989-90 (357 goals in 60 games)[6]
#4: 5.45 - Erie Panthers, 1988-89 (327 goals in 60 games)[6]
Fastest three goals
#1: 21 seconds - Doug Stromback (12:19), Daryl Harpe (12:29) and Hank Banas (12:40 of 3rd period),
Erie vs. Knoxville, Nov. 29, 1988[6]
Most penalty minutes, both teams (One game)
#1: 244 - Toledo Storm (124) vs. Erie (120), Mar. 22, 1993[7]
References
- "ECHL Awards Page". ECHL. February 24, 2009. Archived from the original on October 12, 2010. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
- "ECHL Current Standings". ECHL. February 24, 2009. Archived from the original on February 25, 2009. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
- Dheenshaw, Cleve (May 7, 2011). "RG opts to fold Salmon Kings franchise". Times Colonist. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
- "Erie Panthers all-time player list". HockeyDB.
- "ECHL Individual Season Records" (PDF). ECHL. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 5, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2007.
- "ECHL Team Season Records" (PDF). ECHL. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 5, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2007.
- "ECHL Team Playoff Records" (PDF). ECHL. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 5, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2007.
General reference
HockeyDB.com
ECHL.com