Greenville Grrrowl
| Greenville Grrrowl | |
 | |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Home ice | BI-LO Center |
| Based in | Greenville, South Carolina |
| Colors | Black, gold, purple, silver |
| League | ECHL |
| Head coach | John Marks |
The Greenville Grrrowl was an ECHL hockey team located in Greenville, South Carolina. They played their home games at the BI-LO Center. In the 2001–02 season, they won the Kelly Cup.[1]
The Grrrowl's initial season was 1998–99, with former Chicago Blackhawks defensive star John Marks as their coach. He remained their only coach from 1998 to 2006.[2] They were an affiliate of the AHL Norfolk Admirals,[3] and an affiliate of the NHL Chicago Blackhawks and the Edmonton Oilers.[1]
The team announced that it was folding on June 2, 2006, after running a US$1,000,000 deficit during 2005 that left the team unable to attract new investors.[4] They began losing money after attendance slid from 7,000 per game in their first season to just 2,100 in 2004-05.[1] On June 15, the BI-LO Center announced they were willing to pay $350,000 to keep the team afloat, hoping to entice developers to save the team.[5] Despite the offer, the Grrrowl ceased operations on July 10, 2006 when the team failed to find new sources of financing.[1] According to Grrrowl president Ed Rubinstein, the team only plans to refund "some percentage" of money already paid by season ticket holders.[1]
Hockey returned to Greenville after a four-year absence when the Johnstown Chiefs relocated and became the Greenville Road Warriors in 2010.
Playoffs
[edit]- 1998–99: Did not qualify.
- 1999–00: Defeated Mobile 3-2 in first round; defeated Augusta 3-1 in quarterfinals; lost to Louisiana 4-2 in semifinals.
- 2000–01: Did not qualify.
- 2001–02: Defeated Florida 3-2 in first round; defeated Pee Dee 3-1 in quarterfinals; defeated Mississippi 3-1 in semifinals; defeated Dayton 4-0 to win championship.
- 2002–03: Defeated Florida 1-0 in first round; lost to Columbia 3-0 in second round.
- 2003–04: Did not qualify.
- 2004–05: Defeated Pensacola 3-1 in first round; lost to Florida 3-0 in quarterfinals.
- 2005–06: Defeated Augusta 2-0 in first round; lost to Florida 3-1 in second round.
Retired numbers
[edit]- 36 – Nick Vitucci retired in 2004. Nick played in 14 ECHL seasons, his last three with the Greenville Grrrowl. He later became the head coach for the Toledo Walleye.[6]
Notable NHL alumni
[edit]List of Greenville Grrrowl alumni who played more than 25 games in Greenville and 25 or more games in the National Hockey League.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Dykes, Davis (July 12, 2006). "Grrrowl fold; arena expected to lose money without team". The Greenville News. Retrieved September 3, 2006. [dead link]
- ^ "Greenville Grrrowl Hockey: John Marks". Greenville Grrrowl. Archived from the original on March 10, 2007. Retrieved March 10, 2007.
- ^ "Hawks, Admirals Announce Affiliation w/ Toledo". Chicago Blackhawks. August 14, 2006. Archived from the original on August 20, 2006. Retrieved August 20, 2006.
- ^ Szobody, Ben; Dykes, Davis (May 23, 2006). "Grrrowl not paying some bills, president says". The Greenville News. Retrieved September 3, 2006. [dead link]
- ^ Szobody, Ben (June 15, 2006). "Bi-Lo Center may pitch in for Grrrowl". The Greenville News. Retrieved September 3, 2006. [dead link]
- ^ "Toledo Walleye - Coaching Staff". Toledo Walleye. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
External links
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