Charlotte Checkers
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| Charlotte Checkers | |
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| City: | Charlotte, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| League: | ECHL |
| Conference: | American Conference |
| Division: | South Division |
| Founded: | 1993 |
| Home Arena: | St. Lawrence Homes Home Ice at Time Warner Cable Arena |
| Colors: | powder blue, navy blue, red |
| Owner(s): | Michael Kahn |
| General Manager: | Jeff Longo |
| Head Coach: | Derek Wilkinson |
| Affiliates: | New York Rangers (NHL), Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1993 to Present: | Charlotte Checkers |
| Championships | |
| Regular Season Titles: | none |
| Division Championships: | none |
| Conference Championships: | none |
| Kelly Cups: | 1995–96 |
The Charlotte Checkers are an American ice hockey team in Charlotte, North Carolina, playing in the ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League).
The Checkers were founded in 1993 and played from then until 2005 in Cricket Arena. In 2005, they moved to St. Lawrence Homes Home Ice at Time Warner Cable Arena. The team set their all time attendance record of 11,237 on February 10, 2007 in a 6–3 loss against the Texas Wildcatters. Their previous record was 10,894 in a win against the Florida Everblades in November 2005. As of February 20, 2007, they are second in the ECHL in attendance, increasing their attandance by 45% over their inaugural season at Charlotte Bobcats Arena. Many people claim that the new arena is part of the reason for increased attendance as well as an increased interest in hockey in North Carolina due to the in-state NHL 2006 Stanley Cup champions, and also the influx of northern transplants into the Charlotte region. However, it should be noted that Charlotte's minor-league hockey influence is much older, dating to 1956, when the Eastern Hockey League's Baltimore Clippers moved to Charlotte after a fire destroyed part of the Baltimore team's arena. They played games in the Charlotte Coliseum (now Cricket Arena) for the balance of the season. The team decided to stay in Charlotte, adopting the Checkers nickname in 1960. The team joined the EHL's other Southern franchises in forming the Southern Hockey League in 1973, where it played until the league's demise in 1977.
The current Checkers are named for the teams of the past, and for years were known for an orange and electric blue checkerboard pattern logo. However, it is possible that the Checkers name comes from the hockey term "checking".
Contents |
[edit] History of the Charlotte Checkers
[edit] Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout Losses, PTS = Points, PCT = Winning Percentage, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Records as of October 30, 2006.[1]
| Season | League | Division | GP | W | L | T | OTL | SOL | PTS | PCT | GF | GA | PIM | Coach(es) | Result |
| 1993–94 | ECHL | East | 68 | 39 | 25 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 82 | 0.574 | 281 | 271 | 1519 | John Marks | Lost in round 1 |
| 1994–95 | ECHL | East | 68 | 37 | 22 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 83 | 0.544 | 274 | 261 | 1949 | John Marks | Lost in round 1 |
| 1995–96 | ECHL | East | 70 | 45 | 21 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 94 | 0.643 | 294 | 250 | 2251 | John Marks | Won Championship |
| 1996–97 | ECHL | East | 70 | 35 | 28 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 77 | 0.550 | 271 | 267 | 1799 | John Marks | Lost in round 1 |
| 1997–98 | ECHL | Southeast | 70 | 35 | 24 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 0.579 | 251 | 237 | 1662 | John Marks | Lost in round 2 |
| 1998–99 | ECHL | Southeast | 70 | 29 | 30 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 69 | 0.493 | 221 | 262 | 1264 | Shawn Wheeler | Out of Playoffs |
| 1999–00 | ECHL | Northeast | 70 | 25 | 38 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 57 | 0.357 | 186 | 254 | 1680 | Shawn Wheeler, Don MacAdam | Out of Playoffs |
| 2000–01 | ECHL | Northeast | 72 | 34 | 26 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 80 | 0.556 | 247 | 252 | 1416 | Don MacAdam | Lost in round 2 |
| 2001–02 | ECHL | Northeast | 72 | 41 | 20 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 0.646 | 256 | 207 | 1599 | Don MacAdam | Lost in round 2 |
| 2002–03 | ECHL | Northeast | 72 | 41 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 85 | 0.590 | 262 | 234 | 1735 | Don MacAdam | Out of Playoffs |
| 2003–04 | ECHL | Southern | 72 | 31 | 32 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 71 | 0.493 | 206 | 230 | 1460 | Don MacAdam, Derek Wilkinson | Out of Playoffs |
| 2004–05 | ECHL | East | 72 | 39 | 26 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 85 | 0.590 | 226 | 219 | 1301 | Derek Wilkinson | Lost in round 3 |
| 2005–06 | ECHL | South | 72 | 33 | 34 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 71 | 0.493 | 232 | 254 | 1634 | Derek Wilkinson | Lost in round 3 |
| 2006–07 | ECHL | South | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.750 | 19 | 11 | 105 | Derek Wilkinson | T.B.D. |
| Totals | 1 | 5 | 993 | 467 | 355 | 76 | 24 | 0 | 1034 | 0.470 | 3226 | 3209 | 21374 | 4 | 9/13 Playoff Seasons, 1 Championship |
[edit] Current Roster
As of December 31, 2006. Taken from ECHL Website.[2]
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| # | Player | Catches | Date of birth | Place of birth | |
| 1 |  |
Chris Holt | L | June 5, 1985 | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| 30 | |
Alex Westlund | R | December 28, 1975 | Flemington Village, New Jersey, USA |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Player | Shoots | Date of birth | Place of birth | |
| 2 |  |
Ryan Constant | L | May 1, 1985 | Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Manitoba, Canada |
| 3 | |
Corey Potter | R | January 5, 1984 | Lansing, Michigan, USA |
| 5 |  |
Jan Vodrazka | L | November 10, 1976 | Plzeň, Plzeň Region, Czech Republic |
| 6 | |
Kenny Smith | L | December 31, 1981 | Stoneham, Massachusetts, USA |
| 8 | |
Dan Murphy | L | April 26, 1983 | North Andover, Massachusetts, USA |
| 17 | |
Kenton Smith | L | September 10, 1979 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| 19 | |
Bryan Rodney | R | April 22, 1984 | London, Ontario, Canada |
| 24 | |
Kirk DeWaele | R | March 24, 1976 | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Player | Position | Shoots | Date of birth | Place of birth | |
| 9 | |
Hugh Jessiman | RW | R | March 28, 1984 | New York, New York, USA |
| 11 | |
Adam Nightingale | F | R | December 19, 1979 | Cheboygan, Michigan, USA |
| 12 | |
Zdenek Bahensky | F | L | March 1, 1986 | Most, Ústí nad Labem Region, Czech Republic |
| 13 | |
Blake Bellefeuille | C | R | December 27, 1977 | Framingham, Massachusetts, USA |
| 14 | |
Daymen Rycroft | F | L | May 2, 1979 | Beaverlodge, Alberta, Canada |
| 16 | |
Bruce Graham | F | L | December 2, 1985 | Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada |
| 20 | |
Mike Ouellette | F | R | July 6, 1982 | Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada |
| 21 | |
Nathan Gillies | F | R | October 31, 1980 | Cambridge, Ontario, Canada |
| 25 | |
Lee Falardeau | C | L | July 22, 1983 | Midland, Michigan, USA |
| 44 | |
Dusty Jamieson | LW | L | May 26, 1981 | Forest, Ontario, Canada |
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| Title | Staff Member | |||||
| Head Coach | Derek Wilkinson | |||||
| Assistant Coach | Allan Egeland | |||||
| Trainer | Brandon Dionne | |||||
| Equipment Manager | Mike Brown | |||||
[edit] Team captains
- 2005–2006
- C - Kenton Smith
- 2006–2007
- C - Jan Vodrazka
[edit] Hall of Famers
[edit] NHLers
Eric Boulton played in Charlotte during the 1996–97 and 1997–98 seasons.
Peter Worrell played in Charlotte during the 2005–06 season.
Daniel Girardi played in Charlotte during the 2005–06 season.
[edit] Notable players
- Dusty Jamieson
[edit] Retired numbers
4 - Kurt Seher
[edit] Miscellaneous
[edit] Career Leaders
Goals: 174 (Darryl Noren, 1994-00)
Assists: 229 (Darryl Noren, 1994-00)
Points: 403 (Darryl Noren, 1994-00)
PIM: 669 (Steve McIntyre, 2003-06)
[edit] Infamous moments
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Richmond Renegades |
Riley Cup Champions 1995–96 |
Succeeded by South Carolina Stingrays |
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| American Conference | North | Cincinnati Cyclones · Dayton Bombers · Elmira Jackals · Johnstown Chiefs · Reading Royals · Trenton Devils · Wheeling Nailers |
| South | Augusta Lynx · Charlotte Checkers · Columbia Inferno · Florida Everblades · Gwinnett Gladiators · Mississippi Sea Wolves · Pensacola Ice Pilots · South Carolina Stingrays | |
| National Conference |
Pacific | Bakersfield Condors · Fresno Falcons · Las Vegas Wranglers · Ontario Reign · Stockton Thunder |
| West | Alaska Aces · Idaho Steelheads · Phoenix Roadrunners · Utah Grizzlies · Victoria Salmon Kings | |
| Future teams | Myrtle Beach, SC · Toledo Walleye | |
| Related articles: List of ECHL seasons · Kelly Cup · Brabham Cup · All-Star Game · Awards · Timeline · Defunct teams · Hall of Fame · Arenas · Other Professional Hockey leagues | ||
