Tacoma Sabercats
| Tacoma Sabercats | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Folded | 2002 |
| League | West Coast Hockey League |
| Team history |
Tacoma Sabercats (1997–2002) |
| Based in | Tacoma, Washington |
| Arena | Tacoma Dome |
| Colors | red, blue, copper, |
| Championships | 1 (1998–99) |
| Division titles | 3 (1997–98), (1998–99), (1999–00) |
The Tacoma Sabercats were an American professional minor league ice hockey team based in Tacoma, Washington. The team began play in the West Coast Hockey League as of the 1997–98 season.[1]
Tacoma immediately emerged as a power in the WCHL, winning the regular season Northern Division title and reaching the league finals in its first season. However the Sabercats were defeated by the defending champion San Diego Gulls in the league's Taylor Cup finals.[2]
The following season, 1998–99, Tacoma won its second WCHL Northern Division title and defeated the Gulls in the Taylor Cup finals, becoming the first team other than San Diego to win the WCHL title in the league's history.[3][4] Although the Sabercats won the WCHL Northern Division a third time in 1999–2000, the team failed to win another league championship.
Throughout their history the Sabercats were the only professional ice hockey team in Washington state. Although the team enjoyed a strong following in the Tacoma area, it folded after being eliminated by the Idaho Steelheads in the 2001–02 WCHL playoffs.[5]
References
- ↑ "Sabercats Unveil Logo, Colors", Seattle Post-Intelligencer (July 15, 1997). (HiBeam)
- ↑ 1997-98 West Coast Hockey League
- ↑ "Sabercats basking in championship afterglow", The News Tribune (July 28, 1999). (NewsLibrary.com)
- ↑ 1998-99 West Coast Hockey League
- ↑ "And five years later, Sabercats close up shop", The News Tribune (May 6, 2002). (NewsLibrary.com)