Bloomington Blaze
| Bloomington Blaze | |
|---|---|
 2011–12 Bloomington Blaze season |
|
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| City | Bloomington, Illinois |
| League | Southern Professional Hockey League |
| Conference | Turner |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Operated | CHL (2011-2013) SPHL (2013-Future) |
| Home arena | U.S. Cellular Coliseum |
| Colors | Black, Red, Gold |
| Owner(s) | John Butler, Bart Rogers |
| Head coach | TBD |
| Captain | Jon Booras |
| Media | WJBC-FM (93.7 FM) |
| Franchise history | |
| 2011–present | Bloomington Blaze |
| Championships | |
| Ray Miron President's Cup | None |
The Bloomington Blaze is a minor league ice hockey team that is a member of the Southern Professional Hockey League. Based in Bloomington, Illinois, the Blaze play their home games at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum, located in downtown Bloomington.
On May 13, 2013, it was announced that the Blaze will be under new ownership ( John Butler and Bart Rogers) and plan on playing in the Single A Southern Professional Hockey League.
The Blaze replaced the Bloomington PrairieThunder who played in the International Hockey League from 2006-2010 (in their first season the league was called the United Hockey League) before it merged with the CHL for the 2010-11 season, which they had only played the single season before folding.
Though the Blaze also plays at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum, the franchise is not a continuation of the PrairieThunder franchise. The former head coach, Jason Christie, resigned before the season started. He is now the Coach for the Ontario Reign of the ECHL.
The Bloomington Blaze is coached by former Dayton Gems coach Brian Gratz. Gratz has been the head coach of the Central Hockey League affiliate Dayton Gems for the past two years. The Gems went a combined 55-58-19 in his tenure there.
The Bloomington Blaze organization includes a junior hockey team with membership to the Midwest Junior Hockey League, MWJHL. The 2012-2013 season is inaugural season for the MWJHL.
On May 13, 2013, the Peoria Journal Star reported that the Blaze, along with the AHL's Peoria Rivermen, would move to the Southern Professional Hockey League for the 2013-14 season. The Rivermen had been notified earlier in the day that the Vancouver Canucks, who had recently purchased the team a month earlier, would not keep them in Peoria. The two teams will reportedly be owned by two former Rivermen executives, John Butler and Bart Rogers, with financial backing from former Rivermen owner Bruce Saurs. The SPHL held an emergency meeting with the Board of Governors and the league owners and general managers on the morning of May 14, 2013 to decide on the acceptance of the franchises. [1]
On May 15, 2013, it was officially announced that the Blaze would leave the struggling CHL for the lower level SPHL. Also entering the league with Bloomington are the Peoria Rivermen, who lost their AHL team after their owners, the Vancouver Canucks, announced they were moving the team. A press conference is scheduled for May 16, 2013 at the U.S. Cellular Arena at 2:00 PM to announce the move. [2]
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