Ontario Reign
| Ontario Reign | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City | Ontario, California |
| League | ECHL |
| Conference | Western Conference |
| Division | Pacific Division |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Home arena | Citizens Business Bank Arena |
| Colors |
Navy blue, orange, silver, white |
| Owner(s) | Anschutz Entertainment Group Ontario Reign Professional Hockey LLC |
| General manager | Justin Kemp |
| Head coach | Jason Christie |
| Affiliates | Los Angeles Kings (NHL) Manchester Monarchs (AHL) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1993–2000 | Huntington Blizzard |
| 2003–2008 | Texas Wildcatters |
| 2008–present | Ontario Reign |
| Championships | |
| Division Championships | 2008–09, 2011–12, 2012–13 |
The Ontario Reign are a professional ice hockey team from Ontario, California that play in the ECHL. Their home arena is the Citizens Business Bank Arena. They are one of two ECHL affiliate teams of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League, but the only one exclusive to the Kings (the Reading Royals have prospects shared among 3 NHL teams).[1]
Contents |
Team History [edit]
Huntington Blizzard/Texas Wildcatters years and becoming the Reign [edit]
The Reign started as the Huntington Blizzard in 1993. After the 1999-2000 ECHL season, the team went dormant until 2003, when new owners bought the team and moved it to Beaumont, Texas as the Texas Wildcatters. The team played as the Wildcatters until they were unable to secure an arena lease in Beaumont.[2] The team then relocated to Ontario for the 2008-09 ECHL season. The announcement of the franchise's relocation came on February 26, 2008. The team was then renamed Ontario Reign and the team's logo was unveiled on March 17, 2008.
Ontario Reign [edit]
2008-2009 Season [edit]
During the 2008-2009 regular season, the Reign went 38-29-4-2 and captured the 2008-09 Pacific Division championship. However, their success was short lived as they lost in round one of the playoffs to the Stockton Thunder. Head Coach Karl Taylor finished second in the John Brophy Award balloting for ECHL Coach of the Year, losing to Trenton Titans' head coach Rick Kowalsky.[3]
The Reign had a total attendance of 210,801 at 36 home games. This was an average of 5,856 per game, making it second highest in the league.
2009-2010 Season [edit]
During the 2009-2010 regular season, the Reign went 31-31-3-7 and despite being a playoff contender until almost the last regular season game, they were unable to secure a playoff berth.
The Reign had a total attendance of 232,223 at 36 home games. This was an average of 6,451 per game and was over 10% higher than the previous season. This was more than enough to capture the league attendance record for the season.
2010-2011 Season [edit]
During the 2010-2011 regular season, the Reign went a dismal 27-39-2-4, including losing their first 15 home games. The season was marred by numerous injuries, illnesses, trades and even a few players defecting to European hockey leagues. Despite their hopes for a late-season recovery, they were never a playoff contender and missed the playoffs for the second straight year. Despite their poor season on the ice, the attendance at 36 home games was an amazing 240,596. This was an average of 6,683 per game and was over 3% higher than the previous season. This was more than enough to capture the league attendance record for the season, the second straight season the Reign have accomplished this. They were able to pull this off despite the poor on-ice performance by making each game a unique, fun family experience.
2011-2012 Season [edit]
Head coach Karl Taylor, who had been with the franchise since its inaugural year in Ontario, signed with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL as an assistant coach.[4] He leaves Ontario with a 96-99-22 record. On August 23, 2011, the Reign announced that Jason Christie would succeed Taylor as head coach for the 2011-12 season.[5] On August 24, 2011, the team announced that Christie would be joined behind the bench by former Los Angeles Kings defenseman and assistant coach Mark Hardy.[6] The Reign finished the 2011–12 ECHL season with a franchise-best 43-21-5-3 record and clinched their second Pacific Division title.[7]
Team name [edit]
The name is derived from an abstract noun related to royalty. Its name follows the pattern the Kings have established with the AHL affiliate the Manchester Monarchs. The name was chosen from a contest held by the team's website, where over 600 entries were submitted. Mike Brewster of Fontana, California submitted the winning entry.[1]
Current roster [edit]
Reign in the Media [edit]
An up to the minute blog about recent transactions and game coverage can be found at J.P. Hoornstra's blog "Where the Reign Reigns".
References [edit]
- ^ a b "Ontario Set To Reign The Inland Empire" (Press release). Ontario Reign. 2007-12-17. Retrieved 2013-0424.
- ^ "ECHL Concludes Mid-Season Board of Governors Meeting" (Press release). ECHL. 2008-02-26. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
- ^ Trenton's Kowalsky Receives John Brophy Award
- ^ Hoornstra, J.P. (10 August 2011). "Taylor leaves Reign for AHL job in Chicago". San Bernardino County Sun. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ "Jason Christie Named Ontario Reign's New Head Coach". Press release. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ^ "Mark Hardy to Assist Behind Bench". Press release. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ "Ontario Reigns as Pacific Division Champions with 6-1 Triumph". Press release. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
- ^ "ontarioreign.com: Players". Ontario Reign. Retrieved 2011-12-11.
- ^ "Ontario Reign Team roster". ECHL. Retrieved 2011-12-11.
External links [edit]
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