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Worcester IceCats

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Worcester IceCats
CityWorcester, Massachusetts
LeagueAmerican Hockey League
Operated1994–2005
Home arenaWorcester Centrum
ColorsTeal, blue, silver
     
AffiliatesSt. Louis Blues (NHL),
Ottawa Senators (NHL),
New York Islanders (NHL)
Franchise history
1932–1935Quebec Beavers
1935–1951Springfield Indians
1951–1954Syracuse Warriors
1954–1967Springfield Indians
1967–1974Springfield Kings
1974–1994Springfield Indians
1994–2005Worcester IceCats
2005–2013Peoria Rivermen
2013–2021Utica Comets
2021–presentAbbotsford Canucks
Championships
Regular season titles1: (2000–01)
Division titles2: (1996–97, 2000–01)

The Worcester IceCats were a US ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Worcester, Massachusetts, at the Worcester Centrum. In 2005 the team was renamed the Peoria Rivermen and moved to Peoria, Illinois.

History

The IceCats got their start when original New York Islanders owner Roy Boe purchased the Springfield Indians AHL franchise and moved it to Worcester in the summer of 1994. The team began play in the Fall of 1994 with a collection of free-agent players but as yet with no National Hockey League team affiliation. Late in the 1994–95 season, Boe and head coach/General Manager Jim Roberts negotiated a deal with the St. Louis Blues. From that point on the IceCats would be the Blues' premier minor league team. The Peoria Rivermen of the East Coast Hockey League, in turn, became the IceCats' minor league affiliate in 1998, having been with St. Louis before the 1994 Worcester deal. During the 2000–01 season, Boe sold the IceCats to the St. Louis Blues. The team celebrated its tenth season in the AHL in fall 2003.

On November 9, 2004, the St. Louis Blues announced the sale of the IceCats to the owners of their ECHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen. The new owners moved the franchise to Peoria, Illinois, for the 2005–06 season.[1]

This franchise was previously known as: Springfield Indians (1926–1994)
The franchise became known as: Peoria Rivermen (2005–2013)
This franchise was replaced by: Worcester Sharks (2006–2015)

Affiliates

Season-by-season results

Regular season

Season Games Won Lost Tied OTL SOL Points Goals
for		 Goals
against		 Standing
1994–95 80 24 45 11 0 — 59 234 300 6th, North
1995–96 80 36 28 12 4 — 88 242 244 2nd, North
1996–97 80 43 23 9 5 — 100 256 234 1st, New England
1997–98 80 34 31 9 6 — 83 267 268 4th, New England
1998–99 80 34 36 8 2 — 78 237 260 4th, New England
1999–00 80 34 31 11 4 — 83 249 250 3rd, New England
2000–01 80 48 20 9 3 — 108 264 205 1st, New England
2001–02 80 39 33 7 1 — 86 245 218 3rd, North
2002–03 80 35 27 15 3 — 88 235 220 3rd, North
2003–04 80 37 27 13 3 — 90 207 186 3rd, Atlantic
2004–05 80 39 34 3 4 — 85 212 223 5th, Atlantic

Playoffs

Season 1st round 2nd round 3rd round Finals
1994–95 Did not qualify
1995–96 L, 1–3, Portland — — —
1996–97 L, 2–3, Providence — — —
1997–98 W, 3–1, Springfield L, 3–4, Hartford — —
1998–99 L, 1–3, Providence — — —
1999–00 W, 3–1, Portland L, 1–4, Hartford — —
2000–01 W, 3–1, Lowell L, 3–4, Providence — —
2001–02† L, 1–2, Manitoba† — — —
2002–03 L, 0–3, Binghamton — — —
2003–04 W, 4–2, Manchester L, 0–4, Hartford — —
2004–05 Did not qualify

† Lost in preliminary round.

Team records

Single season

Career

  • Career goals: 79 Marc Brown
  • Career assists: 154 Terry Virtue
  • Career points: 210 Terry Virtue
  • Career penalty minutes: 1083 Terry Virtue
  • Career goaltending wins: 65 Curtis Sanford
  • Career shutouts: 10 Curtis Sanford
  • Career games: 455 Terry Virtue

Franchise scoring leaders

These are the top ten point-scorers in IceCat's franchise history.

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points;

Player Pos GP G A Pts
Terry Virtue D 455 56 154 210
Jame Pollock D 270 63 104 167
Marc Brown LW 303 79 81 160
Eric Boguniecki C 141 69 86 155
Jeff Panzer C 210 62 84 146
Justin Papineau C 162 66 77 143
Stephane Roy C 208 61 78 139
Daniel Corso C 187 54 85 139
Marty Reasoner C 122 57 68 125
Blake Evans C 253 52 73 125

Team captains

Notable IceCats

References

  1. ^ "Blues Agree to Sell Worcester IceCats". OurSports Central. November 9, 2004. Retrieved October 19, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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