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Louisiana IceGators (ECHL)

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Louisiana IceGators
Louisiana IceGators
Founded 1995
Home Ice Cajundome
Based in Lafayette, LA
Colors green and white
League ECHL
Last Head coach Todd Gordon
Last General manager ???

The Louisiana IceGators were an ECHL team based in Lafayette, Louisiana from 1995 until the end of the 2005 season. The team played its home games at the Cajundome and were last an affiliate of the NHL Minnesota Wild. It was, at its peak, one of the most successful minor league hockey teams in the sport's history, with attendance numbers that rivaled NHL franchises.

The Glory Days

The Gators were an instant success upon their debut in Lafayette, despite the city's unfamiliarity with hockey. The team holds the top four regular-season average attendance numbers in ECHL history: 11,433 in 1996-97, 11,196 in 1997-98, 9,857 in 1998-99 and 9,776 in 1995-96. The IceGators also hosted the eight largest and nine of the 10 largest postseason crowds in ECHL history, including four capacity crowds of 11,800 in 1997. Success at the turnstiles was matched on the ice, where the IceGators competed with the league's best. The team won division titles in seven of its 10 seasons.

But the team never won an ECHL championship, and toward the end of its existence, attendance dropped. The 2005 season was plagued with team financial issues; drops in attendance led the Cajundome to no longer allow seating in the 300 level seats. The final game wasn't even a sellout, with an attendance of only 4,228. In January 2006, Cajundome officials announced that no investors had responded to a request for proposals that would have returned a hockey team to the dome for the 2006-07 season.

The IceGator's legacy lives on in the form of a fan-made website designed to keep the nostalgic memory of hockey in Lafayette alive.

Ice Gators Records

The Ice Gators racked up many records in their decade span in the ECHL:

Team records

  • Most Points, One Season – 116 (56-12-4, 2001-02)
  • Best Points Percentage, One Season – .806 (56-12-4, 2001-02)
  • Most Wins, One Season – 56 (2001-02)
  • Most Home Wins, One Season – 30 (2001-02)
  • Most Road Wins, One Season – 26 (2001-02)
  • Fewest Home Losses, One Season – 2 (2001-02)
  • Longest Winning Streak, One Season – 14 (November 23, 2001 - December 22, 2001)
  • Most Shorthand Goals, One Season – 24 (1998-99)
  • Most 30-Or-More Goal Scorers, One Season – 5 (1998-99)
(John Varga, 39; John Spoltore, 36; Don Parsons; 34, Mike Murray, 31; Louis Dumont, 30)
  • Fewest Goals Against, One Season – 156 (2001-02)
  • Lowest Goals Against Average, One Season – 2.17 (2001-02, 156 goals in 72 games)
  • Longest Overtime Playoff Games
    • 121:24, Louisiana at Greenville, May 5, 2000 (Greenville won 3-2 at 1:24 of the fourth overtime)
    • 115:19, Jackson at Louisiana, April 5, 2002 (Jackson won 5-4 at 15:19 of the third overtime)
  • Most Penalty Minutes, One Team, One Series (Since 91-92) – 355 (Louisiana IceGators vs. Pensacola, 1998)
  • Most Penalty Minutes, One Team, One Playoff Game – 168 (Louisiana IceGators vs. Pensacola, April 30, 1998)
  • Most Road Playoff Wins – 21

Individual records

  • Most Shorthand Goals, Season – 11 (Jay Murphy, 1998-99)
  • Most Power-Play Goals, Defenseman, Season – 16 (Chris Valicevic, 1995-96)
  • Highest Assists-Per-Game Average, Career – 1.15 (John Spoltore, 1995-01)
(among players with 200 or more assists)
  • Most 100-Or-More Point Seasons – 4 (John Spoltore, 1995-01)
  • Most Consecutive 100-Or-More Point Seasons – 3 (John Spoltore, 1997-00)
  • Most Penalty Minutes, Season – 512 (Rob McCaig, 1995-96)
  • Most Shutouts By A Goaltender, Season – 7 (Frederic Cloutier, 2001-02)
  • Lowest Goals-Against Average By A Goaltender, Season – 1.84 (Frederic Cloutier, 2001-02)
  • Highest Save Percentage By A Goaltender, Season – .945 (Frederic Cloutier, 2001-02)
  • Most Assists In Playoffs, Career – 69 (John Spoltore, 1996-01)
  • Most Assists, One Playoff Year – 26 (John Spoltore, 2000)
  • Most Points, One Playoff Year – 34 (John Spoltore, 2000)
  • Most All-Star Games Played – 7 (Chris Valicevic, 1994, 1996-2001)

Attendence records

  • All-Time Regular Season Average Attendance
    • 11,433 (1996-97)
    • 11,196 (1997-98)
    • 9,857 (1998-99)
    • 9,776 (1995-96)
  • Regular Season Total Attendance
    • 401,185 (1996-97)
    • 391,826 (1997-98)
    • 345,003 (1998-99)
    • 342,154 (1995-96)
  • Highest Attendance, ECHL All-Star Game – 11,493 (January 20, 1998)
  • All-Time Attendance, Playoff Game
    • 11,800 (South Carolina at Louisiana, Kelly Cup Finals, May 11, 1997)
    • 11,800 (South Carolina at Louisiana, Kelly Cup Finals, May 9, 1997)
    • 11,800 (South Carolina at Louisiana, Kelly Cup Finals, May 7, 1997)
    • 11,800 (Peoria at Louisiana, Kelly Cup Semi-Finals, April 28, 1997)
    • 11,754 (Mobile at Louisiana, Kelly Cup 1st Round, April 6, 1997)
    • 11,042 (Jacksonville at Louisiana, Riley Cup 1st Round, April 5, 1996)
    • 10,460 (Pensacola at Louisiana, Southern Conference Finals, April 25, 1998)
    • 10,220 (Mobile at Louisiana, Kelly Cup 1st Round, April 2, 1996)

All-Time records

References

Season League Division GP W L T OTL SOL PTS PCT GF GA PIM Coach Result
1995-96 ECHL South 70 43 21 0 6 0 92 0.657 312 261 2930 Doug Shedden Lost in Round 1
1996-97 ECHL South 70 38 28 4 0 0 80 0.571 292 244 3099 Doug Shedden Lost in Finals
1997-98 ECHL Southwest 70 43 17 10 0 0 96 0.686 298 232 2726 Doug Shedden Lost in Round 3
1998-99 ECHL Southwest 70 46 18 6 0 0 98 0.700 297 205 2425 Doug Shedden Lost in Round 2
1999-00 ECHL Southwest 70 43 18 0 9 0 95 0.679 281 241 2177 Don Murdoch Lost in Finals
2000-01 ECHL Southwest 72 42 24 6 0 0 90 0.625 237 209 1989 Dave Farrish Lost in Round 4
2001-02 ECHL Southwest 72 56 12 4 0 0 116 0.806 261 156 1683 Dave Farrish Lost in Round 2
2002-03 ECHL Southwest 72 40 20 12 0 0 92 0.639 249 210 2292 Dave Farrish Lost in Round 2
2003-04 ECHL Central 72 48 22 2 0 0 98 0.681 235 167 1629 Dave Farrish Lost in Round 2
2004-05 ECHL South 72 26 40 6 0 0 58 0.403 192 266 1549 Todd Gordon Did Not Qualify
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