The Cincinnati Mighty Ducks were a professional ice hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They were members of the American Hockey League, and played their home games at the Cincinnati Gardens. Throughout their existence they were the primary minor league affiliate of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim of the National Hockey League, with a three-year shared affiliation with the Detroit Red Wings.
| Cincinnati Mighty Ducks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| League | American Hockey League |
| Operated | 1997–2005 |
| Home arena | Cincinnati Gardens |
| Colors | Eggplant and Jade |
| Affiliates | Detroit Red Wings Mighty Ducks of Anaheim |
| Franchise history | |
| 1995–1997 | Baltimore Bandits |
| 1997–2005 | Cincinnati Mighty Ducks |
| 2007–present | Rockford IceHogs |
History
editIn 1997, the Baltimore Bandits franchise was losing money and accruing debts in Baltimore.[1] Jerry Robinson, owner of the Cincinnati Gardens arena, purchased the Bandits franchise to play at the Gardens, replacing the previous hockey tenant, the Cincinnati Cyclones of the International Hockey League.[2] The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim signed Cincinnati to a five-year affiliate agreement. From 1999 through 2002 team shared its affiliation with the Detroit Red Wings,[3] until the Red Wings affiliated with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Anaheim maintained their affiliation with Cincinnati through the 2004-05 season. The Cincinnati Mighty Ducks were granted a voluntary suspension for the 2005–06 season[4] two days after Anaheim and Cincinnati ended their affiliation,[5] and Cincinnati could not find a replacement NHL affiliate. In October 2005, the team was renamed the Cincinnati RailRaiders, and was seeking an affiliation agreement for a return in 2006-07 season,[6] but failed to reach a goal of 2,000 season tickets sold to become re-active.[7]
On October 3, 2006, it was reported that a Windsor, Ontario-based company had been granted conditional approval to purchase and relocate the team,[8] however that deal fell through.[9] On March 19, 2007, the AHL announced that the team had been purchased, and moved to Rockford, Illinois, to become the Rockford IceHogs.[10]
The market was previously served by:
- Cincinnati Mohawks (1949–1952 AHL, 1952–1958 IHL)
- Cincinnati Wings (1963–1964 CHL)
- Cincinnati Swords (1971–1974 AHL)
- Cincinnati Stingers (1975–1979 WHA, 1979–1980 CHL)
- Cincinnati Tigers (1981–1982 CHL)
- Cincinnati Cyclones (1990–1992 ECHL, 1992–2001 IHL, 2001–2004 ECHL)
The team was replaced in this market by:
- Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL (2006–present)
Affiliates
- Mighty Ducks Of Anaheim (1997-2005)
- Detroit Red Wings (1999-2002)
Season-by-season results
editRegular season
edit| Season | Games | Won | Lost | Tied | OTL | SOL | Points | Goals for |
Goals against |
Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 80 | 23 | 37 | 13 | 7 | — | 66 | 243 | 303 | 4th, Mid-Atlantic |
| 1998–99 | 80 | 35 | 39 | 4 | 2 | — | 76 | 227 | 249 | 4th, Mid-Atlantic |
| 1999–00 | 80 | 30 | 37 | 9 | 4 | — | 73 | 227 | 244 | 5th, Mid-Atlantic |
| 2000–01 | 80 | 41 | 26 | 9 | 4 | — | 95 | 254 | 240 | 2nd, South |
| 2001–02 | 80 | 33 | 33 | 11 | 3 | — | 80 | 216 | 211 | 3rd, Central |
| 2002–03 | 80 | 26 | 35 | 13 | 6 | — | 71 | 202 | 242 | 3rd, Central |
| 2003–04 | 80 | 29 | 37 | 13 | 1 | — | 72 | 188 | 211 | 5th, West |
| 2004–05 | 80 | 44 | 31 | — | 4 | 1 | 93 | 206 | 191 | 3rd, West |
Playoffs
edit| Season | Preliminary | 1st round | 2nd round | 3rd round | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | Out of Playoffs | ||||
| 1998–99 | — | L, 0–3, Philadelphia | — | — | — |
| 1999–00 | Out of Playoffs | ||||
| 2000–01 | — | L, 1–3, Norfolk | — | — | — |
| 2001–02 | L, 1–2, Chicago | — | — | — | — |
| 2002–03 | Out of Playoffs | ||||
| 2003–04 | W, 2–0, Houston | L, 3–4, Milwaukee | — | — | — |
| 2004–05 | — | W, 4–3, Milwaukee | L, 1–4, Chicago | — | — |
Notable players and coaches
editNumerous Cincinnati Mighty Ducks alumni won the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007 and Detroit Red Wings in 2008. In addition, former Cincinnati coach Mike Babcock led Anaheim to a Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2003 before coaching Detroit's championship-winning team in 2008.
- Sean Avery
- Mike Babcock
- Tim Brent
- Sheldon Brookbank
- Ilya Bryzgalov
- Dan Bylsma
- Marc Chouinard
- Mike Commodore
- Matt Cullen
- Kurtis Foster
- Ryan Getzlaf
- Jean-Sebastien Giguere
- Curtis Glencross
- Zenon Konopka
- Tomas Kopecky
- Chris Kunitz
- Maxim Kuznetsov
- Joffrey Lupul
- Tony Martensson
- Andy McDonald
- Shane O'Brien
- Samuel Pahlsson
- Pierre-Alexandr Parenteau
- Richard Park
- Dustin Penner
- Corey Perry
- Ruslan Salei
- Bob Wren
- Chris Mason
Team records
editSingle season
edit- Goals: 42
Bob Wren (1997–98) - Assists: 59 Craig Reichert (1997–98)
- Points: 100 Bob Wren (1997–98)
- Penalty minutes: 319 Shane O'Brien (2004–05)
- GAA: 2.07 Frederic Cassivi (2004–05)
- SV%: .924 Frederic Cassivi (2004–05)
Career
edit- Career goals: 113 Bob Wren
- Career assists: 186 Bob Wren
- Career points: 299 Bob Wren
- Career penalty minutes: 482 Shane O'Brien
- Career goaltending wins: 76
Ilya Bryzgalov - Career shutouts: 19 Ilya Bryzgalov
- Career games: 277 Bob Wren
References
edit- ^ De Marco, Donna (April 14, 1997). "Bandits bills piling up, as owner tries to sell". Baltimore Business Journal. Archived from the original on 2017-04-16. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ Hemmer, Andy (April 20, 1998). "Cyclones win face-off with Mighty Ducks at gate". Cincinnati Business Courier. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ Gass, Pat (2019). So You Think You're a Detroit Red Wings Fan?: Stars, Stats, Records, and Memories for True Diehards. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-68358-257-1. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ "Board of Governors' spring meeting concludes". American Hockey League. May 18, 2005. Archived from the original on 2019-12-30. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ "Anaheim ends affiliation with Cincinnati". American Hockey League. May 16, 2005. Archived from the original on 2019-12-30. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ Watkins, Steve (January 9, 2006). "Cincinnati group races to get deposits to bring hockey back". Sports Business Journal. Archived from the original on 2019-12-30. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ "AHL gives RailRaiders voluntary suspension". Cincinnati Business Courier. May 16, 2006. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ "AHL Board approves franchise transfer". American Hockey League. October 2, 2006. Archived from the original on February 5, 2008. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
- ^ Duff, Bob (January 30, 2007). "IceTrack loses AHL deal". Canada.com. Windsor Star. Archived from the original on February 5, 2008. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
- ^ "Rockford to join AHL in 2007-08". American Hockey League. March 19, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved May 5, 2017.