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ECHL Opens Its 18th Season With 25 Games

October 17, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


The Premier 'AA' Hockey League, the ECHL will drop the puck for its 18th season this weekend with 10 games on Friday, 12 games on Saturday and three games on Sunday.

Welcoming new teams in Phoenix, Arizona; Stockton, California and West Valley City, Utah, the league will play 900 games, beginning October 21 and ending April 8, with 25 teams in 14 states and one Canadian province, British Columbia.

The ECHL released its playing schedule in June, but was forced to make two revisions in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which made it impossible for the Mississippi Sea Wolves to play, and Hurricane Rita, which forced the Texas Wildcatters to suspend operations for 2005-06. The Sea Wolves have already begun preparations for their 10th anniversary season in 2006-07, including reopening an office in Biloxi, while the Wildcatters have announced that they will return to the ice at Ford Arena next year.

The two newest members, the Utah Grizzlies and the Phoenix RoadRunners, will play a home-and-home with Utah hosting Phoenix on Friday and Phoenix hosting Utah on Saturday. The Grizzlies play at The "E" Center, a state-of-the-art facility in West Valley City which gained international acclaim and exposure as the host venue for the ice hockey championships at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The RoadRunners play at America West Arena, the home of the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association in downtown Phoenix which has recently had a $70 million renovation.

The Trenton Titans will raise the banner to immortalize their 2005 Kelly Cup Championship on Saturday at the Sovereign Bank Arena when they host the Wheeling Nailers. The Pensacola Ice Pilots will commemorate their regular season Brabham Cup championship on Friday when they host the Greenville Grrrowl which eliminated the Ice Pilots from the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

The Alaska Aces will recognize their regular season division and conference titles on Friday as well as their postseason division title when they host the San Diego Gulls in the first of three games on opening weekend. Ted Dent, who was an assistant coach with Kelly Cup winner Trenton in 2004-05, makes his head coaching debut when the Columbia Inferno celebrates its third consecutive regular season division title as it opens its fifth season hosting the Johnstown Chiefs. The Gwinnett Gladiators, who raised their average attendance more than 20 percent in their second season in 2004-05, will host the Charlotte Checkers in a rematch of the conference semifinals which the Checkers won in four games. For the second year in a row, the defending American Conference Champion Florida Everblades, who have led the league in attendance each of its six seasons, will be raising banners for postseason division and conference titles as they host the Las Vegas Wranglers.

The Idaho Steelheads with new coach Derek Laxdal will host the Long Beach Ice Dogs in a division semifinals rematch which the Ice Dogs won in four games. The first ECHL team outside the United States, the Victoria Salmon Kings return for their second season visiting the Fresno Falcons and new coach Matt Thomas while the South Carolina Stingrays will travel to Augusta which will open its eighth ECHL season and has a new coach in Bob Ferguson. Longtime Ohio rivals Dayton and Toledo will meet at the historic Toledo Sports Arena on Friday and again on Saturday at the Nutter Center in Dayton to rekindle this great instate rivalry.

In addition to the championship celebration in Trenton, there are 11 other games scheduled for Saturday including the Stockton Thunder taking the ice for the first time in history when they visit the Fresno Falcons at Save Mart Center, which will host the 2006 ECHL All-Star Game presented by Bud Light on January 25. Victoria continues its season-opening road trip when it visits Bakersfield and Palmetto state rivals will get reacquainted when the Columbia Inferno visit the South Carolina Stingrays, who will open their 13th season at the North Charleston Coliseum. The Johnstown Chiefs open their 18th consecutive season in the ECHL on Saturday when they host the Reading Royals at Cambria County War Memorial where the legendary hockey movie "Slap Shot" was filmed in 1977. The Greenville Grrrowl and veteran ECHL coach John Marks will open their eighth season at the BI-LO Center when they host the Charlotte Checkers. Other games on Saturday have San Diego at Alaska, Long Beach at Idaho, Las Vegas at Florida and Gwinnett traveling to Pensacola.

Opening weekend will conclude on Sunday with Columbia traveling to Augusta, Long Beach wrapping up its series at Idaho and Utah playing again at Phoenix.


Friday, October 21
San Diego at Alaska 7:15
South Carolina at Augusta 7:05
Johnstown at Columbia 7:05
Las Vegas at Florida 7:30
Victoria at Fresno 7:00
Charlotte at Gwinnett 7:35
Long Beach at Idaho 7:10
Greenville at Pensacola 7:05
Dayton at Toledo 7:05
Phoenix at Utah 7:05

Saturday, October 22
San Diego at Alaska 2:05
Victoria at Bakersfield 7:00
Toledo at Dayton 7:00
Las Vegas at Florida 7:30
Stockton at Fresno 7:00
Charlotte at Greenville 7:05
Long Beach at Idaho 7:10
Reading at Johnstown 7:00
Gwinnett at Pensacola 7:05
Utah at Phoenix 7:11
Columbia at South Carolina 7:05
Wheeling at Trenton 7:35

Sunday, October 23
Columbia at Augusta 4:05
Long Beach at Idaho 7:10
Utah at Phoenix 5:00


DID YOU KNOW? ... The ECHL and the American Hockey League are the only two minor professional hockey leagues that are recognized in the recently approved Collective Bargaining Agreement between the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players' Association.

The CBA states that any player on an NHL entry-level contract designated for assignment to a minor league must report if assigned to a team in the ECHL or the AHL. A player on an NHL entry-level contract assigned to a minor professional league other than the ECHL or the AHL is not required to report and can request reassignment to a team in the ECHL or the AHL.


Every Opening Weekend Game on B2 Networks

B2 Networks is the "Official Broadband Broadcast Provider" for the ECHL and all 25 games on the opening weekend of the season can be viewed online. Fans will be able to watch the action live while listening to their team's audio, if available. Games cost $6 each and require a high-speed internet connection and Windows Media Player 9 or higher.

Broadcasts are accessible on ECHL.com and on the home page of the 23 teams who are providing their fans the opportunity to watch live telecasts in 2005-06. The 23 teams are Alaska, Augusta, Bakersfield, Charlotte, Columbia, Dayton, Florida, Fresno, Greenville, Gwinnett, Idaho, Johnstown, Las Vegas, Pensacola, Phoenix, Reading, San Diego, South Carolina, Stockton, Toledo, Trenton, Utah and Wheeling.

B2 Networks has carried every game of the conference finals and the Kelly Cup Finals each of the past two years. The first hockey game ever broadcast by B2 Networks was the Las Vegas Wranglers in February 2004 and the first hockey championship broadcast by B2 Networks was the 2004 Kelly Cup Playoffs.


12 New Coaches Behind ECHL Benches In 2005-06

Twelve of the 25 coaches behind ECHL benches are in their first season with their team, but six of those are not strangers to the league.

Although he is new in Johnstown, Frank Anzalone is not a stranger to the ECHL and he ranks third all-time in the league in wins with 269 and games coached with 493 while his eight seasons ties him for third. Taking over in Pensacola for Dave Farrish, who accepted an assistant coaching job with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, is Rick Adduono, who led South Carolina to the Kelly Cup Championship in 2001 and who ranks fourth all-time in the league with 238 wins.

The Stockton Thunder takes the ice for their first season with Chris Cichocki, who is 127-122-39 in four ECHL seasons. Bob Ferguson, who was 136-61-15 and led Florida to the Kelly Cup Playoffs each of its first three seasons, takes over in Augusta as the Lynx look to return to the postseason for the first time since 2000-01.

Matt Thomas, who was 42-22-8 and led Atlantic City to the Kelly Cup Playoffs in his first season behind the bench in 2004-05, steps behind the bench for Fresno. Jason Christie comes to the first-year Utah Grizzlies from Peoria where he was 217-101-42 and advanced to the Kelly Cup Playoffs four times in five seasons. The 217 wins are the most in the 23-year history of Peoria hockey.

Coaching their first seasons in the ECHL are Ted Dent in Columbia, Derek Laxdal in Idaho, Ron Filion in Phoenix, Karl Taylor in Reading, Doug McKay in Trenton and Glenn Patrick in Wheeling.

Dent takes over for the Inferno after working as an assistant coach for Trenton and helping the team win the 2005 Kelly Cup Championship. Laxdal, who began his coaching career as a player-assistant with Roanoke of the ECHL in 1994-95, coached Wichita of the Central Hockey League for two and a half seasons after one and a half seasons as an assistant with Odessa of the CHL.

The expansion Phoenix RoadRunners are coached by Filion, who was an assistant coach with Augusta in 1999-2000 and has coached professional hockey in both the United States and France. In Reading, Taylor replaces Derek Clancey, who became an assistant coach with Manchester of the American Hockey League after leading Reading to the Kelly Cup Playoffs in 2003-04 and 2004-05. Taylor rebuilt the men's ice hockey program at the University of Waterloo, helping the team reach the postseason in both seasons he was behind the bench.

Taking over in Trenton for Haviland, who became head coach of the Norfolk Admirals in the AHL, is McKay, who returns to North America after over 10 years abroad coaching in Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands. McKay was an assistant coach in the NHL for Toronto and New Jersey and was head coach for three seasons in the International Hockey League and one season with Binghamton of the AHL. Patrick takes over behind the bench in Wheeling for Pat Bingham, who became an assistant coach with Bridgeport of the AHL. Patrick coached Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL from 1999-2003 leading the team to the finals in 2001.

The veteran bench boss of the league remains John Marks, who is entering his eighth season with Greenville and his league-record 13th season as an ECHL head coach. Marks, who coached Charlotte from 1993-98, has coached 846 regular season games and begins the season needing 32 games to tie the league record of 878 held by John Brophy, for whom the league's Coach of the Year award is named. Marks is 230-224-46 with Greenville and 421-344-81 overall and ranks second to Brophy in wins (480). Marks and Brophy share the distinction of being the only coaches in history to coach a team to both the Jack C. Riley Cup and the Patrick J. Kelly Cup while Marks and Mike Haviland are the only coaches to lead two different teams to the ECHL title. Marks led Charlotte to the Riley Cup Championship in 1996 and coached Greenville to the Kelly Cup Championship in 2002.

The second-longest tenured coach in the league is Gerry Fleming, who has led Florida to the Kelly Cup Finals each of the past two years. Fleming is 151-95-42 in the regular season and has led the Everblades to the Kelly Cup Playoffs all four years he has been behind the bench.

Jeff Pyle returns for his third season in Gwinnett where he is 82-46-16 with back-to-back postseason appearances. In six seasons as an ECHL coach, Pyle is 219-159-50 and has reached the Kelly Cup Playoffs in every season but one. Glen Gulutzan is 74-55-15 in two seasons with Las Vegas while Martin St. Amour returns for his second year in San Diego, which finished 35-29-8 in 2004-05.

In his first full season with Charlotte in 2004-05, Derek Wilkinson was 39-26-7 as the Checkers reached the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the first time in three years and had their longest postseason run in nine seasons.

Nick Vitucci was named Coach of the Year in 2004-05 after Toledo returned to the Kelly Cup Playoffs after finishing 41-26-5 in his first full season behind the bench. Vitucci, who played for Toledo from 1993-95, has won more ECHL titles than anyone, four as a player and one as an assistant coach. In his fourth season as head coach and his eighth season behind the bench for South Carolina, Jason Fitzsimmons, who is 120-74-22 with three straight postseason appearances, won a Kelly Cup title as a player for the Stingrays in 1997 and as an assistant coach for Adduono in 2001.

Davis Payne returns for his third season in Alaska, where he is 83-47-14 with back-to-back appearances in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. In five seasons as an ECHL coach, Payne is 187-114-31 and has never failed to reach the postseason.

Malcolm Cameron returns for his second season in Long Beach after leading the Ice Dogs to a 43-20-9 record and the division finals in 2004-05. Long Beach had 95 points which was a 44-point improvement from their expansion season in 2003-04. Returning for his second full season as head coach of Bakersfield is Marty Raymond, who led the Condors to a 40-22-10 record and a berth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs in 2004-05. Raymond was hired as an associate coach in February 2002 and the Condors are 117-89-29 with him behind the bench.

Returning for his second season as owner and coach for Dayton is Don MacAdam, who has a career record of 146-112-35 in six ECHL seasons, while Bryan Maxwell and the Victoria Salmon Kings will look to improve on their inaugural season.


New Rules For 2005-06

Upon the recommendation of the Rules Committee, the ECHL Board of Governors approved the adoption of the following new rules for 2005-06:

* Passes from behind the defensive blue line to the attacking blue line will be considered legal. The center red line will be ignored for purposes of the "two-line pass".

* A team that ices the puck cannot make a line change prior to the ensuing face-off.

* Dimensions of goaltender equipment will be reduced by approximately 11 percent, including a one-inch reduction in the width of leg pads to 11 inches as well as reducing the size of the blocking glove, catcher, upper-body protector and pants. Goaltenders in the ECHL must be in compliance with the new regu lations no later than December 15, the same date mandated by the American Hockey League.

* Goaltenders may play the puck behind the goal line only in a trapezoid-shaped area defined by lines that being six feet from either goal post and extend diagonally to points 28 feet apart at the endboards. Goaltenders who play the puck behind the goal line but outside the designated puck-handling area will be penalized for delay of game.

* Any player who shoots the puck directly over the glass in his defending zone will be penalized for delay of game.

The Rules Committee recommended the league work with the on-ice officiating staff to tighten the standards for the three main areas of obstruction. The league will closely monitor the new standard of enforcement being applied in the NHL and the AHL.

The ECHL has had the "tag-up rule" for several seasons, which permits play to continue if offensive players who preceded the puck into the zone return to the blue line and "tag" up. The ECHL will continue to use "no-touch" icing and will continue to use five shooters in the shootout.


2005-06 ECHL Affiliates

Alaska Aces
St. Louis Blues (NHL)
Peoria Rivermen (AHL)

Augusta Lynx
Independent

Bakersfield Condors
Independent

Charlotte Checkers
New York Rangers (NHL)
Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)

Columbia Inferno
Vancouver Canucks (NHL)
Manitoba Moose (AHL)

Dayton Bombers
Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL)
Syracuse Crunch (AHL)

Florida Everblades
Carolina Hurricanes (NHL)
Florida Panthers (NHL)
Lowell Lock Monsters (AHL)

Fresno Falcons
San Jose Sharks (NHL)
Cleveland Barons (AHL)

Greenville Grrrowl
Chicago Blackhawks (NHL)
Edmonton Oilers (NHL)
Norfolk Admirals (AHL)

Gwinnett Gladiators
Atlanta Thrashers (NHL)
Chicago Wolves (AHL)

Idaho Steelheads
Dallas Stars (NHL)
Iowa Stars (AHL)

Johnstown Chiefs
Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL)
Springfield Falcons (AHL)

Las Vegas Wranglers
Calgary Flames (NHL)
Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights (AHL)

Long Beach Ice Dogs
Montreal Canadiens (NHL)
Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL)

Pensacola Ice Pilots
Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL)
Toronto Marlies (AHL)

Phoenix RoadRunners
Independent

Reading Royals
Los Angeles Kings (NHL)
Manchester Monarchs (AHL)

San Diego Gulls
Colorado Avalanche (NHL)

South Carolina Stingrays
Washington Capitals (NHL)
Hershey Bears (AHL)

Stockton Thunder
Phoenix Coyotes (NHL)
San Antonio Rampage (AHL)

Toledo Storm
Detroit Red Wings (NHL)
San Jose Sharks (NHL)
Cleveland Barons (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL)

Trenton Titans
New York Islanders (NHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)
Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL)
Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL)

Utah Grizzlies
Independent

Victoria Salmon Kings
Independent

Wheeling Nailers
Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Wilkes-Barre Scranton (AHL)

2005-06 ECHL Critical Dates

OCTOBER
19 Opening-Day rosters due,3 p.m. ET
21 18th ECHL SEASON BEGINS

DECEMBER
21-27 Holiday roster freeze in effect.
For all players on an ECHL roster as of 5 p.m. ET, Dec. 21, a roster freeze shall apply through 9 a.m. ET, Dec. 27, with respect to waivers, trades and any other player assignments. Players may be called up or reas signed by AHL or NHL teams.

JANUARY
24-26 ECHL All-Star break
24 ECHL Skills Competition, 7 p.m. PT (Save Mart Center, Fresno)
25 ECHL All-Star Game, 7 p.m. PT (Save Mart Center, Fresno)
27 ECHL regular season resumes
Home teams begin wearing road jerseys from first half of season
Road teams begin wearing home jerseys from first half of season

FEBRUARY
6 Overseas deadline, 5 p.m. ET

MARCH
8 Recall/Assignment deadline
13 AHL Clear-Day List
15 Trade deadline, 3 p.m. ET

APRIL
5 Playoffs amateur deadline, 5 p.m. ET
10 Playoffs roster deadline, 3 p.m. ET
11 Kelly Cup Playoffs begin


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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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