Greenville Grrrowl
| Greenville Grrrowl | |
 | |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Home ice | BI-LO Center |
| Based in | Greenville, South Carolina |
| Colors | Black, Gold, Purple, Silver |
| League | ECHL |
| Head coach | John Marks |
The Greenville Grrrowl were an ECHL hockey team located in Greenville, South Carolina. They played their home games at the BI-LO Center. In the 2001–02 season, they won the Kelly Cup.[1]
The Grrrowl's initial season was 1998–99, with former Chicago Blackhawks defensive star John Marks as their coach. He remained their only coach from 1998 to 2006.[2] They were an affiliate of the AHL Norfolk Admirals,[3] and an affiliate of the NHL Chicago Blackhawks and the Edmonton Oilers.[1]
The team announced that it was folding on June 2, 2006, after running a US$1,000,000 deficit during 2005 that left the team unable to attract new investors.[4] They began losing money after attendance slid from 7,000 per game in their first season to just 2,100 in 2004-05.[1] On June 15 the BI-LO Center announced they were willing to pay $350,000 to keep the team afloat, hoping to entice developers to save the team.[5] Despite the offer, the Greenville Grrrowl ceased operations on July 10, 2006 when the team failed to find new sources of financing.[1] According to Grrrowl President Ed Rubinstein, the team only plans to refund "some percentage" of money already paid by season ticket holders.[1]
Playoffs
- 1998–99: Did not qualify.
- 1999–00: Defeated Mobile 3-2 in first round; defeated Augusta 3-1 in quarterfinals; lost to Louisiana 4-2 in semifinals.
- 2000–01: Did not qualify.
- 2001–02: Defeated Florida 3-2 in first round; defeated Pee Dee 3-1 in quarterfinals; defeated Mississippi 3-1 in semifinals; defeated Dayton 4-0 to win championship.
- 2002–03: Defeated Florida 1-0 in first round; lost to Columbia 3-0 in second round.
- 2003–04: Did not qualify.
- 2004–05: Defeated Pensacola 3-1 in first round; lost to Florida 3-0 in quarterfinals.
- 2005–06: Defeated Augusta 2-0 in first round; lost to Florida 3-1 in second round.
Retired numbers
- #36 – Nick Vitucci retired in 2004. Nick played in 14 ECHL Seasons, his last 3 with the Greenville Grrrowl. He later became the head coach for the Toledo Walleye.[6]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Dykes, Davis (2006-07-12). "Grrrowl fold; arena expected to lose money without team". The Greenville News. Retrieved 2006-09-03.
- ↑ Grrrowl.com, Head Coach: John Marks
- ↑ ChicagoBlackhawks.com, Hawks, Admirals Announce Affiliation w/ Toledo After Greenville Grrrowl Folds
- ↑ Szobody, Ben and Dykes, Davis (2006-05-23). "Grrrowl not paying some bills, president says". The Greenville News. Retrieved 2006-09-03.
- ↑ Szobody, Ben (2006-06-15). "Bi-Lo Center may pitch in for Grrrowl". The Greenville News. Retrieved 2006-09-03.
- ↑ toledowalleye.com, http://www.toledowalleye.com/team/coachingstaff/
External links
| Preceded by South Carolina Stingrays |
Kelly Cup Champions 2001-02 |
Succeeded by Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies |