Huntsville Tornado
| Huntsville Channel Cats | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City | Huntsville, Alabama |
| League |
Southern Hockey League (1995–96) Central Hockey League (1996–2001) South East Hockey League (2003–04) |
| Operated | 1995–2004 |
| Home arena | Von Braun Center |
| Colors | teal, black, and white |
| Head coach |
Larry Floyd (1996–1998) Chris Stewart (1998–1999) Pat Bingham (1999–2000) Craig Coxe (2000–2001) Brad Gratton (2001) John Gibson (2003–2004) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1995–2000 | Huntsville Channel Cats |
| 2000–2001 | Huntsville Tornado |
| 2003–2004 | Huntsville Channel Cats |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 2003–04 (SEHL) |
| Division Championships | 1996–97 (CHL) 1998–99 (CHL) |
| Playoff championships | 1995–96 President's Cup (SHL) 1998–99 Ray Miron President's Cup (CHL) 2003–04 President's Championship Cup (SEHL) |
The Huntsville Channel Cats was a professional ice hockey team based in Huntsville, Alabama. The franchise was a member of several different leagues, the Southern Hockey League (1995–1996), the Central Hockey League (1996–2001) and the South East Hockey League (2003–2004). They played their home games at Von Braun Center Arena in downtown Huntsville.
In 1995 two doctors in Knoxville, Tennessee, John Staley and John Minchey, created a new hockey franchise in Huntsville to join the newly expanded Southern Hockey League. The Channel Cats won the league's first and only championship, as the SHL folded later that year. The Channel Cats then joined the Eastern Division of the Central Hockey League for the 1996–97 season. The Channel Cats remained with the CHL for five seasons winning the CHL championship (Ray Miron President's Cup) in 1999.
Following the 1999 championship win the team was sold to a Boaz, Alabama, businessman, John Cherney. Cherney felt that the team had a bad name with the local business community and changed the name of the team to the Huntsville Tornado along with the team colors to red and white. Many fans took offense to the new name that referenced a tornado that struck South Huntsville in 1989 killing 21 people. The new 2000–01 seasons saw many fan favorites leave the team, and a drop down in the standings which resulted in a drop in attendance. Amid concerns over sharing arena space and weekend dates with the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers hockey team and the new NBDL Huntsville Flight basketball team, as well as the CHL's desire to contract to more south-central US markets, the team did not compete in the next two seasons. Cherney had also threatened to move the team to Madison, a suburb of Huntsville, if he did not get the dates he wanted, to no avail.
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