Pensacola Ice Pilots
| Pensacola Ice Pilots | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City | Pensacola, Florida |
| League | Formerly the ECHL |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Home arena | Pensacola Civic Center |
| Colors | Navy blue, gold |
| Affiliates | New York Islanders |
| Franchise history | |
| 1989–1996 | Nashville Knights |
| 1996–2008 | Pensacola Ice Pilots |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 1 (2004–05) |
| Division Championships | 1 (2004–05) |
| Conference Championships | 1 (1997–98) |
| Kelly Cups | None |
The Pensacola Ice Pilots was a minor league ice hockey team located in Pensacola, Florida. The team was previously affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders (2006–07), and the Chicago Blackhawks. They have also had a working agreement with the Houston Aeros of the AHL for the 04–05 season. On June 23, 2008, the ECHL announced that it had terminated the Ice Pilots' membership, effective immediately.
The team's colors (navy blue and gold) and nickname were a tribute to the long history of Naval aviation in Pensacola (Naval Air Station Pensacola is home to the legendary Blue Angels and the National Museum of Naval Aviation).
The home of the Pensacola Ice Pilots was the Pensacola Civic Center, which was referred to as "The Hangar", and has a capacity of 8,150.
The Ice Pilots were formerly the Nashville Knights but moved to Pensacola following the 1995–96 season.
After the 2007–08 season, when the Ice Pilots had finished dead last for three consecutive years, team owner Mario Forgione announced he had no intention of fielding a team in Pensacola for the ECHL during the 2008–2009 season. Forgione announced plans to keep a team in Pensacola, but one in an unnamed, lower-level league. The ECHL then stated that it would revoke the franchise if need be, and the ECHL made it official on Monday, June 23, 2008. On April 4, 2009, the SPHL announced discussions between potential investors, key government officials, local fans and business leaders in Pensacola, Florida relative to the award of a franchise for the 2009-10 SPHL season. However, the press release stopped short of explicitly stating that this expansion team would not be the Ice Pilots franchise owned by Mario Forgione. Instead the league formed a new team, Pensacola Ice Flyers owned by former NHL player Tim Kerr.
...
Wikipedia