The Saginaw Spirit are a major junior

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

team based in

Saginaw Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

. They are members of the West Division of the Western Conference of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overa ...

(OHL), one of the Major Junior leagues of the

Canadian Hockey League The Canadian Hockey League (CHL; french: Ligue canadienne de hockey ‒ LCH) is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canada-based major junior ice hockey leagues. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey ...

(CHL).

History

The Saginaw Spirit were born when Dick Garber, the owner of several local

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded ...

dealerships, purchased the

North Bay Centennials The North Bay Centennials were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, who played from 1982–2002. The team was based in North Bay, Ontario. History The North Bay Centennials or "Cents" as they were popularly known, were named afte ...

and moved the team to Saginaw after the 2001–02 season. Saginaw Spirit was named by an elementary school student attending Handley Elementary after a contest was held to name the new coming team. The team traces its roots back to

St. Catharines St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2016, it has an area of , 136,803 residents, and a metropolitan population of 406,074. It lies in Southern Ontari ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, where it played as the Falcons, Teepees, and Black Hawks from 1943 to 1976. It won two

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...

championships as the Teepees, in 1954 and 1960. In 1976, the franchise moved to nearby

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the U.S. state, state ...

, where it was known as the Flyers. In 1982, the team was moved again, this time to North Bay, and renamed the Centennials, where it remained until moving to Saginaw in 2002. The Spirit have done extensive promotions in the

Mid-Michigan Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and Mid Michigan corr ...

area, increasing their fan base and season ticket-holder numbers. The Spirit have one of the highest attendance rates in the Ontario Hockey League. After three rebuilding seasons the Spirit clinched their first playoff berth on March 2, 2006, but lost in the first round to the

Guelph Storm The Guelph Storm are a major junior ice hockey team based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. They have played in the OHL since the 1991–92 season. The team plays home games at the Sleeman Centre. History The franchise started as the Toronto Marl ...

. Led by Todd Watson, they made the playoffs the following two seasons, but lost to the division rival

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (often shortened to Soo Greyhounds) are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The Greyhounds play home games at the GFL Memorial Gardens. The present team was founded in 1962 as a team in th ...

both times, in six games in 2007 and in four games in 2008. In 2009, the Spirit won their first playoff series since relocating to Saginaw, sweeping Guelph in four games. They were then swept in the second round by the London Knights. On December 29, 2013, the Spirit and the

Windsor Spitfires The Windsor Spitfires are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The team is based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1971, the franchise was promoted to the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League for the 1975� ...

played the first ever outdoor game in Ontario Hockey League history. The game was played at

Comerica Park Comerica Park is a baseball stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It has been the home of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers since 2000, when the team left Tiger Stadium. History Construction Founded in 1894, the Tigers had played at the c ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

. The Spitfires won the game 6–5 in front of a shortly lived

record of 25,749 spectators, surpassed later that night by the London Knights and

Plymouth Whalers The Plymouth Whalers were a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They played out of Compuware Arena in Plymouth, Michigan, USA, a suburb of Detroit until 2015 when they were relocated to Flint, Michigan. History The Whalers ...

at the same venue.

Coaches

The first coach in Saginaw Spirit history was Dennis Desrosiers. He was well known to local fans, with many years of hockey experience in Michigan. As a player, he spent 10 years for the Saginaw Gears (IHL), and spent time coaching the

Flint Generals The Flint Generals were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Flint, Michigan. They were a member of the International Hockey League and played their home games at Perani Arena and Event Center. The Generals won two league championship ...

, Saginaw Generals &

Kalamazoo Wings The Kalamazoo Wings, nicknamed the K-Wings, are a mid-level professional ice hockey team in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A member of the ECHL's Western Conference, Central Division, they play in the 5,113-seat Wings Event Center. They are the affiliate ...

all in Michigan. ''List of coaches. Numbers of seasons in parentheses.'' *2002–03 –

Dennis Desrosiers Dennis Desrosiers (born March 28, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. He played 13 professional seasons, mostly in the International Hockey League (IHL) where he played 532 games, scoring 312 goals and 277 point ...

(2) *2003–04 –

/ Moe Mantha *2004–05 – Doug Lidster /

Bob Mancini Bob Mancini (born March 16, 1958) is a current regional manager for the USA Hockey American Development Model and the former head coach and assistant coach at the collegiate, International, and junior levels. Coaching career He also has coached ...

*2005–07 –

(3) *2007–11 – Todd Watson (5) *2011-12 – Todd Watson /

Greg Gilbert Gregory Scott Gilbert (born January 22, 1962) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. Gilbert played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) before retiring to become a coach. Gilbert is a former head coach of the ...

*2012–16 –

fired mid-season *2016 – Moe Mantha (interim) *2016–17 –

Spencer Carbery Spencer Carbery (born November 9, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger and is an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Playing career Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Carbery started his Junior Career with th ...

*2017–18 – Troy Smith *2018–present – Chris Lazary

Players

Award winners

*''2003–04'' –

Patrick McNeill Patrick McNeill (born March 17, 1987) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing men's senior hockey with the Strathroy Jets of the Wester Ontario Super Hockey League (WOSHL). Playing career Born in Strath ...

Jack Ferguson Award The Jack Ferguson Award is awarded each year to the top draft pick in the Ontario Hockey League priority selection draft. The trophy is named in honour of Jack Ferguson, a former director of OHL Central Scouting. Winners List of OHL first overall ...

- 1st overall OHL Priority Draft Selection *''2005–06'' – Ryan Daniels, F.W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy - Best Rookie GAA *''2005–06'' – Craig Goslin, OHL Executive of the Year *''2006–07'' –

Tom Pyatt Thomas Cullum Pyatt (born February 14, 1987) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He spent most of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators. Pyatt also p ...

, William Hanley Trophy - Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year *''2006–07'' – Craig Goslin, OHL Executive of the Year *''2011-12'' –

Brandon Saad Brandon Saad (born October 27, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). Saad was raised in Pittsburgh and attended Pine-Richland High School. He was dra ...

, William Hanley Trophy - Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year *''2011-12'' –

Matt Leyden Trophy The Matt Leyden Trophy is awarded annually to the Ontario Hockey League Coach of the Year. The award is chosen by fellow OHL general managers. Teams were not permitted to vote for a coach from their own hockey club. Coaches receive five points for ...

- Coach of the Year *''2015-16'' –

Will Petschenig William "Will" Petschenig (born February 3, 1995) is a Canadian- Swiss professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He was most recently contracted to play with the Kalamazoo Wings in the ECHL. He previously pl ...

Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy The Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy is awarded each year to an Ontario Hockey League player who is a positive role model, and makes a notable humanitarian contribution within his community. Originally known as the OHL Humanitarian of the Year award, it ...

- Humanitarian of the Year

Retired numbers

*89 –

Vincent Trocheck Vincent Trocheck (born July 11, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey center for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Florida Panthers in the third round, 64th overall, of the 2011 NHL Entry Draf ...

NHL alumni

Cody Bass Cody Bass (born January 7, 1987) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played for the Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets and Nashville Predators in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Senators drafted Bass in the ...

Paul Bissonnette Paul Albert Bissonnette (born March 11, 1985), nicknamed "Biz Nasty", is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Phoenix Coyotes. Bissonnette is currently a ...

* Chris Breen *

T. J. Brodie Thomas James Brodie (born June 7, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was a fourth round selection of the Calgary Flames, 114th overall, at the 2008 NHL Entry Dra ...

Ben Chiarot Ben Chiarot (born May 9, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Chiarot was drafted 120th overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He has previou ...

Matt Corrente Matthew Corrente (born March 17, 1988) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenseman who last played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New Jersey Devils. Corrente was born in Mississauga, Ontario. Playing career In 2004, ...

Filip Hronek Filip Hronek (born 2 November 1997) is a Czech professional ice hockey defenceman for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hronek previously played in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings. He was drafted 53rd overall by th ...

* John McFarland * Ryan McLeod * Jan Mursak * Ryan O'Marra *

Jamie Oleksiak Jamieson Oleksiak (born December 21, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed the "Big Rig", Oleksiak was selected 14th overall in the first ro ...

Cole Perfetti Cole Perfetti (born January 1, 2002) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected tenth overall by the Jets in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Growing up in Whitby, Ontari ...

Geoff Platt Geoff Platt (born July 10, 1985) is a Canadian–Belarusian professional ice hockey player for Tappara of Liiga. He has also played for the Växjö Lakers of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), KHL outfit Dinamo Minsk, Ilves Tampere of the Finnish ...

Dalton Prout Dalton Prout (born March 13, 1990) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman, who spent the majority of his playing career with the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 154th overall in the ...

Michael Sgarbossa Michael Sgarbossa (born July 25, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Hershey Bears in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL ...

* Mitchell Stephens * Jordan Szwarz *

Chris Thorburn Chris Thorburn (born June 3, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. He played over 800 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). Thorburn was known for his physical play and capabilities as a fighter. Early life Tho ...

* Owen Tippett *

Season-by-season results

Regular season

Legend: OTL = Overtime loss, SL = Shootout loss

Playoffs

*2002–03 Out of playoffs. *2003–04 Out of playoffs. *2004–05 Out of playoffs. *2005–06 Lost to Guelph Storm 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals. *2006–07 Lost to Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals. *2007–08 Lost to Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals. *2008–09 Defeated Guelph Storm 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals.
Lost to London Knights 4 games to 0 in conference semi-finals. *2009–10 Lost to Kitchener Rangers 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals. *2010–11 Defeated Guelph Storm 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals.
Lost to Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 2 in conference semi-finals. *2011–12 Defeated Sarnia Sting 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals.
Lost to London Knights 4 games to 2 in conference semi-finals. *2012–13 Lost to London Knights 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals. *2013–14 Lost to Erie Otters 4 games to 1 in conference quarter-finals. *2014–15 Lost to Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals. *2015–16 Lost to Erie Otters 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals. *2016–17 Out of playoffs. *2017–18 Lost to Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals. *2018–19 Defeated Sarnia Sting 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals.
Defeated Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 2 in conference semi-finals.
Lost to Guelph Storm 4 games to 3 in conference finals. *2019–20 Canceled. *2020–21 Canceled. *2021–22 Out of playoffs.

Uniforms and logos

The Saginaw Spirit logo depicts an American

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

with the colors of the Stars and Stripes along its neck, on the words "Saginaw Spirit." The uniform scheme is similar to that previously used by the U.S.A. national team. The home jerseys are white backgrounds with navy blue sleeves and red trim. The away jerseys are navy blue backgrounds with red sleeves and white trim. The Saginaw third jersey has a red background with navy blue sleeves and white trim, bearing across the chest the word "Saginaw" spelled diagonally downwards from left to right.

Mascots

Saginaw's main mascot is "Sammy Spirit," resembling an American

. The team held a vote on their website to name a new secondary mascot for the 2006–07 season. The mascot was named ''Steagle Colbeagle the Eagle'' after

Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program '' The Colbert Report'' from 2005 ...

. Colbert had promoted the contest on his show, ''

The Colbert Report ''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show fo ...

''. After naming the mascot after Colbert, the Spirit won seven straight games before losing to the

Sarnia Sting Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes where Lake Huron fl ...

on October 20. Since then, ''The Colbert Report'' had featured ongoing comedy sketches related to the team, the mascot, and other teams in the Ontario Hockey League, especially the

Oshawa Generals The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. In November 2016, th ...

, and

Oshawa Oshawa ( , also ; 2021 population 175,383; CMA 415,311) is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of Downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the ...

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

John Gray. At one game, Spirit fans threw copies of

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

' annual report, a reference to the fact that GM, the Generals sponsor, having poor earnings at the time. As a result of losing the game, the mayor of Oshawa created Stephen Colbert day.

Arena

The Spirit play at Wendler Arena (capacity 5,527), which is part of

The Dow Event Center The Dow Event Center (formerly known as Saginaw County Event Center and Saginaw Civic Center) is an indoor arena located in Saginaw, Michigan. The center consists of several parts: The Atrium, The Garden Room, The Theater, The Red Room, Huntingto ...

complex in downtown Saginaw. The OHL All-Star Classic was hosted here in 2007. This was the first time in history that the OHL All-Star Game was hosted in an American city. The Arena was formerly home to the Saginaw Gears, Saginaw Generals, Saginaw Hawks, Saginaw Wheels and the Saginaw Lumber Kings. The general manager is local high school hockey legend Matt Blasy. :Capacity = 5,527 :Ice size = 192' x 85' *'
Wendler Arena
'' The OHL Arena & Travel Guide

Radio and TV

Games can be heard live on

WSGW-FM WSGW-FM (100.5 MHz), branded FM Talk & Sports 100.5, is a radio station broadcasting a news, talk, and sports format to the Greater Tri-Cities area of Michigan. Licensed to Carrollton, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1989 under the WC ...

(100.5 FM) with Joey Battaino on play-by-play joined by Dennis Desrosiers and Domenic Papa on color commentary. Reruns of games can be viewed on WNEM-DT2 ("WNEM TV5 Plus").WNEM5+ Saginaw Spirit Rewind
SaginawSpirit.com All games can be seen live online on OHL Live.

Mid Michigan Spirit

The Saginaw Spirit in partnership with

Meijer Meijer Inc. (, ; stylized as meijer) is an American supercenter chain that primarily operates throughout the Midwest. Its corporate headquarters are in Walker, Michigan, which is a part of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area. Founded in 1934 ...

food stores sponsor the Mid Michigan Spirit, a women's hockey club based in

Midland, Michigan Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Michigan. The city's population was 42,547 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Midland Micropolitan Statistical Area, part of the larger Saginaw-Midland-Bay City Comb ...

. The 16U team took second at the MAHA state tournament during the 2006–2007 season. A 16U team moved up to 19U for the 2007–2008 season and once again took second at the MAHA state tournament in

Canton, Michigan Canton, officially the Charter Township of Canton, is a charter township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township had a population of 98,659. Canton Township is Michigan's second most-populated townsh ...

on March 9, 2008.

References

External links

www.saginawspirit.com
Saginaw Spirit official site
Ontario Hockey League
Official web site
Canadian Hockey League
Official web site {{Michigan Sports Ontario Hockey League teams Ice hockey clubs established in 2002 Amateur ice hockey teams in Michigan 2002 establishments in Michigan