The Utah Grizzlies were an

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 in the International Hockey League (IHL) and

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the lea ...

(AHL). They originally played at the Delta Center in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

, before relocating to the

E Center The Maverik Center, originally known as the E Center, is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose arena located in West Valley City, Utah, United States. Construction on the arena started in 1996 and was completed in time to hold its first event on September ...

in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Valley City in 1997. After the 2004–05 season, the franchise was suspended. It was sold in 2006 and moved to

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

where it returned to play in 2007 as the

Lake Erie Monsters The Cleveland Monsters are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team began play in 2007 as the Lake Erie Monsters and since 2015 has served as the top affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Ho ...

. A new

Utah Grizzlies The Utah Grizzlies are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah. Franchise history The current Utah Grizzlies franchise started in 1981 as the Nashville South Stars ...

franchise in the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

began play in 2005.

History

The original Utah Grizzlies moved to Utah in 1995 after one IHL season in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

, as the NHL's Quebec Nordiques relocated to Denver to become the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (N ...

. The Grizzlies were admitted to the AHL in

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...

after the IHL folded. They played their home games in the Delta Center until the

was built a couple seasons after their arrival in Salt Lake. While in Denver, the Grizzlies won the 1994–95 Turner Cup, the championship of the IHL. After relocating to the Salt Lake City area, the Utah Grizzlies once again marched to victory in the IHL playoffs. Utah swept the

Orlando Solar Bears The Orlando Solar Bears are a professional ice hockey team that plays their home games at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. They play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference and are affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning of th ...

in four games to win the 1995–96 Turner Cup. The fourth (and final) game of the series was played in the Delta Center; 17,381 fans attended, which, at the time, set a national record for largest attendance at a minor league ice hockey game. The franchise was granted a voluntary suspension for the 2005–06 season, and on May 16, 2006, it was sold to an ownership group from

led by Dan Gilbert, the owner of the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central ...

and Quicken Loans. The franchise was moved to Cleveland to replace the departed

Cleveland Barons The name Cleveland Barons has been used by three professional hockey teams and one junior team. *Cleveland Barons (NHL), the National Hockey League team that played between 1976 and 1978 *Cleveland Barons (1937–1973), the original American Hockey ...

and resumed play in 2007 as the

. After the suspension of the IHL/AHL Grizzlies, a new ownership group purchased the

identity and resurrected a team of the same name in the

that started playing in the 2005–06 season.

Market facts

The Salt Lake City market was previously served by: * Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the WHL (1969–74) *Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the CHL (1974–84) *Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the IHL (1984–94) The franchise was replaced by: *

of the

(2005–present)

Affiliates

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conferenc ...

(1995–98) * Dallas Stars (2000–04) *

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...

(2004–05)

Season-by-season results

* Denver Grizzlies 1994–95 ( International Hockey League) * Utah Grizzlies 1995–2001 (International Hockey League) * Utah Grizzlies 2001–05 (American Hockey League)

Team records

Single season

:Goals: 46 Kip Miller (1994–95) :Assists: 60 Kip Miller (1994–95) :Points: 106 Kip Miller (1994–95) :Penalty minutes: 317 Mike MacWilliam (1995–96) :GAA: 2.21 Rich Parent (1999–00) :SV%: .928

Wade Flaherty Wade Flaherty (born January 11, 1968) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who has played in the National Hockey League for the San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, and the Nashville Pre ...

(2001–02) :Wins: 45

Tommy Salo Tommy Mikael Salo (born February 1, 1971) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey goaltender and the current general manager of Leksands IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the N ...

(1994–95) :Shutouts: 5 Mike Bales (2000–01) *Goaltending records need a minimum 25 games played by the goaltender

Career

:Career goals: 111 Chris Taylor (1994–98) :Career assists: 167 Chris Taylor :Career points: 278 Chris Taylor :Career penalty minutes: 694 John Erskine (2000–03) :Career goaltending wins: 73

(1994–96) :Career shutouts: 7 Tommy Salo :Career games: 440

Gord Dineen Gordon M. Dineen (born September 21, 1962) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. As of 2019, he is an assistant coach of the Rochester Americans. He is a former head coach for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, ...

(1994–2000)

References

External links

The Internet Hockey Database - Utah Grizzlies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Utah Grizzlies (1995-2005) Ice hockey teams in Utah Ice hockey clubs established in 1995 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2005 New York Islanders minor league affiliates Dallas Stars minor league affiliates Arizona Coyotes minor league affiliates 1995 establishments in Utah 2005 disestablishments in Utah