The Monroe Moccasins were a professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

team that played in the

Western Professional Hockey League The Western Professional Hockey League (abbreviated WPHL) was a minor professional ice hockey league. The WPHL operated from 1996 to 2001 with teams based in the southern United States, primarily Texas and Louisiana. The league started with six te ...

. Based in

Monroe, Louisiana Monroe is the ninth-largest city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and is the parish seat and largest city of Ouachita Parish. With a 2020 census-tabulated population of 47,702, it is the principal city of the Monroe metropolitan statistical ...

from 1997 until the end of the 2001 season, the team played its home games at the Monroe Civic Center.

History

Monroe was awarded an expansion franchise in May 1997 slated to begin play that October. After early troubles with ownership and securing home ice at the civic center, the team would begin the season by going 4-3 on the road before playing their first home game before a sold out crowd on November 8. Coached by Rob Bremner, the team would see moderate success for their inaugural season finishing one game out of the playoffs and averaging 3,178 fans per game. Prior to the 1998-99 season, permanent ice was installed at the civic center allowing for the team to remain in Monroe. On the ice, the squad would see the franchise's first playoff berth. However with declining attendance, Rob Bremner was relieved of his coaching duties following the season. For the 1999-00 season, former Moccasin

Brian Curran Brian Phillip Curran (born November 5, 1963) is a Canadian ice hockey coach, executive and former player. Curran was born in Toronto, Ontario, but grew up in Veteran, Alberta. Career Selected by the Boston Bruins in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, he ...

was selected as head coach. Playing a more aggressive style, the team would advance once again to the playoffs where they would subsequently lose in the first round to Arkansas. Leading into the 2000-01 season, the future of the franchise came into question as a result of the continual decline in attendance. By February 2000, the team was being kept afloat by the league itself. After falling severely short in securing 2,500 season tickets for the 2001-02 season with just 653 sold, the team would cease operation that June. In 2024, it was announced that a new team would call Monroe home, the team is also named the Monroe Moccasins and will play in the Federal Prospects Hockey League starting in 2024-25.

Year-by-year record

References

{{reflist Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States Sports clubs and teams in Monroe, Louisiana Defunct ice hockey teams in Louisiana 1997 establishments in Louisiana 2001 disestablishments in Louisiana Ice hockey clubs established in 1997 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2001