Orlando Solar Bears (IHL)

The Orlando Solar Bears ( IPA: [ ɔrlændoʊ ' səʊlə (r ) bɛɚs ] ) was an American ice hockey franchise in the International Hockey League from Orlando in Florida. It was founded in 1994 and took to the start of the 1995/96 season on the game mode. The team colors were purple, turquoise, orange and white.

The Solar Bears wore their home games at the Orlando Arena, and were one of the last established franchises the league - only the Grand Rapids Griffins and San Francisco Spiders were founded later, or in the same year. During the six years of its existence, the Orlando Solar Bears of the most successful teams of the time were. After final defeats in their first season and in the game in 1998/99 they won in the season 2000 / 01 - the last IHL season ever - the Turner Cup.

History

The Orlando Solar Bears were founded in 1994 as a franchise of the International Hockey League. The owner of the club was the DeVos family, which include the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League and the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association belong. Already in its first season in 1995/96 the solar Bears reached the play-off final, which was, however, lost with 0-4 defeats against the Utah Grizzlies. One of the outstanding players was Canadian Craig Fisher, who this season - scored 130 points scorer - supported by Mark Beaufait, Dave Barr and Todd Richards.

At the end of the season 1998/99 the club reached the finals again and could - as in 1996 - not win. After the Solar Bears were swept in 1996, the series went this time over the full seven games and was therefore more balanced. The decisive seventh game against the Houston Aeros could not win the team and failed thus for the second time in the final of the Turner Cup. In the previous round to Orlando had prevailed against the archrival Detroit Vipers 4-3 victories after they had already located 0:3 after playing behind. The seventh game decided the Solar Bears in overtime. In the 56- year history of IHL, it was the only series victory ever for such a residue after three games.

In the 2000 /01 season, the Solar Bears picked up 101 points and thus occupied the second place in the East Division. This entitled the club to participate in the play-offs. There, the Solar Bears reached the final, which was won with a 4-1 victory against the Chicago Wolves. The Orlando Solar Bears brought for the first time in their history the Turner Cup, the championship of the IHL. Since the league was disbanded in the summer of 2001, the club was also the last team that was able to prevail in the play-off final. Norm Maracle, the former goalkeeper of the Solar Bears, played during the season eight clean sheets and was awarded at the end of the season of the league with the James Gatschene Memorial Trophy as the best player of the season. According to the 2000 /01 season, the Orlando Solar Bears were dissolved.

Despite their successes, the DeVos family decided against the entry of solar Bears in the American Hockey League for the season 2001/ 02. The owners, who were allowed to bring only one team in the AHL, which chose also in their possession Grand Rapids Griffins out as one of the six teams. The Griffins, although inferior to the success of Orlando's clearly had earned in significantly better numbers. The majority of master cadre of the 2000/01 season played in the following year for the Chicago Wolves in the AHL, as the farm team of the Atlanta Thrashers of the National Hockey League served from 2001, after the Solar Bears had performed this function since 1999. The Wolves won the 2002 Calder Cup, the championship of the AHL.

From the 2012/13 season, a franchise of that name there will be in the ECHL after eleven years hiatus, but which only bears the same nickname and otherwise is in no way affiliated with the Solar Bears.

Achievements and honors

Sporting successes

Season statistics

Note: GP = Games, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Losses after Overtime, Pts = Points, GF = Goals Scored, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalty minutes

IHL Awards and All- Star Team nominations

Franchise Records

Career

Season

Coach

Abbreviations: GC = Matches, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Losses after Overtime, Pts = Points, Win % win rate =

The staff employed by the Orlando Solar Bears coaches were the Americans Curt Fraser and Canadian Peter Horachek.

Fraser was committed in the summer of 1995, after he had the Syracuse Crunch services a year in the American Hockey League and had been previously working for Milwaukee Admirals in the International Hockey League. With 52 wins in 82 games were the Solar Bears under Fraser in her first year, the third- best team in the regular season and failed in the play- offs only in the finale. The following year, they were able to increase the result of the season by as much as another victory. In the 1997/98 season they were in the regular season weaker than in previous years, but moved to the semifinals of the playoffs one. A year later, they reached for the second time in its four year history, the final, but failed again. With over 60 percent of recovered games in the regular season Fraser worked very successfully with the team only winning the championship did not come.

After four years under his former assistant Peter Fraser Horachek inherited the Americans in the summer of 1999. Horachek led the work of his predecessor and continued successfully reached with the team with 106 points, the best score for three years. However, he resigned in the play- offs of the 1999/2000 season from in the first round. In the following season Orlando confirmed with 101 points the previous year. In the play-offs finally succeeded in winning the Turner Cup. During the play-offs, the team lost just four of 16 games. Horachek won in the two years of his term well over 60 percent of his games.

General Manager

In its six-year franchise history, the Orlando Solar Bears employed only two general manager. Before the premiere season required owners group Don Waddell, who had previously been employed by the San Diego Gulls and Flint Spirits of the International Hockey League. Waddell held the position of General Manager in total for two seasons until the summer of 1997. Subsequently, he moved to the organization of the Detroit Red Wings, where he served as Assistant General Manager.

His successor was John Weisbrod, who had previously worked as general manager of the Albany River Rats. During his four-year tenure in Orlando, the team was very successful and won with the team in the 2000 / / 01 season the Turner Cup.

Known player

• Dave Barr
• Mark Beaufait
• Allan Bester
• Jason Blake
• Hugo Boisvert
• Jason Botterill
• Zac Boyer
• Wade Brookbank
• Brett Clark

• Sylvain Cloutier
• Frédéric Deschênes
• Kelly Fairchild
• David Gove
• Mike Hartman
• Darcy Hordichuk
• Jody Hull
• Andreas Karlsson

• Scott Langkow
• Kirby Law
• Norm Maracle
• Hubie McDonough
• Tyler Moss
• Rumun Ndur
• Grigory Panteļejevs
• Brian Pothier

• Todd Richards
• Yves Sarault
• Corey Schwab
• Ben Simon
• Dan Snyder
• Brad Tapper
• Herberts Vasiļjevs
• Jean -Pierre Vigier