Baton Rouge Kingfish
Baton Rouge Kingfish | |
---|---|
ECHL | |
Founded | 1988 |
Operated | 1996–2003 |
Home arena | Riverside Centroplex |
Head coach | Luke St. Pe |
Franchise history | |
1988–1995 | Erie Panthers |
1996–2003 | Baton Rouge Kingfish |
2004–2011 | Victoria Salmon Kings |
The Baton Rouge Kingfish were a minor professional
They played their home games at the
Louisiana Hockey Rivalries
Although league divisions were restructured several times, the Kingfish played most often in the Southwest Division, which usually included the (
Beginning with the Kingfish inaugural season in 1996–1997, the Kingfish and IceGators challenged each other annually for the Atchafalaya Governor's Cup, which was named for the river that divided the two cities and was awarded to the team with the best head-to-head record. The Kingfish won the cup in their first season despite finishing behind the IceGators in the division. The name of the cup was later changed to the Hibernia Cup when New Orleans subsequently joined the league, effectively making it a 3-way challenge for state bragging rights. New Orleans' arrival in the league did very little if anything to alter the chemistry between the existing rivals though they remained competitive in the division. Despite some modest success in head-to-head games against the IceGators, the Kingfish franchise ultimately spent most of its existence in their shadow, and were never able to match the on-ice success or popularity of the Lafayette club. The best finish for the Kingfish was in 1998–1999 as they went 3-3 in the Kelly Cup Playoffs, reaching the conference quarterfinals.
Season results
Regular Season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||
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Season | Team | GP | Pts | W | L | OTL/SOL | GP | W | L | Result | |||
1996–1997 | Baton Rouge Kingfish | 70 | 68 | 31 | 33 | 6 | - | - | - | out of playoffs | |||
1997–1998 | Baton Rouge Kingfish | 70 | 76 | 33 | 27 | 10 | - | - | - | out of playoffs | |||
1998–1999 | Baton Rouge Kingfish | 70 | 70 | 30 | 30 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 3 | lost in round 2 | |||
1999–2000 | Baton Rouge Kingfish | 70 | 71 | 33 | 32 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | lost in round 1 | |||
2000–2001 | Baton Rouge Kingfish | 72 | 81 | 35 | 26 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 2 | lost in round 1 | |||
2001–2002 | Baton Rouge Kingfish | 72 | 66 | 29 | 35 | 8 | - | - | - | Out of playoffs | |||
2002–2003 | Baton Rouge Kingfish | 72 | 49 | 20 | 43 | 9 | - | - | - | Out of playoffs | |||
2003–2004 | Franchise dormant |
Kingfish in the NHL
Former Kingfish that went on to play in the NHL include forwards
Kingfish players that had previously played in the NHL include forward Cam Brown and goaltenders Christian Soucy, Jordan Willis, and Mike Lenarduzzi. Pierre McGuire, who had previously coached the NHL's Hartford Whalers in 1993–94, joined the Kingfish in their inaugural season of 1996–97 as their head coach.