Newfoundland Growlers
Newfoundland Growlers | |
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City | St. John's, NL |
League | ECHL |
Conference | Eastern |
Division | North |
Founded | 2018 |
Dissolved | 2024 |
Colours | Gold, black |
Parent club(s) | Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) Toronto Marlies (AHL) |
Website | nlgrowlers |
Championships | |
Kelly Cups | 2019 |
The Newfoundland Growlers were a professional
History
The search for a new professional hockey team for St. John's began after the
From that point two rival groups formed: the operators of the
The ECHL franchise was conditionally approved but was delayed in late January 2018 after the dispute with the St. John's Edge ownership group over arena rights went to
The Growlers played their first game on October 12, 2018, a 3–2 win over the Florida Everblades in front of a sold-out arena.[13] In January 2019, Clowe stepped down due to health concerns and was replaced by assistant coach John Snowden.[14] The Growlers finished the season first in their division with 94 points. The Growlers then advanced to the finals of the 2019 playoffs defeating the Toledo Walleye in six games to win the Kelly Cup. The Growlers were the second team after the 1989–90 Greensboro Monarchs to win the ECHL championship in its first season of operations.[15][16] They were also the first Canadian team to win the Cup.
The Growlers did not defend their title in 2020 as the playoffs were cancelled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The club then voluntarily suspended operations for the 2020–21 ECHL season due to ongoing pandemic travel restrictions.[17] In the 2021 offseason, head coach John Snowden was hired by the Growlers' AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, as an assistant coach[18] with Eric Wellwood later named head coach for the 2021–22 season.[19] With Wellwood unavailable in February 2022 due to COVID-19 protocols, the Growlers hired Danielle Goyette as a temporary assistant coach, making Goyette the first woman to coach an ECHL team.[20]
Mascot
Buddy the Puffin served as the mascot of the Growlers. Buddy, a longtime sports mascot in St. John's, was previously the mascot of the St. John's Maple Leafs and later the St. John's IceCaps. Buddy wore number 92, which represents 1992, the year that he was introduced as the mascot of the St. John's Maple Leafs. Chris Abbott, the man who wore Buddy's costume, died in 2022. Buddy was then retired by the Growlers. In December 2022, the Growlers introduced Buddy Jr. sporting the number 22. Buddy was also the mascot for the St. John's Edge basketball team.[21]
2021 arena dispute
In July 2021, co-tenant of Mile One Centre, the St. John's Edge basketball team, were not given the option to renew their lease despite being in negotiations with the Growlers ownership, Deacon Sports and Entertainment (DSE), to purchase the Edge.[22][23][24] This led to a dispute between DSE and the City of St. John's as the Growlers still needed to renew their lease agreement as well, which they did, signing a three-year agreement in August 2021.[25] However, the operations of the arena was continued to be criticized by DSE and tickets were not being sold a week before their first scheduled home game of the 2021–22 season.[26]
On October 27, 2021, citing workplace harassment of arena employees, the city voted to evict the team, which elicited the threat of a lawsuit from DSE.[27] A third-party investigation was undertaken. The Growlers initially scheduled their first six home games for the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, the home of their AHL parent club, the Toronto Marlies, in case they could not secure a local arena.[28][29] They subsequently came to an agreement with the nearby town of Conception Bay South to play their first six games at the CBS Arena.[30] On November 18, DSE and the city of St. John's came to an agreement to play the rest of the season at the Mile One Centre, renamed Mary Brown's Centre, in early November.[31]
End of operations
On April 2, 2024, the
Season-by-season records
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | GF | GA | Standing | Year | 1st round | 2nd round | 3rd round | Kelly Cup |
2018–19 | 72 | 43 | 21 | 4 | 4 | 94 | 258 | 207 | 1st, North | 2019 | W, 4–2, BRM | W, 4–2, MAN | W, 4–1, FLA | W, 4–2, TOL |
2019–20 | 60 | 42 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 85 | 240 | 177 | 1st, North | 2020 | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |||
2020–21 | Opted out of participating due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic | 2021 | did not participate | |||||||||||
2021–22 | 67 | 42 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 89 | 262 | 191 | 2nd, North | 2022 | W, 4–3, TRL | W, 4–3, REA | L, 1–4, FLA | — |
2022–23 | 72 | 48 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 98 | 271 | 217 | 1st, North | 2023 | W, 4–1, ADK | W, 4–1, REA | L, 2–4, FLA | — |
2023–24 | 66 | 28 | 28 | 8 | 2 | 66 | 220 | 234 | Ceased operations before conclusion of season | 2024 | — |
Notes
- ^ Former Growlers signed to a new club are ineligible for their new club's protected list and will become free agents at the conclusion of the season, with the exception of Serron Noel, whose rights will return to the Allen Americans as part of an unpaid future consideration by Newfoundland.
References
- ^ The Newfoundland Herald. June 14, 2018.
- ^ a b "ECHL's Newfoundland Growlers terminated by league". sportsnet.ca. April 2, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
- ^ "IceCaps Seek New Hockey Partner". OurSports Central. July 11, 2016.
- ^ "Canadiens moving AHL affiliate to Laval in 17-18". AHL. July 11, 2016.
- ^ "A brand new hockey game at Mile One in St. John's?". The Telegram. December 7, 2017.
- ^ "Faceoff over Mile One: Local group seeks ECHL franchise for St. John's". The Telegram. December 8, 2017.
- ^ "Securing Of ECHL Team On Hold During Arbitration: MacDonald". VOCM-FM. January 30, 2018.
- ^ "BOARD OF GOVERNORS APPROVES CHANGES FOR 2018-19 SEASON". ECHL. March 13, 2018. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ "St. John's ECHL bid strikes partnership with Toronto Maple Leafs: sources". The Aurora. January 19, 2018.
- ^ "Newfoundland Growlers looks to be the name choice for new ECHL team". The Telegram. April 26, 2018.
- ^ "Ryane Clowe Named Head Coach of Newfoundland Growlers". OurSportsCentral.com. June 20, 2018.
- ^ "John Snowden Hired as Newfoundland Growlers' Assistant Coach". TheTelegram.com. July 19, 2018.
- ^ "Growlers Win Inaugural Game". OurSportsCentral.com. October 12, 2018.
- ^ "Ryane Clowe steps down as Newfoundland Growlers coach 'due to medical reasons'". CBC. January 24, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
- ^ "NEWFOUNDLAND WINS 2019 KELLY CUP TITLE". ECHL. June 4, 2019.
- ^ "Newfoundland Growlers cap inaugural season with Kelly Cup title". Sportsnet. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
- ^ "NORTH DIVISION ELECTS SUSPENSION OF PLAY FOR 2020-21 SEASON". ECHL. November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- ^ "Toronto Marlies Name John Snowden Assistant Coach". OurSports Central. July 18, 2021.
- ^ "ERIC WELLWOOD NAMED HEAD COACH". Newfoundland Growlers. August 20, 2021.
- ^ "N.L. Growlers' Danielle Goyette becomes first woman in ECHL history to coach". Sportsnet. February 4, 2022.
- ^ "Newfoundland Growlers unveil new mascot, Buddy the Puffin Jr". NTV. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ "Tentative Deal Reached for New St. John's Basketball Franchise". VOCM (AM). July 15, 2021.
- ^ "FAST FACTS ON THE NEW BASKETBALL DEAL". Newfoundland Growlers. July 16, 2021.
- ^ "City 'Edges Out' Dean MacDonald with New Tentative Basketball Deal". VOCM. July 15, 2021.
- ^ "City of St. John's, Newfoundland Growlers reach lease agreement for Mile One Centre". CBC.ca. August 25, 2021.
- ^ "GROWLERS STATEMENT REGARDING TICKETING". Growlers. October 25, 2021.
- ^ "Deacon Sports says Growlers "Kicked Out" of Mile One". vocm.com. October 27, 2021.
- ^ "Newfoundland Growlers to play next homestand in Toronto; after that is anyone's guess". saltwire.com. October 27, 2021.
- ^ "UPDATE: Newfoundland Growlers to play at Coca-Cola Coliseum after getting barred from their arena pending investigation". SBNation. October 7, 2021.
- ^ "GROWLERS TO PLAY FIRST SIX GAMES OF THE SEASON AT CBS ARENA". Newfoundland Growlers. October 30, 2021.
- ^ "DSE and SJSEL Issue Joint Statement". OurSports Central. November 23, 2021.
- ^ Vachon, Matthew (April 2, 2024). "Un sursis accordé aux Lions". Le Nouvelliste (in French). Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ "ECHL Terminates Newfoundland Membership". ECHL. Retrieved April 2, 2024.