Erie Panthers

The Erie Panthers were a professional hockey team, and one of the founding members in the East Coast Hockey League. Based in Erie, Pennsylvania from 1988 to 1996, they were one of the most prolific teams in the ECHL. The Panthers were known for their ability to score goals quickly and often, as well as for the over-aggressive style of play that lead to an abundance of fights. They currently hold records in 38 different categories in the ECHL.
==History==
The Panthers were created by Henry Brabham who was also a part of the creation of the ECHL itself. Erie was chosen as a location due to the success of the former Erie Golden Blades. The Panthers enjoyed success earlier on in their existence with five straight playoff appearances. Though never winning the league championship, the team was named the regular season champs for the 1989–90 season. The next three years would bring about the end of the Panthers franchise with three straight losing seasons. 
In 1996 the team would be moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and renamed the Baton Rouge Kingfish. There the team's struggles continued, making the playoffs in only one of seven seasons in Baton Rouge. In 2004 the franchise again relocated. This time moving 4,400 miles northwest to Victoria, British Columbia. There the team survives today as the Victoria Salmon Kings. Today the team has begun to regain its status as one of the top teams in the ECHL with a Division Championship in the 2007–08 season. 
== Jersey and Logos ==
thumb|100px|right|The 1991–92 logo of the Erie Panthers.
The Panthers' jerseys were black, white, and grey. The Home jersey had a white background, while the away jersey had a black background. The original logo was that of a grey panther and a hockey stick. During the 1991–92 season the use of an alternate logo was added. This logo was the face of a growling panther in dark blue. The 1994–95 season saw the last logo change for the Panthers. This logo was a caricature of a panther, under the word "Erie". Also used during the 1994–95 season was a "20th Anniversary of Hockey in Erie" patch.
== The Tullio Arena ==
The home of the Erie Panthers was the newly constructed Louis J. Tullio Arena, located in downtown Erie, Pennsylvania. The five year old arena held roughly 5,500 fans and served as one of the loudest places to play in the ECHL for eight years. Despite being a fairly new building, the Tullio Arena lacked a proper sound dampening system with the playing surface being surrounded on all sides by uncovered concrete walls. This design allowed the already loud noise of the crowd to be amplified throughout the building.
== Coaches ==
1989–95: Head coach: Ron HansisAsst. Coach: Barry Smith
1995–96: Head coach: Barry Smith
== Players ==
Over the course of the eight seasons in Erie, 225 players suited up for the Panthers. 68 of them were already drafted in the NHL Entry Draft or NHL Supplemental Draft. Only three players have ever played in the NHL after playing for the Panthers, nor has a single player been drafted after being in Erie.
Former players typically took one of two paths after leaving the team. They either played out their career in European hockey leagues, or joined the Roller Hockey International league.
=== NHL alumni ===
thumb|150px|Right|The 1995–96 logo of the Erie Panthers.
Player 	Teams 	GP 	G	A	Pts	PIM	W 	L 	T 	GAA 	SV%
Pēteris Skudra	Penguins,Bruins,Canucks 	147	-	-	- 	- 	54	47	20	2.73	.900
Barry Potomski	Kings 	68 	6	5	11 	277	- 	- 	- 	- 	-
Bill McDougall	Red Wings,Oilers,Lightning	28 	5	5	10 	12 	- 	- 	- 	- 	-
===Individual Awards===
1989 Coach of the Year: Ron Hansis
1989 MVP Award: Daryl Harpe
1989 Leading Scorer: Daryl Harpe
1989 Defenseman of the Year: Kelly Szauter
1990 MVP Award: Bill McDougall
1990 Rookie of the Year: Bill McDougall
1990 Leading Scorer: Bill McDougall
1995 Rookie of the Year: Kevin McKinnon
1995 Leading Scorer: Scott Burfoot
==Season by season results==
thumb|200px|Right|The 20th Anniversary of Hockey in Erie Patch.
Season 	Conf.	GP	W 	L 	T	OTL	Pts	Pct 	GF 	GA 	PIM 	Playoffs
1988–89	None 	60	37	20	0	3 	77 	0.642	327	256	1944	Lost in 1st round
1989–90	None 	60	38	16	0	6 	82 	0.683	357	251	1813	Lost in 2nd round
1990–91	East 	64	31	30	0	3 	65 	0.508	302	302	1845	Lost in 1st round
1991–92	West 	64	33	27	0	4 	70 	0.547	284	309	1662	Lost in 1st round
1992–93	West 	64	35	25	0	4 	74 	0.578	305	307	2012	Lost in 2nd round
1993–94	North	68	27	36	0	5 	59 	0.434	264	334	2052	Did not qualify
1994–95	North	68	18	46	0	4 	40 	0.294	256	356	2092	Did not qualify
1995-96	North	70	25	40	0	5 	55 	0.393	227	293	2433	Did not qualify
==Championships==
1988–89 Henry Brabham Cup (Regular season points champions)
==Team records==
Team Records for a single season	Team Records for a single season	Team Records for a single season
Statistic 	Total 	Season
Most points 	82 	1989–90
Most wins 	38 	1989–90
Most goals for 	357 	1989–90
Least goals for 	227 	1995–96
Least goals against 	251 	1989–90
Most goals against 	356 	1994–95
Longest win streak 	12 	1989–90
Most power-play goals 	108 	1992–93
Individual player records for a single season	Individual player records for a single season	Individual player records for a single season	Individual player records for a single season
Statistic 	Player 	Total 	Season
Most Goals 	Bill McDougall 	80 	1989–90
Most Assists 	Daryl Harpe 	84 	1989–90
Most Points 	Bill McDougall 	148 	1989–90
Most Points, rookie 	Kevin McKinnon 	85 	1994–95
Most Points, defenceman 	Ryan Kummu 	76 	1991–92
Most Penalty Minutes 	Greg Spenrath 	344 	1992–93
Best GAA (Goalie) 	Craig Barnett 	3.93 	1989–90
Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played 	Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played 	Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played 	Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played
Top 10 points leaders in Panthers history	Top 10 points leaders in Panthers history	Top 10 points leaders in Panthers history	Top 10 points leaders in Panthers history
Player 	Total 	Seasons (#) 	
Peter Buckeridge 	275 	1989–93 (4) 	
Daryl Harpe 	194 	1988–90 (2) 	
Ed Zawatsky 	189 	1990–93 (3) 	
Ryan Kummu 	185 	1989–92 (3) 	
Doug Stromback 	178 	1988–91 (3) 	
Grant Ottenbreit 	171 	1988–91 (3) 	
Bill McDougall 	148 	1989–90 (1) 	
Glen Goodall 	126 	1991–93 (2) 	
Stephane Charbonneau 	121 	1993–95 (2) 	
Bill Gall 	117 	1991–93 (2) 	
Top 10 penalty leaders in Panthers history	Top 10 penalty leaders in Panthers history	Top 10 penalty leaders in Panthers history	Top 10 penalty leaders in Panthers history
Player 	Total 	Seasons (#) 	
Grant Ottenbreit 	845 	1988–91 (3) 	
Greg Spenrath 	751 	1990–93 (2) 	
Cam Brown 	698 	1992–96 (3) 	
Ryan Kummu 	495 	1989–92 (3) 	
Brad Harrison 	450 	1994–96 (2) 	
Steve Wienke 	364 	1988–92 (3) 	
Jim Lessard 	307 	1992–94 (2) 	
Daryl Harpe 	304 	1988–90 (2) 	
Rob McDougall 	301 	1988–91 (3) 	
Dan O'Rourke 	296 	1993–94 (1) 	
== League Records ==
The Erie Panthers are ranked in the Top 5 of 38 categories kept track of by the ECHL. Of those, they are ranked #1 in 15 categories. Below is only a partial list of these records.
See Also: List of Erie Panthers League Records.
Most penalty minutes (Career)
#1: 2,425 - Cam Brown (Chill 91-93, Panthers 93-96, Kingfish 96-02, Gladiators 02-06)
Most goals, both teams (One game)
#1: 21 - Erie Panthers (13) vs. Carolina Thunderbirds (8), Dec. 21, 1988
#2: 20 - Richmond Renegades (15) vs. Erie Panthers (5), Dec. 23, 1990
#3: 19 - Erie Panthers (11) vs. Knoxville Cherokees (8), Mar. 18, 1989
Highest goals-per-game average (One season)
#1: 5.95 - Erie Panthers, 1989-90 (357 goals in 60 games)
#4: 5.45 - Erie Panthers, 1988-89 (327 goals in 60 games)
Fastest three goals
#1: 21 seconds - Doug Stromback (12:19), Daryl Harpe (12:29) and Hank Banas (12:40 of 3rd period),
Erie vs. Knoxville, Nov. 29, 1988>
Most penalty minutes, both teams (One game)
#1: 244 - Toledo Storm (124) vs. Erie (120), Mar. 22, 1993
==References==
General reference
HockeyDB.com
ECHL.com
Category:American ice hockey teams
Category:ECHL Teams