Thunder Bay Thunder Cats

The Thunder Bay Thunder Cats was the name of the Rockford IceHogs of the UHL (now the International Hockey League) prior to moving to Rockford. The team went through a number of different names prior to being the Thunder Cats, including the Thunder Bay Thunder Hawks and the Thunder Bay Senators.

History
After the success of the 5-time Allan Cup champion Thunder Bay Twins, the Colonial Hockey League took interest in expanding to the Northwestern Ontario city.  In 1991, the Colonial league introduced the Thunder Bay Thunder Hawks, spelling the end of the 21-year Twins franchise that stepped aside for the new Semi-Pro team.  In 1993, the team changed its name to the Thunder Bay Senators to reflect the teams affiliation with the National Hockey League's Ottawa Senators.  Soon after, the CoHL changed its name to the United Hockey League and in 1996 the team became the Thunder Bay Thunder Cats.

After eight seasons in Thunder Bay, the Thunder Cats were bought, moved to Rockford, Illinois, and renamed the Rockford IceHogs in 1999.

Season-by-Season results
 Season  GP  W  L  T  OTL  GF  GA  Pts  Final standing  Playoffs1991–9260 26 28 6 —309 289 62 3rd CoHL Won Championship1992–9360 32 24 4 —288 271 68 3rd CoHL Lost semi-final1993–9464 45 15 4 —331 236 94 1st CoHL Won Championship1994–9574 48 22 4 —341 279 100 1st CoHL Won Championship1995–9674 36 26 12 —302 289 84 4th CoHL Lost Championship1996–9774 43 23 8 —333 266 94 4th CoHL Lost semi-final1997–9874 42 26 0 6 337 304 90 4th UHL Lost quarter-final1998–9974 47 20 0 7 325 247 101 3rd UHL Lost semi-final

References
International Hockey League History 

Category:Ice hockey teams in Ontario
Category:Thunder Bay