30 Teams Play 1,080 Games Beginning October 22
May 25, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release
PRINCETON, N.J. â The ECHL will have 30 teams in 17 states and British
Columbia playing 1,080 games in 2004-05. The league, which added nine new
markets in 2003-04, welcomes its first team in Canada in 2004-05 with the
addition of Victoria, British Columbia. Beginning on October 22 and
concluding on April 9, 2005, each of the teams will play a 72-game schedule
comprised of 36 home and 36 road games.
The ECHL will open at a later date as a result of the National Hockey
League and the American Hockey League, which are scheduled to open later
because of the World Cup of Hockey. The Premier "AA" Hockey League, the
ECHL had affiliation agreements with 21 of the 30 teams in the NHL and 21
of the 28 teams in the AHL in 2003-04.
Division and conference alignments and the format of the 2005 Kelly Cup
Playoffs will be announced at a later date.
Opening night on October 22 will have 14 games including the Idaho
Steelheads raising Pacific Division Champion, Western Conference Champion
and Kelly Cup Champion banners to the rafters in the Bank of America Centre
when they host the Alaska Aces in a rematch of the Pacific Division Finals.
Victoria will play its first ECHL game when it visits Bakersfield, and the
Eastern Conference Champion Florida Everblades will raise their Southern
Division Champion and Eastern Conference Champion banners in TECO Arena
when they host Texas.
Rivalries will be revisited when Mississippi hosts Louisiana and Trenton
hosts Reading while in-state foes meet with Columbia hosting South
Carolina, Gwinnett visiting Augusta (Georgia), and Long Beach hosting San
Diego (California). The meeting between Columbia and South Carolina will be
the first since South Carolina eliminated the defending Southern Conference
Champions in the Southern Division Semifinals.
In other opening night match-ups, Las Vegas visits Fresno, Greensboro hosts
Atlantic City, Charlotte plays at Greenville, Pee Dee hosts Roanoke, Dayton
travels to Peoria, and Toledo hosts Wheeling.
There are 14 games on October 23 including original ECHL member Johnstown
opening its 17th season in the league when it hosts Wheeling. In other home
openers on October 23, Trenton will play at Reading, who will raise its
Northern Conference Champion banner, while Fresno visits San Diego, who
will hoist its Brabham Cup Champion banner, and South Carolina will host
Charlotte.
There are five home openers on October 29 with Alaska hosting San Diego,
Atlantic City hosting Trenton, Dayton hosting Wheeling, Roanoke hosting
Augusta and Florida traveling to Gwinnett, who will raise its Central
Division Champion banner. The meeting between Alaska and San Diego will be
the first since Alaska swept regular season point champion San Diego in the
Pacific Division Semifinals.
Three more home openers will be on October 30 with Charlotte hosting
Columbia, Texas hosting Louisiana and Pensacola hosting Florida. Las Vegas
plays its home opener on November 2 when its hosts Long Beach. Louisiana
will play its first home game on November 5 when it hosts Texas.
The first ECHL team outside of the United States, Victoria will play the
last home opener of the season on December 5 when it hosts Bakersfield in a
rematch of the season opener. Victoria will play at the new Save-On-Food
Centre, a $30 million state-of-the-art multipurpose facility with a seating
capacity of 7,000. Victoria will head southeast in March to visit Florida
for three games on March 15, 25 and 26 while also playing at Texas on March
17, at Louisiana on March 19-20 and at Pensacola on March 22.
It will be a rematch of the Kelly Cup Finals when Florida travels to Idaho
for three games on November 10, 12 and 13 as part of a nine-game road trip
that also includes a game at San Diego on November 4 and two games at Long
Beach on November 5 and 6. The Steelheads will travel south for five games
in March visiting Louisiana on March 16 and 18, Texas on March 19 and 20
and Mississippi on March 22. Idaho will visit Las Vegas on November 19 for
the first meeting since the Steelheads won three games in a row to
eliminate Las Vegas in the Pacific Division Semifinals.
Reading will visit Johnstown on November 5, Wheeling on November 6 and
Peoria on November 25. In their first-ever postseason appearance, the
Royals won the Northern Division by beating Johnstown in the Wild Card
Game, Wheeling in the Semifinals and Peoria in the Finals. Reading will
make a six-game swing down south visiting Mississippi on December 28 and
31, Louisiana on December 29, Texas on January 1 and 2 and Pensacola on
January 4.
Two teams that Florida eliminated on its way to the Eastern Conference
title return to the Sunshine State with the Everblades hosting South
Carolina on December 10 and 11 and Roanoke on February 11-12. The meeting
with the Express will be the first since the Southern Division Semifinals.
Peoria will host Atlantic City on November 5 in the first game since the
Rivermen eliminated the defending Kelly Cup Champions in the Northern
Division Semifinals. After hosting Idaho last season, Peoria will ring in
the New Year with the Steelheads on December 31 and January 1 before
traveling to Fresno on January 4, San Diego on January 5 and Las Vegas on
January 7 and 8.
Las Vegas will again play a Midnight Madness game when it hosts Fresno on
December 20. The Wranglers make a 10-game road swing that includes
Louisiana on November 23, Texas on November 24, Mississippi on November 25,
Florida on November 27 and 30 and Pensacola on November 28 before finishing
at Alaska on December 3-4 and Idaho on December 10-11.
Mississippi will travel to Victoria for three games on December 10, 11 and
13 and then heads to Alaska for three games on December 17-19.
Greenville will make a five-game trip west visiting Fresno on December 7
and 12, Long Beach on December 10, Bakersfield on December 11, and Las
Vegas on December 14.
Alaska will host Wheeling for three games on February 11-13 before
traveling east for five games visiting Peoria on February 18, 19 and 24,
Dayton on February 20 and Toledo on February 23.
After its three games at Alaska, Wheeling will travel to San Diego on
February 16 and Bakersfield on February 17.
Bakersfield will make its trip east in January visiting Roanoke on January
4 and 5, Reading on January 7, Johnstown on January 8, Trenton on January 9
and Atlantic City on January 12.
Fresno travels to Peoria on December 28 and 29, Wheeling on December 31 and
January 2 and Johnstown on January 1. Long Beach plays at Trenton on
November 23 and 28, at Atlantic City on November 24 and 26 and at Johnstown
on November 27.
San Diego has a seven-game road trip east visiting Peoria on January 28,
Dayton on January 29, Toledo on January 30 and February 2, Wheeling on
February 4, Johnstown on February 5 and Wheeling on February 6.
Louisiana will travel to Charlotte on December 8, to Greensboro for two
games on January 10-11 and to Roanoke for two games on December 12 and 14.
Toledo will make a trip to Nevada and California visiting Las Vegas for
three games on November 5-6 and 13, Fresno on November 9 and Bakersfield on
November 11 and 12. Gwinnett travels to California for five games in March
visiting Fresno on March 22, Long Beach on March 23, Bakersfield on March
25 and 26 and San Diego on March 27.
Hosted by the Reading Royals at the 7,215-seat Sovereign Center, the 2005
ECHL All-Star Game will be played on January 26 and the All-Star Skills
Competition will be held on January 25.
2004-05 ECHL Home Openers
Alaska Aces
October 29 vs. San Diego Gulls
Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies
October 29 vs. Trenton
Titans
Augusta Lynx
October 22 vs. Gwinnett Gladiators
Bakersfield Condors
October 22 vs. Victoria
Charlotte Checkers
October 30 vs. Columbia Inferno
Columbia Inferno
October 22 vs. South Carolina
Stingrays
Dayton Bombers
October 29 vs. Wheeling Nailers
Florida Everblades
October 22 vs. Texas Wildcatters
Fresno Falcons
October 22 vs. Las Vegas Wranglers
Greensboro Generals
October 22 vs. Atlantic City Boardwalk
Bullies
Greenville Grrrowl
October 22 vs. Charlotte Checkers
Gwinnett Gladiators
October 29 vs. Florida
Everblades
Idaho Steelheads
October 22 vs. Alaska Aces
Johnstown Chiefs
October 23 vs. Wheeling Nailers
Las Vegas Wranglers
November 2 vs. Long Beach Ice
Dogs
Long Beach Ice Dogs
October 22 vs. San Diego Gulls
Louisiana IceGators
November 5 vs. Texas Wildcatters
Mississippi Sea Wolves
October 22 vs. Louisiana
IceGators
Pee Dee Pride
October 22 vs. Roanoke Express
Pensacola Ice Pilots
October 30 vs. Florida
Everblades
Peoria Rivermen
October 22 vs. Dayton Bombers
Reading Royals
October 23 vs. Trenton Titans
Roanoke Express
October 29 vs. Augusta Lynx
San Diego Gulls
October 23 vs. Fresno Falcons
South Carolina Stingrays
October 23 vs. Charlotte
Checkers
Texas Wildcatters
October 30 vs. Louisiana IceGators
Toledo Storm
October 22 vs. Wheeling Nailers
Trenton Titans
October 22 vs. Reading Royals
Victoria
December 5 vs. Bakersfield Condors
Wheeling Nailers
October 30 vs. Toledo Storm
Complete league and team schedules available online at www.echl.com
A text version of the league schedule and text versions of individual
team schedules are available by clicking the links below.
2004-05
ECHL Schedule
Atlantic City
Boardwalk Bullies
ECHL Stories from May 25, 2004
- Steelheads announce 2004-05 schedule - Idaho Steelheads
- Ice Pilots Announce 2004-2005 Schedule - Pensacola Ice Pilots
- Steelheads to celebrate Kelly Cup championship at Alive After Five Wednesday - Idaho Steelheads
- Checkers release 2004-05 schedule - Charlotte Checkers
- Roanoke Express announces 2004-05 schedule - Roanoke Express
- Chiefs Release 2004-2005 Schedule - Johnstown Chiefs
- Florida Releases 2004-05 Season Schedule - Florida Everblades
- Ice Dogs Announce 2004-05 Schedule - Long Beach Ice Dogs
- Wildcatters Release 2004-05 Season Schedule - Texas Wildcatters
- Bullies Unveil 2004-05 Schedule - Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies
- Lynx Release 2004-05 Season Schedule - Augusta Lynx
- Storm Release 2004-05 Schedule - Toledo Walleye
- Stingrays release 2004-05 Season Schedule - South Carolina Stingrays
- Generals drop puck on October 22 against Atlantic City - Greensboro Generals
- Titans 2004-05 schedule announced - Trenton Devils
- 2004-05 begins with rematches - Alaska Aces
- Condors 2004-05 Schedule Released - Bakersfield Condors
- 30 Teams Play 1,080 Games Beginning October 22 - ECHL
- IceGators Announce 2004-05 Schedule - Louisiana IceGators
- Wheeling Nailers announce 2004-05 Schedule - Wheeling Nailers
- Royals 2004-05 Schedule Released - Reading Royals
- Mississippi Sea Wolves Release 2004-05 Schedule - Mississippi Sea Wolves
- Gulls 2004-05 Schedule Announced - San Diego Gulls
- Gladiators Open Season on the Road - Atlanta Gladiators
- Pride release 2004-2005 schedule - Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz
- Grrrowl release 2004-05 hockey schedule - Greenville Grrrowl
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