Cincinnati joins ECHL lineup

by ECHL Press Release
Published on July 16, 2001 under ECHL (ECHL)

ECHL Press Release

PRINCETON, N.J. - The East Coast Hockey League announced Monday that the Cincinnati Cyclones will begin play as a member of the ECHL in the 2001-02 season. The ECHL Board of Governors on Friday approved a Transfer of Home Territory from Miami, Fla. to Cincinnati, Ohio.

"The ECHL is excited to welcome Cincinnati back into the League," said Richard W. Adams, President/CEO of the ECHL. "The combination of strong geographic rivalries, a state of the art facility in the Firstar Center, and an experienced, proven ownership group makes the Cyclones a tremendous addition to the ECHL."

Cincinnati will play at the 12,056-seat Firstar Center, and will be a member of the Northwest Division of the Northern Conference, joining Dayton, Johnstown, Peoria, Toledo and Wheeling.

The Cyclones are owned by David LeFevre and Phil Esposito. LeFevre, a sports industry veteran, is the president of Beacon Sports Capital Partners while Esposito is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Boston Bruins. LeFevre and Esposito previously worked together as owners of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the National Hockey League.

"Cincinnati is a great hockey town," said LeFevre. "The city has embraced the Cyclones for more than a decade and we¹re going to put a product on the ice that will build on that success."

Cincinnati also announced that its head coach will be Ray Edwards, who most recently coached the Huntington Blizzard in the ECHL during the 1999-2000 season.

The ECHL will revise and release the 29-team playing schedule in the near future.

In addition to Cincinnati, the ECHL welcomes new teams in Atlantic City, N.J., Columbia, S.C., Columbus, Ga., Macon, Ga., and Reading, Pa.. A total of 29 teams in 14 states will play a League-record 1,044 games in the 2001-02 season. There have been 172 ECHL players that have gone on to play in the National Hockey League, including 91 during the 2001-02 season, and 22 of the 30 NHL teams currently have affiliations with ECHL teams.

ECHL Stories from July 16, 2001

• Cincinnati joins ECHL lineup - OSC Original by ECHL Press Release

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