Sports stats



ECHL ECHL

Expansion Membership Approved for Colorado

May 31, 2011 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL announced that the Board of Governors has approved the Expansion Membership application of the Colorado Eagles for admission to the ECHL. The addition of the Eagles will expand the League to 20 teams for the 2011-12 season.

Colorado will begin play in October when the Premier ‚¬ËœAA' Hockey League will celebrate its 24th season, making it the third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League.

Colorado plays its home games at the Budweiser Events Center, a 5,289-seat building located in Loveland, Colorado, which opened in 2003. Colorado has been a member of the Central Hockey League since the 2003-04 season, and has sold out every regular season and playoff game in team history. The team's 311 consecutive sellouts is an all-time record for minor league professional hockey.

The Eagles have advanced to the postseason in each of their eight seasons, winning Central Hockey League championships in 2004-05 and 2006-07 and advancing to the league finals in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2010-11. The organization has donated over $1 million to the Northern Colorado community since its inception through the Colorado Eagles foundation.

"We are pleased to welcome the Colorado Eagles to the ECHL," said ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna. "The Eagles strong fan support, community involvement and history of on-ice success make them an excellent addition to our Western Conference. Team ownership and management have built an exceptional brand and business organization over the past decade. We are proud to have them as the newest Member of the ECHL."

"We've enjoyed our time and many successes in the Central Hockey League," said Eagles President Chris Stewart. "In fact, they're the impetus that's allowed us to be granted a spot in the ECHL. The Central Hockey League has helped us form the strong foundation that is allowing us to take this next step as an organization.

"With that being said, this move is something we believe we're ready to make as an organization," continued Stewart. "We're energized by the challenges that the ECHL will present, and are confident we'll be able to continue to be successful at the higher level."

"This move will only bring bigger and better things to our fans, corporate partners and the Northern Colorado community as a whole," said Eagles CEO Martin Lind. "Thanks to all of them, and the support of our ownership group, the Colorado Eagles' business model has proven to be unequivocally successful at the CHL level. We can't wait to try and match that success in the ECHL, and I have all the confidence in the world that the Northern Colorado community will continue to help us do so."

With the addition of Colorado and the Chicago Express, who were announced as an expansion membership last summer, the ECHL will play with 20 teams in 2011-12, an increase from 19 in the 2010-11 season. The ECHL Board of Governors unanimously approved the withdrawal of the Victoria Salmon Kings membership last month.

Check out the ECHL Statistics



ECHL Stories from May 31, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central