Gladiators Host Kelly Cup Tour Saturday
Published on March 16, 2006 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release
PRINCETON, N.J. - The Third-Annual Kelly Cup Tour will visit Gwinnett, Ga.
on Saturday as the Gladiators host South Division rival Charlotte Checkers.
Gwinnett is the ninth stop on the 50-day tour that will see the Kelly Cup
visit 11 cities in nine states and one Canadian province. The tour covers
10,339 miles, the greatest distance traveled in one year since the Kelly
Cup Tour began in 2004.
The Gladiators are in their third season in Gwinnett and have qualified for
the Kelly Cup Playoffs every year, including the conference finals in 2004
where they lost to eventual Kelly Cup champion Idaho.
The Kelly Cup will then travel 2,201 miles across the country to Boise,
Idaho where it will be displayed at Qwest Arena for the Steelheads games on
Mar. 24 and 25.
So far the Third-Annual Kelly Cup Tour has traveled 5,432 miles across
North America with stops in Victoria, British Columbia; West Valley City,
Utah; Stockton, Calif.; Johnstown, Pa.; Toledo, Ohio; Wheeling W.Va.;
Greenville, S.C. and Charlotte, N.C.
The Kelly Cup has gained recognition and prominence as the championship
trophy of the nationwide ECHL and is a symbol of hard work, dedication and
excellence at the 'AA' level. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to the ECHL
postseason champion each season since 1997 and was won by the Trenton
Titans in 2005. The Kelly Cup and the Stanley Cup were both at the ECHL
All-Star Game festivities in Fresno, Calif. On Jan. 24-25, marking the
seventh consecutive year that the championship trophy of the Premier 'AA'
Hockey League was displayed with the championship trophy of the National
Hockey League.
The tour opened Feb. 10 in Victoria, British Columbia as the Kelly Cup
traveled outside the United States for the first time. The opening stop of
the tour also featured ECHL Commissioner Emeritus Patrick J. Kelly, the man
for whom the postseason trophy is named.
In addition to ECHL games, the trophy will make appearances at schools,
sponsors, radio and television stations and other community events in each
city it visits. The Kelly Cup, which stands 19 3/8 inches tall and weighs
25 3/8 pounds, replaced the Riley Cup, which was awarded to the ECHL
postseason champion from 1989-96. Accompanying the Kelly Cup is a
full-color display that highlights the Kelly Cup Playoffs, scheduled to
begin April 10.
2006 Kelly Cup Tour Schedule
Feb. 10 Victoria, British Columbia
Feb. 11 Victoria, British Columbia
Feb. 17 West Valley City, Utah
Feb. 18 Stockton, Calif.
Feb. 19 Stockton, Calif.
Feb. 24 Johnstown, Pa.
Feb. 25 Johnstown, Pa.
Mar. 3 Toledo, Ohio
Mar. 4 Toledo, Ohio
Mar. 5 Wheeling, W.Va.
Mar. 10 Greenville, S.C.
Mar. 11 Greenville, S.C.
Mar. 12 Charlotte, N.C.
Mar. 18 Duluth, Ga.
Mar. 24 Boise, Idaho
Mar. 25 Boise, Idaho
Mar. 31 North Charleston, S.C.
2006 Kelly Cup Tour Facts
* 50 days (Feb. 10-Mar. 31)
* 11 ECHL Cities
* Distance Traveled - 10,339 miles
* Longest Travel Segment - 2,584 miles (Stockton, Calif. to Johnstown, Pa.)
* Shortest Travel Segment - 104 miles (Greenville, S.C. to Charlotte, N.C.)
Kelly Cup Champions
2005 - Trenton defeated Florida, 4 games to 2
2004 - Idaho defeated Florida, 4 games to 1
2003 - Atlantic City defeated Columbia, 4 games to 1
2002 - Greenville defeated Dayton, 4 games to 0
2001 - South Carolina defeated Trenton, 4 games to 1
2000 - Peoria defeated Louisiana, 4 games to 2
1999 - Mississippi defeated Richmond, 4 games to 3
1998 - Hampton Roads defeated Pensacola, 4 games to 2
1997 - South Carolina defeated Louisiana, 4 games to 1
ECHL Stories from March 16, 2006
- Wranglers Sweep Past RoadRunners 5-3 - Phoenix RoadRunners
- Wranglers Defeat Roadrunners 5-3 - Las Vegas Wranglers
- Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with the Falcons - Fresno Falcons
- Two More College Players Added - San Diego Gulls
- Deveaux Reassigned to Chiefs--Cey & Bittner Recalled - Johnstown Chiefs
- Pensacola Invites Sea Wolves Fans To Game For Fundraiser - Mississippi Sea Wolves
- Lundberg heads back to Albany - Augusta Lynx
- ECHL Transactions - ECHL
- 'Blades shuffle roster prior to start of road trip - Florida Everblades
- Gladiators Host Kelly Cup Tour Saturday - ECHL
- NHL Network Game Of The Week Is Phoenix At Idaho - ECHL
- Free Pucks, Orange County Choppers, and Shaven Heads Highlight Chiefs Weekend - Johnstown Chiefs
- Kearns Loaned To Cleveland - Toledo Walleye
- ECHL Today - ECHL
- Falcons Overcome 3-0 Deficit but Suffer Shootout Loss in the End - Fresno Falcons
- Alaska holds off Utah, 4-3 - Alaska Aces
- Desmet and Gare grapple the Gulls - Victoria Salmon Kings
- Ice Dogs Squander Lead, Win In Shootout 4-3 - Long Beach Ice Dogs
- Gulls Fall To Victoria In OT, But Still Clinch Playoff Spot - San Diego Gulls
- Idaho's three power play goals send Thunder to 4-2 loss - Stockton Thunder
- Third Period Explosion Leads Steelheads to 4-2 Win over Thunder - Idaho Steelheads
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.
