Saginaw Spirit
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| Saginaw Spirit | |
|---|---|
 |
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| City: | Saginaw, Michigan |
| League: | Ontario Hockey League |
| Conference: | Western |
| Division: | West |
| Founded: | 2002-03 |
| Home Arena: | The Dow Event Center |
| Colours: | Midnight blue, red, silver, and yellow |
| Head Coach: | Bob Mancini |
| General Manager: | Bob Mancini |
| Affiliate(s): | Leamington Flyers |
| Franchise history | |
| 1943-47: | St. Catharines Falcons |
| 1947-62: | St. Catharines Teepees |
| 1962-76: | St. Catharines Black Hawks |
| 1976-82: | Niagara Falls Flyers |
| 1982-02: | North Bay Centennials |
| 2002-Present: | Saginaw Spirit |
The Saginaw Spirit are a junior ice hockey team from Saginaw, Michigan, United States of America, playing in the Ontario Hockey League, one of the leagues of the Canadian Hockey League.
Contents |
History
The Saginaw Spirit were born when Dick Garber, the owner of several local automobile dealerships, purchased the North Bay Centennials and moved the team after the 2001–02 season to Saginaw and renamed them the Saginaw Spirit.
The team can trace its roots back to St. Catharines, Ontario where it played from 1943-1976, as the Falcons, Teepees and Black Hawks. The franchise won the Memorial Cup in 1954 & 1960. The team also played as the Niagara Falls Flyers from 1976-1982, and as the North Bay Centennials from 1982–2002.
The Saginaw Spirit have done extensive promotions in the Mid-Michigan area, increasing their fan base and season ticket-holder numbers. The Spirit have one of the highest attendance rates in the Ontario Hockey League.
After three rebuilding seasons the Saginaw Spirit clinched their first playoff berth on March 2nd, 2006, but lost in the first round to the Guelph Storm.
Coaches
The first coach in Saginaw Spirit history would be Dennis Desrosiers. He was well known to local fans, with many years of hockey experience in Michigan. As a player he spent 10 years for the Saginaw Gears (IHL), and spent time coaching the Flint Generals, Saginaw Generals & Kalamazoo Wings all in Michigan. In total, there have been four coaches in Saginaw Spirit history to date.
- 2002-03 - Dennis Desrosiers
- 2003-04 - Dennis Desrosiers / Moe Mantha
- 2004-05 - Doug Lidster / Bob Mancini
- 2005-06 - Bob Mancini
- 2006-07 - Bob Mancini
Players
See complete list of all Saginaw Spirit alumni.
Award winners
- 2003-2004 - Patrick McNeill, Jack Ferguson Award -1st overall OHL Priority Draft Selection
- 2005-2006 - Ryan Daniels, F.W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy -Best Rookie GAA
- 2005-2006 - Craig Goslin, OHL Executive of the Year
NHL alumni
Since 2002 the Saginaw Spirit have graduated two players who have played in the National Hockey League.
Current squad
Players stats updated as of February 2nd, 2007
| Goaltenders | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Glove | Acquired | NHL Draft | Place of Birth | |
| 20 |  |
Ryan Daniels | L | Saginaw Spirit 2004 | OTT 2006 | Pickering, Ontario |
| 31 | |
Jovica Zelenbaba | R | Saginaw Spirit 2005 | 2007 | Waterloo, Ontario |
| 37 | |
Marc-André Perron | L | Free Agent 2006 | Free Agent | Le Grand, Quebec |
| Defensemen | ||||||
| Number | Player | Shoots | Acquired | NHL Draft | Place of Birth | |
| 2 | |
Garrett Sinfield | L | Trade OS 2005 | Free Agent | London, Ontario |
| 4 | |
Nick Crawford | L | Saginaw Spirit 2006 | 2008 | Caledon, Ontario |
| 5 | |
Mitch Maunu - O/A | L | Trade WSR 2006 | CHI 2004 | Thunder Bay, Ontario |
| 6 | |
Christopher Breen | L | Saginaw Spirit 2005 | 2007 | Uxbridge, Ontario |
| 7 |  |
Nigel Williams | L | Saginaw Spirit 2005 | COL 2006 | Montgomery, Illinois |
| 8 | |
Patrick McNeill - C | L | Saginaw Spirit 2003 | WSH 2005 | Strathroy, Ontario |
| 24 | |
Andrew Hotham - O/A | L | Trade ER 2007 | Free Agent | Barrie, Ontario |
| 25 | |
T.J. Brodie | R | Saginaw Spirit 2006 | 2008 | Dresden, Ontario |
| Forwards | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Shoots | Position | Acquired | NHL Draft | Place of Birth | |
| 10 |  |
Tomas Zaborsky (Hartford) | L | RW | Saginaw Spirit 2006 | NYR 2006 | Trencin, Slovakia |
| 12 |  |
Jan Mursak | R | LW | Saginaw Spirit 2006 | DET 2006 | Maribor, Slovenia |
| 14 | |
Tyler Haskins - O/A | R | C | Trade TOR 2006 | DET 2004 | Madison, Ohio |
| 15 | |
Andrew Clouthier | L | C | Saginaw Spirit 2006 | 2008 | Pembroke, Ontario |
| 16 | |
Cody Bass (Binghamton) | R | C | Trade MIS 2007 | OTT 2005 | Guelph, Ontario |
| 17 | |
Tom Craig | L | F | Saginaw Spirit 2005 | 2007 | St. Louis, Missouri |
| 19 | |
Chris Chappell | L | C | Saginaw Spirit 2004 | Free Agent | Pickering, Ontario |
| 21 | |
Jack Combs | L | F | Trade KIT 2005 | Free Agent | St. Louis, Missouri |
| 22 | |
Ryan O'Marra (injured) | R | F | Trade ER 2006 | NYI 2005 | Tokyo, Japan |
| 23 | |
Patrick Asselin - A | L | LW | Saginaw Spirit 2003 | Free Agent | Peterborough, Ontario |
| 27 | |
Tom Pyatt - A (Hartford) | L | C | Saginaw Spirit 2003 | NYR 2005 | Thunder Bay, Ontario |
| 28 | |
Ryan Berard - A | R | RW | Trade BLV 2006 | Free Agent | Niagara Falls, Ontario |
| 29 | |
Ryan McDonough | L | C | Trade SBY 2005 | Free Agent | Toronto, Ontario |
Yearly results
Regular season
Legend:
T = Tie (2002-2005), SL = Shoot Out Loss (2005-06 onward), OTL = Overtime Loss
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | T/SL | OTL | Points | Pct % | Goals For |
Goals Against |
Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-03 | 68 | 11 | 45 | 5 | 7 | 34 | 0.250 | 158 | 275 | 5th West |
| 2003-04 | 68 | 16 | 45 | 3 | 4 | 39 | 0.287 | 161 | 228 | 5th West |
| 2004-05 | 68 | 18 | 42 | 4 | 4 | 44 | 0.324 | 150 | 260 | 4th West |
| 2005-06 | 68 | 36 | 30 | 0 | 2 | 74 | 0.544 | 242 | 246 | 2nd West |
| 2006-07 | 68 | 44 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 91 | 0.669 | 291 | 217 | 2nd West |
Playoffs
- 2002–03 Out of playoffs.
- 2003–04 Out of playoffs.
- 2004–05 Out of playoffs.
- 2005–06 Lost to Guelph Storm 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals.
- 2006–07 Lost to Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals.
Uniforms and logos
The Saginaw Spirit logo depicts an American bald eagle with the colors of the Stars and Stripes along its neck, on the words "Saginaw Spirit." The uniform scheme is similar to that previously used by the U.S.A. national team.
The home jerseys are white backgrounds with navy blue sleeves and red trim. The away jerseys are navy blue backgrounds with red sleeves and white trim.
The Saginaw third jersey (inset) has a red background with navy blue sleeves and white trim, bearing across the chest the word "Saginaw" spelled diagonally downwards from left to right.
Mascots
Saginaw's main mascot is "Sammy Spirit," resembling an American bald eagle. The team held a vote on their website to name a new secondary mascot for the 2006–07 season. The mascot was named[1] Steagle Colbeagle the Eagle after Stephen Colbert. Colbert had promoted the contest on his show, The Colbert Report. After naming the mascot after Colbert, the Spirit won seven straight games before losing to the Sarnia Sting on October 20. Since then, The Colbert Report has featured ongoing comedy sketches related to the team, the mascot, and other teams in the Ontario Hockey League, especially the Oshawa Generals, and Oshawa, Ontario mayor John Gray.[2]
Arena
The Spirit play at Wendler Arena (capacity 5,527), which is part of The Dow Event Center complex in downtown Saginaw. The OHL All-Star Classic will be hosted here in 2007. This will be the first time in history that the OHL All Star Game will be hosted in an American city. The Arena was formerly home to the Saginaw Gears, Saginaw Generals, Saginaw Hawks, Saginaw Wheels & the Saginaw Lumber Kings.
- Capacity = 5,527
- Ice size = 192' x 85'
- Wendler Arena The OHL Arena & Travel Guide
References
- ^ Spirit on the Colbert Report Tonight. Saginaw Spirit (2006-10-03). Retrieved on February 1, 2007.
- ^ Sunaya Sapurji (2007-02-01). The Steagle has landed. Toronto Star. Retrieved on February 1, 2007.
External links
- www.saginawspirit.com Saginaw Spirit official site
- Ontario Hockey League Official web site
- Canadian Hockey League Official web site
| Ontario Hockey League |
|---|
| Current Teams : Barrie Colts | Belleville Bulls | Brampton Battalion | Erie Otters | Guelph Storm | Kingston Frontenacs | Kitchener Rangers | London Knights | Mississauga IceDogs | Oshawa Generals | Ottawa 67's | Owen Sound Attack | Peterborough Petes | Plymouth Whalers | Saginaw Spirit | Sarnia Sting | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sudbury Wolves | Toronto St. Michael's Majors | Windsor Spitfires |
| Defunct Teams : Brantford Alexanders | Cornwall Royals | Detroit Compuware Ambassadors | Detroit Junior Red Wings | Detroit Whalers | Guelph Platers | Hamilton Dukes | Hamilton Steelhawks | Kingston Canadians | Kingston Raiders | Newmarket Royals | Niagara Falls Thunder | North Bay Centennials | Owen Sound Platers | Toronto Marlboros |
| CHL | Memorial Cup | WHL | QMJHL | OHL | OHL History | OHL seasons | J. Ross Robertson Cup |
