The Pensacola Ice Pilots were a professional ice hockey team located in Pensacola, Florida. The team's story is one of thrilling highs, passionate fans, and a lasting impact on the Pensacola sports scene. This article delves into the history of the Ice Pilots, exploring their achievements, notable players, and their eventual transition to the Pensacola Ice Flyers.
Early Years and ECHL Success
The Ice Pilots were formed in 1996 as a transfer franchise from the Nashville Knights in the former East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). When the Ice Pilots were formed in 1996 as a transfer franchise from the Nashville Knights in the former East Coast Hockey League, the team and its players became rock stars. The team played for an ECHL championship in its second season, but never won the title during its existence. The 1997-98 Ice Pilots finished the season with a record of 36-24-10 and won the ECHL Southern Conference championship. The Ice Pilots advanced to their only Kelly Cup appearance against the Hampton Roads Admirals.
The Ice Pilots took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Kelly Cup Final. But a scheduling conflict at the Norfolk Scope, the Admirals' home arena, forced a delay of nine days between Games 3 and 4. The Ice Pilots elected to stay in Virginia, rather than return to Pensacola for the week.
According to radio announcer Paul Chestnutt, who has been the radio voice of hockey since the Ice Pilots arrival, the team's debut was unforgettable. All told, Chestnutt has worked more than 1,000 games combined with the Ice Pilots and Ice Flyers. "The first playoff game the Ice Pilots had here sold out in an hour," Chestnutt said. "I can still see Chad Quenneville skating around the ice at the Bay Center with the South Division trophy that got the Ice Pilots into the (ECHL) finals that second year."
Chestnutt added, "So the way it all started with those first two years was huge. And then you had the players. They not only knew how to play great on the ice, but they knew how to relate to fans. And the fans themselves and the heartbeat that was here in Pensacola just took off and it just kept going.”
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Affiliations and Notable Players
The team was previously affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders (2006-07), and the Chicago Blackhawks. They have also had a working agreement with the Houston Aeros of the AHL for the 04-05 season.
Several players who donned the Ice Pilots jersey went on to have careers in the NHL:
- Glen Metropolit: Played 54 games for Pensacola in 1996-97 and scored 82 points. He would later join the Washington Capitals (1999-2001; 2001-03), Tampa Bay Lightning (2001), Atlanta Thrashers (2006-07), St. Louis Blues (2007), Boston Bruins (2007-08), Philadelphia Flyers (2008-09), and Montreal Canadiens (2009-10).
- Raitis Ivanans: Played 59 games for Pensacola in 1999-2000, scoring ten points and accumulating 146 penalty minutes.
- Kevin Colley: Played 23 games with Pensacola during the 2000-01 season. He also played 16 games for the New York Islanders during the 2005-06 NHL season until a career ending neck injury forced Colley into retirement at the age of 27. In his lone season with the Islanders, Colley won the Bob Nystrom Award, an award given to the Islander "who best exemplifies leadership, hustle and dedication" as voted on by the fans.
- Ryan Craig: Played five games with the Ice Pilots during the 2003-04 season before going on to play for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Columbus Blue Jackets.
- Evgeny Artyukhin: Played six games for the Ice Pilots in 03-04 before playing 72 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 05-06, where he scored 17 points in 72 games. Artyukhin would later return the Lightning for the 2008-09 NHL season.
- John Tripp: Played in 85 games for the Ice Pilots between 2000 and 2002. He appeared in 43 NHL games from 2002 to 2004; 9 games with the New York Rangers during the 2002-03 NHL season, and 34 games with the Los Angeles Kings during the 2003-04 NHL season.
- Evgeny Konstantinov: Had two separate stints with the Ice Pilots. He played 24 games with the team during the 2001-02 ECHL season and later rejoined the team in 2003-04 and played another 12 games. Konstantinov also had two very brief appearances in the NHL. On December 8, 2000, Konstantinov was played into a game vs the Colorado Avalanche for 24 seconds but did not record any saves. Konstantinov made his second appearance with the Lightning on November 21, 2002, a 6-1 loss to the New York Islanders.
- Brian Eklund: Played 81 games with the Ice Pilots from 2002 to 2004 and set league records during the 2003-04 ECHL season for minutes played (3,724), saves (2,194), saves in a single game (83, in a 2-1 double OT loss) and tied the league record for wins (38).
- Mike Brodeur: Played 26 games with the Ice Pilots during their final season (2007-08). He later appeared in seven NHL games with the Ottawa Senators from 2010 to 2012, going 3-1-0 with a shutout.
- Patrick Bordeleau: Played 38 games with Pensacola during their final season.
These players, among others, contributed to the Ice Pilots' legacy and helped to build a strong hockey culture in Pensacola.
Flyers GWG Championship goal - 05/05/16
The End of an Era and the Rise of the Ice Flyers
After the 2007-08 season, when the Ice Pilots had finished dead last for three consecutive years, team owner Mario Forgione announced he had no intention of fielding a team in Pensacola for the ECHL during the 2008-09 season. Forgione announced plans to keep a team in Pensacola, but one in an unnamed, lower-level league. The ECHL then stated that it would revoke the franchise if need be, and the ECHL made it official on Monday, June 23, 2008.
On April 4, 2009, the SPHL announced discussions between potential investors, key government officials, local fans and business leaders in Pensacola, Florida relative to the award of a franchise for the 2009-10 SPHL season. The Ice Flyers were brought into the SPHL in 2009, thanks to the efforts of Tim Kerr, who owned the Ice Pilots for a brief stint, including the Hurricane Ivan year in 2005 when the team played and provided an outlet after the catastrophic storm.
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The combination of both Pensacola franchises makes them the longest-running professional sports entity in the city’s history.
Ice Flyers coach Rod Aldoff was playing for the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks in the ECHL when the Ice Pilots were formed. The teams were part of an I-10 corridor of franchises that include teams in Mobile, Biloxi, Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Lafayette, La. Aldoff, a defenseman, later played one season for the Ice Pilots, then coached against the Ice Pilots before becoming the Ice Flyers coach and leading the franchise to three of its four Southern Professional Hockey League President’s Cup titles.
“It says a lot about the community, the support of the fans for the team, it says a lot of things to be around this long,” Aldoff said. “We have a great base of fans. Twenty five years is a long time to have a hockey team. It is truly an honor to have played here and coached her. Hats off to the fans. They are the ones who support the team and reason why we are here.”
Legacy and 25th Anniversary
The Ice Flyers this weekend will help celebrate a special milestone in Pensacola’s sports history. This is the silver anniversary season of pro hockey’s arrival in the community. A 25-year run, which began with the unforgettable debut of the Pensacola Ice Pilots in 1996, followed by four championship trophies won by the Ice Flyers in the past nine years.
“I have been planning this, building to this moment, but to sit back now and reflect on 25 years, it’s like oh my goodness it’s twenty-five years!” said Ice Flyers owner Greg Harris, who has helped carry the flame of a pro hockey franchise in a market far removed from traditional, hockey hotbeds.
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“There is a tremendous sense of pride that I have, that our fans have, and our community should have,” said Harris, who moved to Pensacola in 2011 to become Ice Flyers owner. “Because we are all in this together. We are pulling on the same rope. It is a great sense of accomplishment.”
The achievement will be officially recognized Saturday night when the Ice Flyers face the Quad City (Illinois) Storm in their 7:05 game at the Pensacola Bay Center. at Seville Quarter, which is free and open to the public to see the former stars.
The group will include former Ice Pilots star goaltender Sean “Goats” Gauthier, now 50 years-old and with a son, Cutter Gauthier who could become a first-round, NHL draft selection as a forward in the 2022 NHL Draft. born players. Joining Sean Gauthier will be former Ice Pilots teammates Glen Metropolit, who went from the Ice Pilots to nine seasons in the NHL, along with Louis Dumont, who played 17 years in the minor leagues.
The Ice Flyers returnees joining Banfield will be ultra-popular players Adam Pawlick, Dan Buccella, Drew Baker and goaltender John McLain.
“We have a good mix of iconic Ice Pilots and Ice Flyers players,” Harris said. “I wanted to get some of the most popular players in the history of hockey here in Pensacola and it’s going to be special to see all these guys together.”