Toledo Storm
Encyclopedia
The Toledo Storm was a minor league
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...

 professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 team in the ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...

 from 1991 to 2007. The Storm played their home games at the venerable Toledo Sports Arena
Toledo Sports Arena
The Toledo Sports Arena was a 5,230-seat multi-purpose arena, at 1 Main Street, Toledo, Ohio. It was built in 1947 and razed in 2007.As a concert venue, it seated 6,500, for theater concerts and stage shows, 4,400 and for boxing and wrestling, 8,250; also, the arena was 33-2/3 feet tall...

 along the southern banks of the Maumee River
Maumee River
The Maumee River is a river in northwestern Ohio and northeastern Indiana in the United States. It is formed at Fort Wayne, Indiana by the confluence of the St. Joseph and St. Marys rivers, and meanders northeastwardly for through an agricultural region of glacial moraines before flowing into the...

 in Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...

. The team colors were red and white, similar to the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...

, their NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

 affiliate for fifteen of their sixteen seasons. The Storm would win six division titles, two Henry Brabham Cups
Brabham Cup
The Henry Brabham Cup is the trophy awarded annually by the ECHL to the team which finishes with the most points in the league during the regular season...

 and two Jack Riley Cups
Kelly Cup
The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the play-off champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup. The current cup is named after Patrick J. Kelly, the league's first commissioner. The cup is loaned to the winning...

 as champion of the East Coast Hockey League. The team suspended operations following the 2006–07 season after the franchise was sold to Toledo Arena Sports, Inc and would return in the 2009–10 season as the Toledo Walleye
Toledo Walleye
The Toledo Walleye are a professional ice hockey team based in Toledo, Ohio. The Walleye are members of the North Division of the Eastern Conference of the ECHL...

.

McSorley era (1991–94)

The Toledo Storm were founded in 1991, joining the East Coast Hockey League for the 1991–92 season as an expansion franchise with two other Ohio franchises, the Columbus Chill
Columbus Chill
The Columbus Chill was a professional ice hockey team that played in the East Coast Hockey League from October 1991 through the 1998-99 season. They played at the Ohio Expo Center Coliseum in Columbus, Ohio. The Chill left Columbus in 1999 and relocated to Reading, Pennsylvania...

 and Dayton Bombers
Dayton Bombers
The Dayton Bombers were an ECHL ice hockey team located in Dayton, Ohio. The team most recently was in the North Division of the ECHL's American Conference....

, and the Raleigh IceCaps
Raleigh IceCaps
The Raleigh Icecaps were a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1991 and playing at Dorton Arena, located at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds, the IceCaps were members of the ECHL...

 of Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...

. The Storm's first head coach was Chris McSorley, older brother of of NHLer Marty McSorley
Marty McSorley
Martin James "Marty" McSorley is a retired Canadian professional hockey player, who played in the National Hockey League from 1983 to 2000. A versatile player, he was able to play both the forward and defense positions. He is also a former head coach of the Springfield Falcons of the American...

, Chris McSorley had previously played for the Toledo Goaldiggers
Toledo Goaldiggers
The Toledo Goaldiggers was an International Hockey League franchise that played in Toledo, Ohio from 1974 to 1986. Prior to the Goaldiggers, the city's hockey team was the Toledo Blades, which played under that name from its founding in 1963 until 1970, when it changed its name to the Toledo...

 of the International Hockey League from 1984–86. One of McSorley's first actions as head coach would be to procure an affiliation agreement with the NHL's Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...

, a team that was heavily supported by Toledo hockey fans as Detroit was within an hour drive of Toledo. In the first year under McSorley, the Storm would play to an impressive record of 46–15–3, winning the West Division title and the Brabham Cup
Brabham Cup
The Henry Brabham Cup is the trophy awarded annually by the ECHL to the team which finishes with the most points in the league during the regular season...

 as the team with the best overall record during the ECHL's regular season. Despite the regular season success, the Storm would fall in the first round of the ECHL playoffs, being upset by the Louisville Icehawks
Louisville Icehawks
The Louisville Icehawks were a professional ice hockey team competing in the East Coast Hockey League. The team, based in Louisville, Kentucky, played from 1990-1994. Their home venue was Broadbent Arena at the Kentucky Exposition Center. The mascot was called Tommy Hawk, a play on tomahawk, and...

 four games to one.

The following season, McSorley would once again ice a very competitive team, posting a regular season record of 36–17–11 and a second consecutive West Division title for the Storm and defenceman Derek Booth
Derek Booth
Derek Booth is a former professional ice hockey player and coach, and a former professional roller hockey player. After retiring as a player, Booth went on to become the head coach of the Fayetteville FireAntz in the SPHL, the Bloomington PrairieThunder in the UHL and the Bloomington...

 would become the first member of the team to win an ECHL award, as he was named the Defenseman of the Year for the 1992–93 season. The Storm's finish in the top three of the West Division granted them a bye to the West Division semifinals of the 1993 Riley Cup playoffs. The Storm would be matched with the West Division's fourth place team, the Erie Panthers
Erie Panthers
The Erie Panthers were a professional hockey team, and one of the founding members in the East Coast Hockey League. Based in Erie, Pennsylvania from 1988 to 1996, they were one of the most prolific teams in the ECHL. The Panthers were known for their ability to score goals quickly and often, as...

, who had defeated the Greensboro Monarchs
Greensboro Monarchs
The Greensboro Monarchs were a professional ice hockey team based in Greensboro, NC. The Monarchs joined the East Coast Hockey League as an expansion franchise prior to the start of the 1989-90 season and surrendered the franchise to the league when the Monarchs joined the AHL at the conclusion of...

 in the 1st Round of the playoffs. The Storm took the first two games of the series at the Toledo Sports Arena 6–3 and 5–2, before Erie won Game Three 9–6 at Louis J. Tullio Arena
Louis J. Tullio Arena
The Louis J. Tullio Arena is a 5,586-seat multi-purpose arena, in Erie, Pennsylvania, United States....

 in the highest scoring game of the 1992–93 Riley Cup playoffs. The Storm would close out the series in Game Four, defeating Erie 6–2 to move to the West Division Finals against the West Division's third place team the Nashville Knights who had swept the West Division's second seed the Dayton Bombers
Dayton Bombers
The Dayton Bombers were an ECHL ice hockey team located in Dayton, Ohio. The team most recently was in the North Division of the ECHL's American Conference....

.

Toledo would once again take the first two games of the series defeating Nashville 3–1 in Game One and 7–4 in Game Two. When the series moved back to Nashville, the Knights would take Game Three with a 4–3 overtime victory and tie the series with a 3–2 victory in Game Four. Toledo would take Game Five in Toledo 8–2 and finish the series off with a 9–5 victory in Game Six in Nashville, to earn the first trip to the Riley Cup Finals in club history where they would play the Brabham Cup titleholder Wheeling Thunderbirds
Wheeling Nailers
The Wheeling Nailers are an ECHL ice hockey team based in Wheeling, West Virginia. They are the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens of the NHL and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL....

. Wheeling would take the first two games of the series 5–3 and 7–3, but the Storm would tie the series when it moved to Toledo, winning Game Three 4–3 and Game Four 7–5. Toledo would take control of the series with a 4–2 victory in Wheeling in Game Five and would clinch their first Riley Cup championship with a 7–6 overtime win in Game Six. Forward Rick Judson was named the Riley Cup Playoffs Most Valuable Player in Toledo's first league championship since the Toledo Goaldiggers won the IHL's Turner Cup during the 1982–83 season.

Later years

The Storm celebrated their 15th-anniversary during the 2005–06, adopting a new logo marking the occasion. The Storm's last season of operation was 2006–2007. The final game was played April 19, 2007, at US Bank Arena against the Cincinnati Cyclones
Cincinnati Cyclones
The Cincinnati Cyclones are a professional hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team is a member of the ECHL. Founded in 1990, the team first played their games in the Cincinnati Gardens and now play at U.S. Bank Arena....

 in the North Division Semifinals. The Cyclones won 4–0, sweeping the series in three games.

Sale to Toledo Arena Sports

Their franchise was bought by the Toledo Mud Hens
Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team located in Toledo, Ohio. The Mud Hens play in the International League, and are affiliated with the major league baseball team the Detroit Tigers, based approximately 50 miles to the north of Toledo. The current team is one of several...

 minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 under the name Toledo Arena Sports, Inc. and chose to rename the team and move them to a new arena that was completed in time for the start of the 2009–10 season. Toledo Arena Sports suspended the team's operations while arena was built in downtown Toledo, returning to the ECHL during the 2009–10 season as the Toledo Walleye
Toledo Walleye
The Toledo Walleye are a professional ice hockey team based in Toledo, Ohio. The Walleye are members of the North Division of the Eastern Conference of the ECHL...

.

Women's hockey firsts

The Toledo Storm once featured a female goaltender, Erin Whitten
Erin Whitten
Erin Whitten is a hockey goaltender who has played professionally with various men's teams. She has played with the Dallas Freeze of the CHL, the Toledo Storm of the ECHL, the Utica Blizzard, Muskegon Fury, and the Flint Generals of the Colonial Hockey League...


, who on March 7, 1996 became the first woman ever to appear in a professional hockey game in a position other than goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...

; she played at forward for 18 seconds in a game against the Madison Monsters. She was the first U.S.-born woman to play professional hockey when she appeared for the East Coast Hockey League's Toledo Storm, and on October 30, 1993, became the first woman goaltender to record a professional victory.

List of NHL affiliates

  • Chicago Blackhawks
    Chicago Blackhawks
    The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...

     (2006–07)
  • Detroit Red Wings
    Detroit Red Wings
    The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...

     (1991–99, 2000–07)
  • Nashville Predators
    Nashville Predators
    The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

     (2002–04)
  • San Jose Sharks
    San Jose Sharks
    The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

     (2005–06)
  • Tampa Bay Lightning
    Tampa Bay Lightning
    The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...

     (1999–2000)

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Season
Season (sports)
In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...

 
GP W L OTL Pts GF GA Finish Playoffs
1991–92
1991–92 ECHL season
The 1991-92 ECHL season was the fourth season of the ECHL. In 1991, the league welcomed four new franchises: the Columbus Chill, Dayton Bombers, Raleigh Icecaps, and Toledo Storm. The 15 teams played 64 games in the schedule. The Toledo Storm finished first overall in the regular season...

 
64 46 15 3 95 367 240 1st, West Lost in First Round
1992–93
1992–93 ECHL season
The 1992-93 ECHL season was the fifth season of the ECHL. In 1992, the league saw numerous changes in team membership. The Winston-Salem Thunderbirds move to Wheeling, WV, becoming the first franchise to make a major relocation, the Roanoke Valley Rebels announced that they were changing their...

 
64 36 17 11 83 316 238 1st, West Riley Cup Champions
1993–94
1993–94 ECHL season
The 1993-94 ECHL season was the sixth season of the ECHL. In 1993, the league saw the Roanoke Valley Rampage move to Huntsville, AL becoming the Huntsville Blast, as well as an expansion to three new markets: Charlotte, NC, North Charleston, SC, and Huntington, WV and returned to the Roanoke...

 
68 44 20 4 92 338 289 1st, North Riley Cup Champions
1994–95
1994–95 ECHL season
The 1994-95 ECHL season was the seventh season of the ECHL. Before the season started, the Huntsville Blast moved their operations from Huntsville, AL to Tallahassee, FL and became the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks and the Louisville IceHawks suspended operations...

 
68 41 22 5 87 287 230 3rd, North Lost in First Round
1995–96
1995–96 ECHL season
The 1995-96 ECHL season was the eighth season of the ECHL. Before the season started, the Greensboro Monarchs franchise moved up to the American Hockey League and became the Carolina Monarchs...

 
70 48 14 8 104 301 240 1st, North Lost in Semifinals
1996–97
1996–97 ECHL season
The 1996-97 ECHL season was the ninth season of the ECHL. Before the start of the season, two franchises relocated, one was renamed, and two expansion franchises were founded...

 
70 32 28 10 74 258 248 5th, North Lost in First Round
1997–98
1997–98 ECHL season
The 1997-98 ECHL season was the tenth season of the ECHL. Before the start of the season, the league saw the Knoxville Cherokees move to Florence, SC and welcomed expansion teams in New Orleans, LA and Upper Marlboro, MD...

 
70 41 21 8 90 251 210 2nd, Northwest Lost in Quarterfinal
1998–99
1998–99 ECHL season
The 1998-99 ECHL season was the 11th season of the ECHL. Before the start of the season, the league saw the Louisville River Frogs move to Miami, FL and the Raleigh Icecaps move to Augusta, GA as well as welcoming two new franchises in Estero, FL and Greenville, SC...

 
70 39 26 5 83 256 246 3rd, Northwest Lost in Conference Semifinals
1999–00
1999–2000 ECHL season
The 1999-2000 ECHL season was the 12th season of the ECHL. Before the start of the season, the Miami Matadors and Columbus Chill suspended operations, the Chesapeake Icebreakers, who originally suspended operations, moved to Jackson, MS...

 
70 22 41 7 51 214 306 6th, Northwest Did Not Qualify
2000–01
2000–01 ECHL season
The 2000-01 ECHL season was the 13th season of the ECHL. Before the season, the league lost three members as the Huntington Blizzard and the Jacksonville Lizard Kings ceased operations and the powerhouse Hampton Roads Admirals moved up to the American Hockey League as the Norfolk Admirals, the...

 
72 37 27 8 82 262 259 3rd, Northwest Lost in Conference Semifinals
2001–02
2001–02 ECHL season
The 2001-02 ECHL season was the 14th season of the East Coast Hockey League. Before the start of the season, the league saw one expansion franchise and five relocations, three of which were through the buying of the franchise rights of former clubs that had ceased operations...

 
72 28 34 10 66 225 265 6th, Northwest Did Not Qualify
2002–03  72 47 15 10 104 247 196 1st, Northwest Lost in Division Finals
2003–04  72 23 38 11 53 183 258 7th, Northern Did Not Qualify
2004–05  72 41 26 5 87 203 194 4th, Northern Lost in Division Semifinals
2005–06  72 46 21 5 97 244 189 1st, North Lost in American Conference Finals
2006–07  72 39 30 3 81 211 220 2nd, North Lost in Division Semifinals
16 seasons 1118 610 395 103 1313 4163 3828 6 Division titles 2 Riley Cups

Head coaches

  • Chris McSorley, 1991–94
  • Greg Puhalski, 1994–98
  • Murray Eaves
    Murray Eaves
    Murray James Eaves is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 57 games in the National Hockey League. He played with the Winnipeg Jets and Detroit Red Wings. He now coaches Bantam Tier 1 hockey and lacrosse at Shattuck - St. Mary's school in Faribault, Minnesota. Married to Deborah...

    , 1998–99
  • Todd Gordon, 1999–00
  • Dennis Holland, 2000–02
  • Claude Noel
    Claude Noel
    Claude Noël is a former Canadian ice hockey player and the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League. Prior to joining Winnipeg, he was head coach of the Manitoba Moose of the AHL...

    , 2002–03
  • Steve Harrison, 2003–04
  • Nick Vitucci
    Nick Vitucci
    Nick Vitucci is a former professional ice hockey goaltender. Currently, he is the head coach of the ECHL's Toledo Walleye....

    , 2003–07

Awards and honors

Jack Riley Cup
Kelly Cup
The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the play-off champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup. The current cup is named after Patrick J. Kelly, the league's first commissioner. The cup is loaned to the winning...



ECHL playoff champion
  • 1992–93, 1993–94


Henry Brabham Cup
Brabham Cup
The Henry Brabham Cup is the trophy awarded annually by the ECHL to the team which finishes with the most points in the league during the regular season...



ECHL regular season champion
  • 1991–92, 2002–03


Riley Cup Playoffs Most Valuable Player
  • Rick Judson: 1993
  • Dave Gagnon
    Dave Gagnon
    David Anthony Gagnon is a retired professional ice hockey goaltender. Dave only played 2 games in NHL, with the Detroit Red Wings, posting an official record of 0–1–0 and goals against average of 10.27....

    : 1994


ECHL Most Valuable Player
  • Andrew Williamson: 1999–00

John Brophy Award

ECHL Coach of the year
  • Claude Noel
    Claude Noel
    Claude Noël is a former Canadian ice hockey player and the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League. Prior to joining Winnipeg, he was head coach of the Manitoba Moose of the AHL...

    : 2002–03
  • Nick Vitucci
    Nick Vitucci
    Nick Vitucci is a former professional ice hockey goaltender. Currently, he is the head coach of the ECHL's Toledo Walleye....

    : 2004–05


ECHL Defenseman of the Year
  • Derek Booth
    Derek Booth
    Derek Booth is a former professional ice hockey player and coach, and a former professional roller hockey player. After retiring as a player, Booth went on to become the head coach of the Fayetteville FireAntz in the SPHL, the Bloomington PrairieThunder in the UHL and the Bloomington...

    : 1992–93


ECHL Goaltender of the Year
  • Nick Vitucci: 1997–98


ECHL Rookie of the Year
  • Sean Venedam: 1997–98

External links

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