The greatest year in hockey in every U.S. state: Part I

Editor’s note: Throughout November, the Pucks and Recreation staff will alphabetically recount every state’s most memorable all-round hockey calendar year in order. The first installment of the five-part series covers Alabama through Georgia. In descending priority, we will take into account achievements by major professional, college, minor professional and junior teams plus players born or raised in a given state.

Alabama: 1996
Hockey is often considered an afterthought in Alabama, but it was thriving there two decades ago.

In the professional ranks, both the Mobile Mysticks and Birmingham Bulls were beginning a run to the ECHL playoffs. In addition, the Huntsville Channel Cats were transitioning from the Southern League to the Central League.

The state’s marquee collegiate program had a landmark year in 1996 as well. Four years after their first Division I stint ended, the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers went undefeated (26-0-3) en route to the Division II national championship. This was the first national title for any team in the UAH athletic program.

Three years later, and one year after another title, hockey would move back to the top level. – Zach Green

Alaska: 2011
Before they folded in 2017, the Alaska Aces established themselves as one of the ECHL’s premier franchises. They peaked in 2011 as both the regular-season (Brabham Cup) and playoff (Kelly Cup) champions. Alaska rolled through the postseason, sweeping its first two opponents before beating the Kalamazoo Wings in five games.

Meanwhile, the Aces’ college co-tenant from Alaska-Anchorage made back-to-back postseason weekend trips to the Twin Cities. The 2011 Seawolves upset Minnesota with a two-game sweep of the WCHA quarterfinals at Mariucci Arena. This earned them a spot in the Final Five at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center. It was their second of three appearances at that stage so far in their history, and their first since 2004. – Z.G.

Arizona: 2016
When Arizona native Auston Matthews was drafted first overall in 2016, one thing became immediately clear. You can develop top talent even in a “non-traditional” hockey market.

Mathews developed his elite talent around the then-Phoenix Coyotes youth leagues, eventually taking his skills to one of the sport’s definitive markets. While his services went to Toronto, his selection showed that a player from Arizona could captivate a traditional Canadian powerhouse.

No matter their struggles on and off the ice, the Coyotes will always have an important and positive impact on the sport. The players who came through their development leagues have a connection to hockey that would never occur without the franchise.

Matthews may have been the culmination of decades of work by the franchise, but this work will not go unnoticed by NHL fans. – Eugene Helfrick

Arkansas: 2001
A timely five-game win streak in a span of eight nights (March 10 through March 17) bolstered the Arkansas RiverBlades’ 2001 ECHL playoff push. After a 39-point campaign in their inaugural season, the Blades more than doubled their regular-season success rate.

Finishing fifth in the Southwest Division, they met Baton Rouge in the best-of-three preliminary round. A Game 1 overtime win at home and an identical 4-3 decision on the road amounted to what would be the franchise’s only playoff-series triumph in its four-year run.

Arkansas subsequently lost to the eventual Kelly Cup champion South Carolina Stingrays. But not before averting a sweep with a 5-3 triumph in its final home date of the campaign. – Al Daniel

California: 2014
The third Stanley Cup tournament to include all three Golden State franchises was also the first to feature two intrastate series.

The Kings surmounted a 3-0 deficit and the Sharks in the first round. They edged the Ducks in another seven-game epic (and rematch of the state’s first outdoor NHL game four months earlier). From there, they dethroned the Blackhawks and muzzled the Rangers en route to their second championship in three years.

But the NHL’s Pacific Division semifinals and final were not 2014’s only California crossovers in professional playoff hockey. The ECHL’s Western Conference bracket let the seventh-seeded Stockton Thunder meet the second-place Ontario Reign. Stockton’s surprising sweep allowed for a second-round set with the sixth-seeded Bakersfield Condors, who prevailed in five games. – A.D.

Colorado: 1995
The Avalanche were not the first Denver team to cap an inaugural season with a title. By raising Lord Stanley in 1996, they completed a short-order major-league remake of the 1994-95 Denver Grizzlies.

Denver’s last entrant in the old IHL finished a sweep in Kansas City to win the 1995 Turner Cup on June 1. Within 20 days, it became apparent the Grizzlies would have to defend their reign elsewhere. The Quebec Nordiques’ relocation confirmation translated to the NHL’s return to the Mile High City.

Six weeks later, the Colorado Avalanche emerged as the new brand. And instead of raising a Turner Cup banner on the other side of the summer, McNichols Arena witnessed its first big-league hockey contest since the Rockies bolted in 1982.

Not a bad tradeoff. – A.D.

Connecticut: 2016
The Connecticut Whale were one of the NWHL’s inaugural teams, and went on to finish second in the icebreaking 2015-16 regular season. Goaltender Jamie Leonoff, a Yale alum, won seven of the team’s 13 regular-season games.

Speaking of the Bulldogs, the Yale men’s team amassed a record of 19-9-4 and made the NCAA tournament. They came up short in the round of 16, but it was an impressive season nonetheless.

Down the road, the Quinnipiac men and women both had program-best seasons. The men went 32-4-7, won the regular-season and postseason ECAC titles and advanced to the national final. The women went 29-3-4, won both league titles and made the NCAA tournament, where they lost a 1-0 decision to Clarkson. – Andrew Wisneski

Delaware: 2012
The Delaware Blue Hens won the 2012 ACHA Division I national championship, their first in program history. It was a remarkable season for the team, including a 16-0-1 run to begin.

The Blue Hens ended the regular season with a comfortable 35-point first-place cushion in the standings. They defeated Lindenwood in the national semifinals, avenging their loss from the previous year, before ousting Oakland for the title.

Meanwhile, 2012 marked the only year of existence for the Delaware Federals in the Federal League. They had Delaware in their name, but only played road games, and wound up going 3-9-1.

To complete the hat trick, 2012 also marked the final full NHL run for the state’s only native-born player, Mark Eaton. He appeared in 62 games for the New York Islanders that season, tallying four points. – A.W.

Florida: 1992
While the Tampa Bay Lightning started their first season, the NHL awarded Miami the expansion team that became the Florida Panthers. The league even made its decision through a vote in Palm Beach.

A quarter-century later, both franchises are still holding strong in their respective markets. The Lightning have had incredible on- and off-ice success since the turn of the decade. The Panthers, too, have shown improvement in recent years.

While there have been growing pains establishing hockey in Florida, without establishing professional teams in 1992, there would not have been any growth in the state. Hockey was previously nothing more than that sport Floridians barely knew existed. Now it is a staple in the local sports culture, especially in Tampa, where the Lightning have endeared themselves to the fan base. – E.H.

Georgia: 1994
Smaller fan bases in lower-level leagues have combined for decent sprinklings of glory. But to date, the 1994 Atlanta Knights’ Turner Cup conquest remains the Peach State’s ultimate crowning moment.

Tampa Bay’s top affiliate, the Knights were a bona fide juggernaut in their first two IHL seasons. Though their 111-point run in 1992-93 translated to a playoff semifinal exit, they followed up in style. After notching 108 regular-season points, the 1994 squad swept Milwaukee and San Diego, then edged the Fort Wayne Komets, 4-2, in the final. – A.D.