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| Cincinnati Cyclones | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Cincinnati,Ohio |
| League | ECHL |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | Central |
| Founded | 1995 (current ECHL franchise) 1992 (IHL franchise) 1990 (first ECHL franchise) |
| Home arena | Heritage Bank Center |
| Colors | Red, black, gray, white[1] |
| Owner(s) | Nederlander Entertainment |
| General manager | Kristin Ropp |
| Head coach | Riley Weselowski |
| Media | Rudy Hodgson |
| Affiliates | Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) Toronto Marlies (AHL) |
| Website | cycloneshockey |
| Franchise history | |
| First ECHL franchise | |
| 1990–1992 | Cincinnati Cyclones |
| 1992–2001 | Birmingham Bulls |
| 2001–2005 | Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies |
| 2005–2015 | Stockton Thunder |
| 2015–present | Adirondack Thunder |
| IHL franchise | |
| 1992–2001 | Cincinnati Cyclones |
| Current ECHL franchise | |
| 1995–1998 | Louisville RiverFrogs |
| 1998–1999 | Miami Matadors |
| 1999–2001 | inactive |
| 2001–present | Cincinnati Cyclones |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 2 (2007–08,2018–19) |
| Division titles | 6 (1995–96,2007–08,2008–09,2012–13,2018–19,2022–23) |
| Conference titles | 3 (2007–08,2009–10,2013–14) |
| Kelly Cups | 2 (2007–08,2009–10) |
 Current season | |
TheCincinnati Cyclones are a professional minor leagueice hockey team based inCincinnati,Ohio. The team is a member of theECHL. Originally established in 1990, the team first played their games in theCincinnati Gardens and now play atHeritage Bank Center.
Cincinnati has fielded Cyclones teams with three separate franchises in two different leagues: theInternational Hockey League (1992–2001) and the ECHL (1990–1992, 2001–2004, 2006–present). Together, the franchises have combined to win twoKelly Cups (2008 and 2010), three conference championships (2008, 2010 and 2014), two overall points championships (2008 and 2019), and six division championships (1996, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2019 and 2023). In 2007–08, the team had the most successful season in ECHL history with 55 wins, 115 points, and its first conference and league championships.
There have been three separatefranchises known as the Cincinnati Cyclones, two in theECHL and one in the IHL.
The first franchise to use the name Cincinnati Cyclones was founded in1990. The team played their games at theCincinnati Gardens. They lost in the first round of the playoffs in the 1990–91 season. In the1991–92 season, the Cyclones lost in the Riley Cup semifinals. The team's owner at the time, Doug Kirchhofer, was granted anInternational Hockey League franchise and chose to move the Cyclones name to that franchise. He then sold the ECHL franchise to Art Clarkson ofBirmingham, Alabama, to form the newBirmingham Bulls.
The first season in the IHL, Cincinnati failed to qualify for the postseason, which would be the first of only two seasons in which they did not qualify.Paul Lawless, who would eventually be head coach and vice president of player development and have his number retired, began his first of several stints with the team in the1992–93 season. On April 2, 2004, during his number retirement ceremony, he was singled out as a reason for the team's success, both on the ice and in attendance. During the IHL years, the Cyclones set a team record of eight consecutive 90+ point seasons,[2] ending when the International Hockey League ceased operations in 2001. During the Cyclones' nine years in the IHL, they won their only division and conference regular season championships in the1995–96 season, but lost in a seven-game semifinal series to theOrlando Solar Bears. It was in February of this season that coachDon Jackson infamously punched theAtlanta Knights mascot, thus drawing a suspension from the league.[3]
In 1997, the Cyclones' lease agreement with the Cincinnati Gardens came to an end when the two sides were unable to reach an agreement for a new contract. Team owner, Doug Kirchhofer, purchased what then was known as Riverfront Coliseum in downtown Cincinnati, renamed it The Crown and renovated the arena. During the seven seasons the Cyclones were in the arena, the venue was renamed the Firstar Center and now is known asHeritage Bank Center. The team has since been unsuccessful in reclaiming the higher attendance numbers from the Cincinnati Gardens, until the 2008 Kelly Cup, where they drew 12,722 fans to the last game of the postseason.[4]
The third Cyclones franchise started in the1995 as theLouisville RiverFrogs inLouisville, Kentucky. After three years, the team moved toMiami as theMiami Matadors. After thelone season in Florida, the franchise eventually came into the ownership of a group inBirmingham, Alabama, and the franchise went into inactive status while ownership looked into locations for their team. Upon the folding of the IHL, the Cyclones name was sold to this ownership group who moved the franchise to Cincinnati to become the new Cyclones.
The first year back in the ECHL ended the team's streak of 90+ point seasons with the Cyclones finishing just 12 points shy despite a 10-game fewer season length. Former Cyclones playerPaul Lawless became head coach, as a mid-season replacement for Ray Edwards.
Before the start of the2003–04 season former Cyclones player and assistant coachChris Cichocki left theArkansas RiverBlades in order to return as the Cyclones head coach. Despite his success with Arkansas, Cichocki led the team to their worst season with 54 points and failed to make the playoffs for the second time in team history.
Shortly after ending the season without a playoff berth, in April 2004, the Cyclones suspended operations. This suspension was mainly due to lack of revenue and safe access to the arena as it was limited by construction in Downtown Cincinnati. This dormancy left Cincinnati hockey to the cross-town, Cincinnati Gardens-basedAHL rival, theCincinnati Mighty Ducks. The Cincinnati Mighty Ducks suspended operations in 2005 after their NHL affiliate, theMighty Ducks of Anaheim, switched their affiliation to thePortland Pirates.
With minor league hockey dormant in Cincinnati for a year, and plans for the proposed AHL Cincinnati RailRaiders franchise scrapped for2006–07, on April 21, 2006, the Cyclones announced that they would participate in the upcoming2006–07 ECHL season. They returned to play their home games at U.S. Bank Arena, joining their two ECHL,Ohio rivals, theDayton Bombers andToledo Storm. They then obtained an affiliation with theMontreal Canadiens of theNHL and theHamilton Bulldogs of theAHL. The Cyclones won their first game back in the ECHL on October 20 against thePensacola Ice Pilots at U.S. Bank Arena with a score of 3–1. Head coachChuck Weber was the runner-up for the ECHL's Coach of the Year award for 2006–07[5] and was re-signed for the2007–08 season.
In addition to the Montreal/Hamilton affiliation, the Cyclones added the NHL'sNashville Predators and the AHL'sMilwaukee Admirals as affiliates in 2007. The Cyclones' 2007–08 season saw the club break numerous franchise and league records. Through 50 games, the Cyclones were 31 games over .500. Attendance at games had increased nearly 40% over 2006–07 and the club had already surpassed their win total from 2006 to 2007 (37). They achieved this mark in 24 fewer games.[6] On February 22, 2008, the Cyclones tied the ECHL record for a single-season winning streak of 14 consecutive games, defeating theJohnstown Chiefs 5–2 in Cincinnati.[7] On February 23, 2008,David Desharnais recorded two assists, extending his streak of games with at least one assist to 18, breaking the existing ECHL record of 17. In the same game, the Cyclones set a new ECHL record for a single-season winning streak of 15 consecutive wins when the Cyclones defeated theElmira Jackals in a 5–4 shootout.[8]
The team finished the regular season with 115 points, earning them theBrabham Cup regular season championship. Individually, Chuck Weber was named ECHL coach of the year, earning him the John Brophy trophy. David Desharnais claimed three ECHL awards: Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, and the Leading Scorer award with 29 goals and 77 assists for 106 points. In addition, Chad Starling won the award for the highestplus/minus rating.
The Cyclones entered the playoffs and defeated theJohnstown Chiefs four games to none. The Cyclones moved on to take on theReading Royals, Cincinnati took the series in seven games to claim their second ever North Division playoff title. The Cyclones then defeated theSouth Carolina Stingrays, 2–1 in overtime, to claim the American Conference Championship in five games. With their victory, Cincinnati also claimed the E.A. "Bud" Gingher Memorial Trophy.
The Cyclones then defeated the National Conference ChampionLas Vegas Wranglers in the Kelly Cup Finals, clinching their first championship in team history in six games. After splitting the first two games in Cincinnati (Cincinnati 4–3 and Las Vegas 1–0), the series shifted to Las Vegas, where Cincinnati won games three and five to take a 3–2 series lead. In front of a record setting crowd, 12,722 fans, at US Bank Arena in Cincinnati on June 5, the Cyclones defeated Las Vegas in game six, 3–1, to take the championship and their 71st win of the season.[4] Goalie Cedrick Desjardins was named the Kelly Cup Playoff MVP.
After the Cyclones cup win,coach Chuck Weber andassistant coach Dean Stork received multi-year extensions. Weber was also given the title of vice president. On November 29, Weber picked up his 100th professional head coaching victory with a 6–3 win atJohnstown.
Cincinnati's2008–09 season was not as successful as the previous one, but they won 41 games for 87 points, repeating as North Division champions. They won a seven-game series against theWheeling Nailers, including a double overtime game seven win, and swept theElmira Jackals to win the North Division playoff title. However, the Cyclones would be swept by the South Carolina Stingrays in the American Conference Finals.
The2009–10 season proved to be more successful with 44 wins and 91 points, the wins total being the most in the American Conference. Despite that, the Cyclones finished second in the North Division to theKalamazoo Wings and fifth in the conference. This led to a rematch with fourth seeded, and defending champion, South Carolina in the first round, where Cincinnati defeated the Stingrays in five games. Veteran captain Barrett Eghotz scored in overtime for the 3–2 win in game five and was the third straight overtime game in the series. The Cyclones then faced the top seededCharlotte Checkers, defeating the Checkers in game seven with a 2–1 victory.
Cincinnati drew theReading Royals in the American Conference Final. The seven-game series was marred by several incidents, both on and off the ice, that resulted in suspensions and fines to players and staff of both organizations. The worst occurred after game six, when Reading'sScott Fletcher allegedly struck a Cincinnati fan with a stick, drawing an indefinite suspension by the league.[citation needed] Nevertheless, the series made ECHL history when, after losing the first two at home, then game three at Reading, Cincinnati posted wins of 6–4, 5–0 and 6–3 to force the team's third winner-take-all game in the 2010 playoffs. In front of 5,340 fans, the Cyclones posted a 1–0 win to become the first team in ECHL history, and the sixth professional hockey team in history,[citation needed] to come back from a 3–0 deficit to win a best of seven series. The only goal of the contest was scored byBarret Ehgoetz 13:48 into the game.
The Cyclones defeated theIdaho Steelheads in the2010 Kelly Cup Final, four-games-to-one. Cincinnati scored game-winning goals within the last minute in the first two games, a 3–2 win on a goal by Mark Van Guilder with 49.2 seconds remaining on May 14, and a 1–0 win the next night, when Mathieu Aubin netted the only goal in the contest and only with 20.1 seconds remaining in regulation. The series shifted to US Bank Arena and witnessed an Idaho victory within the first minute of the second overtime of game three, as Evan Barlow received a pass at the bottom of the right circle and fired the puck into a largely vacated goal, as Cyclones goalie Robert Mayer had committed to the left side.
In front of yet another ECHL playoff record setting crowd of 13,483 at US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, the Cyclones defeated Idaho in game five, 2–1, to take the championship. With the victory, the Cyclones clinched their second Kelly Cup title in three years. The game was also the Cyclones 24th Kelly Cup playoff game, surpassing the club record of 22 postseason games played by the 2008 championship team and is one more than South Carolina (23) had in its title run in 2009. Rookie Cyclones goaltenders Robert Mayer and Jeremy Smith were named co-winners of the Kelly Cup playoffs MVP. Cincinnati finished with a total record of 59–32–4.
The Cyclones underwent several changes before the2010–11 season when assistant coach Dean Stork became the head coach of theGreenville Road Warriors in June and head coach Chuck Weber was promoted to theAmerican Hockey League as head coach of theRochester Americans on July 27. On August 4, Cincinnati signed a new affiliation agreement with the NHL'sFlorida Panthers, who used Rochester as their AHL farm team, creating a working relationship between Chuck Weber and his former Cyclones team. On August 12, Cincinnati namedJarrod Skalde as the new head coach. After undergoing this major coaching overhaul and losing a large portion of their roster, the Cyclones went on to post their third lowest points total in franchise history. They were still able to earn a seventh seed in the ECHL playoffs, but lost in the first round to Reading Royals, three-games-to-one.
In 2011, the Florida Panthers moved their AHL affiliation to theSan Antonio Rampage as well their AHL head coach, Chuck Weber.. Despite heavy support by new AHL affiliate, the2011–12 season would still be unsuccessful. The Cyclones had a slow start to the season and while they stayed competitive throughout the rest of the season, they earned only 35 wins and 79 points. Cincinnati would finish tenth in the conference, marking only the third time in their 20-season history that they did not make the playoffs.
The Cyclones made a complete turnaround the next season, beginning the season unbeaten in regulation for the first nine games. Their 42 wins and 92 points won the North Division regular season championship, their third such accolade in six seasons, and placed them second in the Eastern Conference. The season earned head coach Jarrod Skalde Coach of the Year honors. Cincinnati would go on to win a pair of six-game wins against theToledo Walleye andGwinnett Gladiators before losing a five-game conference final to the top seeded Reading Royals, who would go on to win the Kelly Cup.
On July 9, 2013, coach Skalde accepted an assistant's position with the AHL'sNorfolk Admirals, becoming the second consecutive Cyclones coach to be promoted to a higher level. Before the 2014–15 season, Skalde was appointed as Norfolk's head coach.
Cincinnati came back strong under new head coachBen Simon in 2013–14, with 41 wins and 91 points for a fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference. Cincinnati would win three series against theOrlando Solar Bears,Fort Wayne Komets, andGreenville Road Warriors, all in six games, earning their third trip to the Kelly Cup Finals. They faced the Brabham Cup winningAlaska Aces, but would lose the series in six games. Despite the loss in the final, Cincinnati goaltenderRob Madore was named Most Valuable Player of the2014 Kelly Cup playoffs, becoming the first player from the losing team to win the award in the ECHL's 26-year history, and the fourth Cincinnati goaltender to either win the trophy outright or share the trophy. Madore earned the award after leading the ECHL with all 14 of Cincinnati's playoff wins, 1,493 minutes of play, and a Cincinnati record 756 saves while playing every second of Cincinnati's 24 playoff games.
After the season, coach Simon accepted a role with theToronto Marlies, the top affiliate of theToronto Maple Leafs. Simon became the third consecutive Cyclones head coach to accept a role in the AHL. Following Simon's promotion, Matt Macdonald became Cincinnati's head coach. In the2014–15 season, Cincinnati finished fifth in the North Division of the Eastern Conference with a record of 31–30–2–9. The team would miss the playoffs by only three points.
On February 27, 2016, the Cyclones played in front of their first-ever sellout at US Bank Arena with 16,529 fans were in attendance forTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Night and one dollar pizza slices. While the game was a 3–2 shootout loss to theIndy Fuel, the Cyclones set the record for the largest crowd for a professional hockey game in the 41-year history of US Bank Arena.[9][10]
After ten seasons, the Nashville Predators and Milwaukee Admirals ended their affiliation with the Cyclones prior to the2017–18 season. The Cyclones then found affiliations with theBuffalo Sabres andRochester Americans. This is the second time Buffalo has affiliated with a Cincinnati hockey team, after the Sabres' affiliation with theCincinnati Swords in the 1970s.[11]
Prior to the2018–19 season, head coach Matt Mcdonald was hired as an assistant with theGrand Rapids Griffins in the AHL.[12] He was replaced byMatt Thomas, who then led the team to the regular season title and secondBrabham Cup in franchise history and won theJohn Brophy Award for coach of the year. Despite the regular season success, the team lost in the division finals four games to one to theToledo Walleye.
Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the Cyclones voluntarily suspended operations for the2020–21 ECHL season.[13] Prior to the start of the2021–22 season, head coach Thomas was hired by the AHL'sProvidence Bruins as an assistant coach[14] and the Cyclones named Jason Payne as the next head coach.[15]
After introducing their current mascot, Twister, in 1995, the Cyclones had always included him in their uniform design. In fact, from 1996 to 2014 he was the centerpiece of the jerseys they wore. However, prior to the 2014–15 season, the organization did a complete revamp of the uniforms and their colors. Twister was removed from the uniform completely along with the color yellow. The shade of red used was also changed from a darker maroon style red to a more bright royal red. The logo now is described as being a twister, or cyclone, in the center of a "C" standing for, Cincinnati. The jersey concepts also changed from being a classic hockey style to a more modern era look. The home, away, and alternate jerseys have red shoulders and red stripes that begin at the elbow area and wrap around to the underside of the wrists. The home jerseys are base white with red trim, the away jerseys are base black with red trim, and the alternates are sublimated black with a fully red crest. Other than the change in color, all three jerseys are similar.
This is a partial list of the last thirteen seasons completed by the Cincinnati Cyclones. For the full season-by-season history, seeList of Cincinnati Cyclones seasons
| Season | League | Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | PCT | GF | GA | PIM | Coach(es) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | ECHL | North | 72 | 42 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 92 | .639 | 227 | 195 | 1119 | Jarrod Skalde | Lost in round 3 |
| 2013–14 | ECHL | North | 72 | 41 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 90 | .625 | 247 | 204 | 839 | Ben Simon | Lost in round 4 |
| 2014–15 | ECHL | North | 72 | 31 | 30 | 2 | 9 | 73 | .507 | 195 | 212 | 963 | Matt Macdonald | Did not qualify |
| 2015–16 | ECHL | Midwest | 72 | 36 | 27 | 5 | 4 | 81 | .563 | 222 | 210 | 847 | Lost in round 1 | |
| 2016–17 | ECHL | South | 72 | 36 | 29 | 6 | 1 | 79 | .549 | 200 | 209 | 949 | Did not qualify | |
| 2017–18 | ECHL | Central | 72 | 39 | 30 | 3 | 0 | 81 | .563 | 226 | 220 | 992 | Lost in round 1 | |
| 2018–19 | ECHL | Central | 72 | 51 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 110 | .764 | 282 | 176 | 1050 | Matt Thomas | Lost in round 2 |
| 2019–20 | ECHL | Central | 63 | 38 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 84 | .667 | 196 | 161 | 808 | Playoffs cancelled | |
| 2020–21 | ECHL | Opted out of participating due to theCOVID-19 pandemic | ||||||||||||
| 2021–22 | ECHL | Central | 72 | 36 | 32 | 3 | 1 | 76 | .528 | 243 | 239 | 1110 | Jason Payne | Lost in round 1 |
| 2022–23 | ECHL | Central | 72 | 47 | 16 | 6 | 3 | 103 | .715 | 266 | 216 | 1262 | Lost in round 2 | |
| 2023–24 | ECHL | Central | 72 | 31 | 34 | 7 | 0 | 69 | .479 | 236 | 261 | 1013 | Did not qualify | |
| 2024–25 | ECHL | Central | 72 | 29 | 32 | 11 | 0 | 69 | .479 | 184 | 207 | 811 | Did not qualify | |
* – Denotes honorary number.
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| League Championships | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Brabham Cup Champions 2007–08 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Kelly Cup Champions 2007–08 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Kelly Cup Champions 2009–10 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Brabham Cup Champions 2018–19 | Succeeded by |
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