The Denver Cutthroats were a minor league ice hockey team, as a member of the Central Hockey League , that began play in the 2012–13 season . They served as a farm team of the National Hockey League 's Colorado Avalanche and the American Hockey League 's Lake Erie Monsters . Based in Denver , Colorado , the Cutthroats played their home games at the Denver Coliseum . On August 20, 2014, after only two seasons in the CHL, the Cutthroats announced they would go dormant for the 2014–15 season, with hopes to gain additional investors for 2015–16.
22-785: Besides sharing the city/market with their parent club the Avalanche, the Cutthroats were the fifth hockey team to play at the Denver Coliseum , after the original International Hockey League 's Denver Mavericks (1958–59), the original Western Hockey League 's Denver Invaders (1963–64), the Denver Spurs of the WHL (and later the original Central Hockey League ) (1968–75), and finally the IHL's Denver Rangers (1987–89). Reports of
44-656: A CHL team playing at the Coliseum for 2012-13 came as early as February, with initial reports stating they would be named the Denver Grizzlies, after the city's most recent International Hockey League franchise. The Denver Grizzlies won the Turner Cup in its only season in the city, and is widely credited for garnering enough interest to entice the Quebec Nordiques to relocate to Denver and become
66-403: A facility is typically called a stadium . The use of one term over the other has mostly to do with the type of event. Football (be it association , rugby , gridiron , Australian rules , or Gaelic ) is typically played in a stadium, while basketball , volleyball , handball , and ice hockey are typically played in an arena, although many of the larger arenas hold more spectators than do
88-952: A six-day run of Shipstads & Johnson Ice Follies , today the Denver Coliseum is an integral venue of the National Western Stock Show and hosts a multitude of other events including: commencement ceremonies, rodeos, ice shows, motor shows, circuses, concerts, motivational seminars, dances, exhibits and trade shows. Notables include: CHSAA high school volleyball, spirit and basketball playoffs and championships, Disney on Ice , The Denver March Pow Wow , Rocky Mountain Percussion Association State Championship Finals, The Denver Coliseum Mineral, Fossil, Gem, and Jewelry Show , cheerleading competitions and roller derby . After McNichols Sports Arena (MSA) opened in 1975,
110-421: A warming shelter for two nights of extreme cold during December 21 –23, 2022. Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre , musical performances , and/or sporting events . It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators, and may be covered by a roof. The key feature of an arena
132-476: Is also the sport of indoor American football (one variant of which is explicitly known as arena football), a variant of the outdoor game that is designed for the usual smaller playing surface of most arenas; variants of other traditionally outdoor sports, including box lacrosse as well as futsal and indoor soccer , also exist. The term "arena" is also used loosely to refer to any event or type of event which either literally or metaphorically takes place in such
154-631: Is an indoor arena , owned by the City and County of Denver, operated by its Denver Arts & Venues and located in Denver , Colorado. The arena has a capacity of 10,200 people and was built from 1949 to 1951. The coliseum is located in Denver's Elyria-Swansea neighborhood. It sits where the Denver Pacific Railway broke ground on its Cheyenne line in 1868. Opening on November 8, 1951, with
176-543: Is that the event space is the lowest point, allowing maximum visibility. Arenas are usually designed to accommodate a multitude of spectators. The word derives from Latin harena , a particularly fine-grained sand that covered the floor of ancient arenas such as the Colosseum in Rome , Italy, to absorb blood. The term arena is sometimes used as a synonym for a very large venue such as Pasadena's Rose Bowl , but such
198-800: The Tulsa Oilers in six games before advancing to the finals after a five-game series win over the Arizona Sundogs . This marked the Cutthroats' first berth in the Ray Miron Cup Final in only their second year of existence. In the final, the Cutthroats once more faced the defending champions in the Allen Americans who had dispatched them a year earlier. After taking Game 1, the Cutthroats again lost four straight games, allowing Allen to win back-to-back championships. After months of rumors, and speculation, on August 20, 2014,
220-786: The WCW 's Spring Stampede (1998) and the Colorado Wildcats of the Professional Indoor Football League . President Dwight Eisenhower stopped in Denver on his tour of western states in support of Republican candidates on October 8, 1962. In 1976, a planned Marvin Gaye concert was canceled after learning that Gaye was at his home in Los Angeles sleeping, led to rioting at the coliseum, a series of lawsuits for fraud and deceiving ticket buyers, and giving
242-601: The Coliseum during the renovation of the University of Denver Arena in 1972–73, and when the current Magness Arena was under construction, between 1997 and 1999. The USA Curling Men's and Women's National Championships were held at the Denver Coliseum during February 5–11, 2023. The coliseum was an annual stop for the historic Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus and, starting in 2024 will begin hosting Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey presents The Greatest Show On Earth. The venue also hosted
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#1732793492927264-605: The Colorado Avalanche. However, once the team was officially announced on April 10, 2012, it was confirmed the team would not go by the "Denver Grizzlies" name because of unspecified copyright issues (likely related to the Utah Grizzlies ownership of said name). Although the team had registered the "Denver Cutthroats" name with the city and the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the name
286-607: The Cutthroats' first head coach; although his NHL career had him playing for the New York Islanders , Ottawa Senators , New York Rangers , Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues , he is best remembered in Denver for being a member of the Grizzlies' 1994-95 Turner Cup run. After their inaugural season, Armstrong was joined by former teammate and Cutthroat Brad Smyth as an assistant coach and assistant of hockey operations. Denver Coliseum Denver Coliseum
308-568: The Denver Cutthroats announced an immediate suspension of operations and elected for dormancy for the 2014–15 season. All players of the Cutthroats were rendered free agents, however the Cutthroats planned to seek additional investors to re-join the league for the 2015–16 season, an ambition made moot by the league itself folding several weeks later. The Cutthroats were owned by Boulder resident John Hayes, CEO of Broomfield -based Ball Corp. Former NHL player Derek Armstrong served as
330-802: The Machine (November 1999); Rammstein (May 20, 2012), Bassnectar (June 10, 2019) and many more. The arena has been home ice to several hockey teams from various leagues including the Denver Cutthroats (2012–2014), the Denver/Colorado Rangers (1987–1989), the Denver Spurs (1968–1975), the Denver Invaders (1963–64) and the Denver Mavericks (1959). The University of Denver Pioneers college hockey team played many of its home games at
352-555: The Rolling Stones on June 16, 1972, November 3, 1974); The Lovin' Spoonful ; The Monkees ; Cream ; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (November 26, 1969, May 12, 1970); Ike & Tina Turner ; The Jackson 5 (August 20, 1971) and (February 23, 1974); Black Sabbath (February 27 and October 18, 1971); The Moody Blues ; Pink Floyd (April 17, 1975); Neil Diamond (May 8, 1971); Santana ; Jethro Tull ; Yes ; Eagles (August 2, 1972); Bob Dylan ; Eric Clapton ; Rage Against
374-467: The coliseum continued on as an alternate venue to the larger arena for events requiring less seating or overall space. This continues today after the Pepsi Center (now Ball Arena ) opened in 1999, and the subsequent demolition of MSA in 2000. On January 10, 1952, June Haver and Walter O'Keefe hosted the official dedication of the Coliseum on the eve of the first stock show in the arena and over
396-560: The eighth seed in the 2013 Ray Miron's President's Cup Playoffs. They faced the top seeded (and eventual CHL champions) Allen Americans , and, after taking Game 1, the Cutthroats lost four straight to lose the series in five games. In the following 2013–14 season, a vastly improved Cutthroats team, with the help of CHL MVP Garett Bembridge , recorded 38 wins, and the 2nd seed in the Ray Miron's President's Cup Playoffs. The Cutthroats won their first playoff series in team history, defeating
418-543: The media a field day as the top story. On April 5, 2005, after a women's boxing match held at the coliseum, boxer Becky Zerlentes died of her injuries following a third-round knockout loss to Heather Schmitz. Santana played the Denver Coliseum six times, securing the title of "House Band". Denver Department of Public Health & Environment utilized the Coliseum as a shelter for people experiencing homelessness from 2020 to 2021 to provide safe distancing which existing shelters could not provide in response to COVID-19, as
440-541: The stadiums of smaller colleges or high schools. There are exceptions. The home of the Duke University men's and women's basketball teams would qualify as an arena, but the facility is called Cameron Indoor Stadium . Domed stadiums, which, like arenas, are enclosed but have the larger playing surfaces and seating capacities found in stadiums, are generally not referred to as arenas in North America. There
462-416: The years the Coliseum hosted many celebrities and artists including: Elvis Presley (April 8, 1956 – 2 shows, November 17, 1970, April 30, 1973); The Grateful Dead (November 20 and 21, 1973); The Who (December 4 and 5, 1971); Frank Sinatra (May 1, 1975); The Rolling Stones (November 29, 1965; June 16, 1972); Led Zeppelin (March 25, 1970, June 21, 1972, May 25, 1973); Stevie Wonder (opening for
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#1732793492927484-653: Was still not officially announced, with the team holding a "Guess the Name" contest in the meantime. On May 17, 2012, the Cutthroats officially announced their name, logo, and color scheme. With the addition of the Cutthroats, the CHL aligned to the one Berry Conference. The Cutthroats opened the season in Denver against the Missouri Mavericks on October 19, marking the first hockey game in the Coliseum since 1989. The Cutthroats' first season saw them skate to 30 wins, and
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