The Jacksonville Barracudas were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Jacksonville, Florida . They were established in 2002, and played in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League (2002–2003), the World Hockey Association 2 (2003–2004), and the Southern Professional Hockey League (2004–2008), before folding in 2008.
23-529: They won the WHA2 championship title in 2003 – becoming the only Jacksonville pro hockey team to win a league championship – and went to the playoffs three times in the SPHL, advancing to the league finals in 2007 and 2008. They ceased operations after the 2007–2008 season after being unable to secure a suitable venue for the upcoming season. The Barracudas began play in the second Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) in
46-574: A new league, the World Hockey Association 2 (WHA2), which he envisioned as a developmental league for a proposed revival of the World Hockey Association . Though the revived WHA never took the ice, the WHA2 did play its 2003–04 season. Jacksonville became the fledgling league's most successful team, taking the regular season title and being the only team to draw an average of over 3,000 fans per game. They began
69-513: A team in nearby Cape Cod . After an investor dropped out, Cape Cod Coliseum and WWF owner Vince McMahon purchased the rights to the franchise for $ 15,000. The ACHL opened with seven teams: From the opening night of the season, McMahon was not happy with how the league was run. Schenectady and Fitchburg were owned by the same person. Fitchburg was placed under a league suspension and would fold after 6 games. Schenectady would fold after 9 games. In January 1982, McMahon tried to borrow $ 15,000 from
92-486: Is unknown if a winner was ever announced. The Bob Payne Trophy was awarded to the playoff champion at the end of each season. The trophy is named after Bob Payne, an executive with several teams in the Southern Hockey League and Eastern Hockey League. The trophy was loaned to the winning team for one year and was returned at the start of the following year's playoffs. The Carolina Thunderbirds were
115-631: The 2002–03 season. Their original owner was David Waronker, who owned three other teams in the league. Jacksonville's first professional hockey team since the Jacksonville Lizard Kings folded in 2000, they played their first home games at the Jacksonville Coliseum . However, the ACHL's instability caused Waronker to lose confidence in the league. After the season, he announced he was withdrawing his four teams and creating
138-493: The 2004–05 season in the Southern Professional Hockey League . The Orlando Seals won the ACHL's only regular season and playoff championships. Two expansion teams were planned for the 2003–04 season, before the league folded: After the 2002–03 season, David Waronker, who owned four of the ACHL's teams in whole or in part, announced he would be founding a new league the following year. This
161-930: The Mohawk Valley Comets in Utica, NY had been replaced with an American Hockey League team . This left the league with only three teams—Erie, Virginia, and Carolina—not enough for it to make sense to operate. Erie would cease operations, but the Lancers and Thunderbirds would transfer to the All-American Hockey League . Two teams from the current ECHL have roots tracing back to the Atlantic Coast Hockey League Wheeling Nailers: Utah Grizzlies: In December 1985, Recreational Ice of North Carolina (RINC)
184-767: The SEHL with the Huntsville Channel Cats (who were also briefly an ACHL expansion team), the Tupelo T-Rex (who never played due to contractual issues with a previous professional league), and eventually the Winston-Salem T-Birds (who began the season known as the Winston-Salem Hockey Club) as the 4th team. All times are local ( EST ) Atlantic Coast Hockey League The Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL)
207-539: The SPHL Finals for their first time. They were ultimately defeated by the Fayetteville FireAntz 3–1 in the finals series. Their on-ice success, combined with schedule changes that allowed them to play more home games after football season, saw their attendance improve measurably for the 2006–07 season . Still, however, management at the 8,500-seat Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena worried that
230-476: The SPHL; they drew an average of just below 3,000 in 2005–2006. The Barracudas improved both their record and their attendance the following season; under new coach Rick Allain , they finished the regular season sixth in the league with a 25–24–7 record. This qualified them for the 2007 playoffs, where they defeated the Columbus Cottonmouths 3–1 in the semi-final series, vaulting Jacksonville into
253-754: The Winston-Salem Thunderbirds, and the Mohawk Valley Stars defeated the Baltimore Skipjacks. The Raiders and Stars played in the league final, with the Mohawk Valley Stars defeating the Raiders for the Bob Payne Trophy. On July 24, 1987, Commissioner Ray Miron announced that the league would be suspending operations for the 1987–88 season. The Troy Slapshots had folded earlier in the previous season, and
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#1732794200566276-559: The ice since. Atlantic Coast Hockey League (2002%E2%80%932003) The Atlantic Coast Hockey League was a professional minor league ice hockey league based in the United States . The second league to bear the name Atlantic Coast Hockey League , it operated for only one season, 2002–2003, before its franchises split into two new leagues. The 2002 incarnation of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League
299-546: The league finals for the second year in a row, ultimately losing to the Knoxville Ice Bears . However, the new venue was too small for the team to be financially viable, and unable to secure any other arena lease, the Barracudas suspended operations after the season. While team officials believed that an arena of between 3,000 and 6,000 seats would allow the team to be viable, the Barracudas have not returned to
322-399: The league, citing "slow cash flow". When the league denied his loan, McMahon folded his franchise. With the league now down to 4 teams, the league decided to end the season early and set the playoffs by geographical area to save on expenses. Coincidentally, the matchups did end up having the first and fourth place teams meet, along with the second vs third place teams. The Salem Raiders defeated
345-619: The league. Because the Mohawk Valley team being the most northern, the league was interested in inviting a sixth team to bridge the gap. Johnstown previously had an EHL team affiliated with the Red Wings and were the intended sixth team but due to the owner being ill, they were removed from the list. Richmond expressed interest, but due to questions about the financial stability of the league, they also dropped out. The Boston Bruins, along with several investors, were approached about putting
368-401: The new Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL). In 2004, a group of Jacksonville investors organized to purchase the Barracudas from Waronker and join the newly formed SPHL. The team ended the 2004–05 season with a third-place finish and a semi-final loss in the playoffs, and finished the 2005–06 season at the bottom of the SPHL standings. Attendance was modest in the first two years in
391-495: The roster (eight out of fifteen players) must be rookie Americans. The ACHL's roots can be traced back to the former Eastern Hockey League (EHL) of the late 1970s and early 1980s. With a meeting of several EHL owners, the league decided to fold on July 19, 1981, and reorganize as the Atlantic Coast Hockey League. Teams and cities that were previous members of the Eastern Hockey League were interested in rejoining
414-414: The season in the old Jacksonville Coliseum, and moved to the new Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena when it was completed. However, the WHA2, which was largely controlled by Waronker, struggled. The Barracudas beat Miami two games to one and then swept Macon two games to none bringing Jacksonville its only professional hockey championship. Shortly thereafter the WHA2 collapsed, and many of its teams joined
437-463: The team's revenues were too low to justify the expense of setting up the facility for ice hockey. After the season, the Arena proposed an increase in the Barracudas' yearly lease that was beyond what the team could afford. For the 2007–08 season , they relocated to Jacksonville Ice , a local 900-seat recreational ice rink . They continued their on-ice success, qualifying for the playoffs and advancing to
460-399: Was a minor league hockey organization that operated between 1981 and 1987. The league was founded by Bill Coffey . The Bob Payne Trophy was awarded to the team who won the league playoff championship. According to a 1985 Montreal Gazette article, rookies were paid "$ 150 a week plus $ 35 for a victory" and veterans were paid "as much as $ 300 a week." League regulations also said that half
483-646: Was granted an ACHL franchise. RINC general manager Bob Ohrablo had planned to put the franchise in Asheville, North Carolina . The team was to play in a newly built arena, the 3200-seat Asheville Ice Garden. The arena was to be completed in October 1986 and the team was supposed to start play during the 1986–87 season. A name the team contest was to be held in February 1986, with the winner to be announced in March. It
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#1732794200566506-822: Was the World Hockey Association 2 , which was envisioned as a developmental league to a revived World Hockey Association . Waronker's teams, the Jacksonville Barracudas , the Macon Trax , the Orlando Seals , and the ACHL expansion team, the Miami Manatees , joined this new league; they were joined by the Lakeland Loggerheads and the Alabama Slammers . The Cape Fear Fire Antz and the Knoxville Ice Bears joined
529-708: Was the second organization to bear this name, after the original Atlantic Coast Hockey League , the early 1980s predecessor of the East Coast Hockey League . The ACHL would last only one season, and was notable for the early-season move of the St. Petersburg Parrots to Winston-Salem, North Carolina . After a bitter split among the franchises, the league split into two new leagues, the South East Hockey League and World Hockey Association 2 . Surviving franchises would later rejoin each other for
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