The Muskegon Lumberjacks was an International Hockey League ice hockey team located in Muskegon, Michigan . After the 2010 season, the team folded and Ron Geary, the owner of the Evansville IceMen of the AAHL , purchased the franchise rights of the former Muskegon Lumberjacks from the IHL. Geary then moved the franchise to Evansville, Indiana where they became the Evansville IceMen .
17-538: The Muskegon Fury were an International Hockey League ice hockey team located in Muskegon, Michigan . The team's colors were teal , purple , and black . The Fury were established in 1992 after the original Muskegon Lumberjacks of the previous International Hockey League relocated to Cleveland, Ohio . Up to that point, hockey had been in Muskegon for 32 consecutive seasons and Tony Lisman, owner and president of
34-773: The Battle Creek Revolution of the AAHL served as the farm team affiliate. NOTE: The league's name has changed over the years from the Colonial Hockey League (until 1997), United Hockey League (1997–2007), and the International Hockey League (2007–2010). United Hockey League The United Hockey League ( UHL ), originally known as the Colonial Hockey League from 1991 to 1997 and last known as
51-586: The Fort Wayne Komets and Kalamazoo Wings . The UHL was originally formed in 1991 as the Colonial Hockey League and had teams in Brantford, Ontario ; Detroit, Michigan ; Flint, Michigan ; St. Thomas, Ontario ; and Thunder Bay, Ontario ; the avowed goal of the league organizers was to fill the low-level niche in the Great Lakes area abandoned by the original International Hockey League as
68-760: The International Hockey League from 2007 to 2010, was a low-level minor professional ice hockey league, with teams in the United States and Canada. The league was headquartered in Rochester, Michigan , and, in its last year, consisted of seven teams. It folded in 2010, with most of its teams joining the Central Hockey League . The Central Hockey League teams still operating in 2014 were then added to ECHL . The only former CoHL/UHL/IHL teams still active as of 2024 are
85-850: The National Hockey League , American Hockey League , and the All American Hockey League . The Colonial Cup was the league's championship trophy. The name was changed to the Turner Cup in 2007 to reflect the original IHL's championship trophy, also named the Turner Cup . Battle Creek Revolution The Battle Creek Revolution was a professional ice hockey team which played in the All American Hockey League . The team played its home games at Revolution Arena in Battle Creek, Michigan . The team
102-620: The Quad City Mallards in six games. The Fury would win their second title in 2002 . Despite finishing third in their division during the 2003–04 season , the Fury would win their third championship by going undefeated through all eleven games of the three playoff series to claiming the Colonial Cup. They won the regular season championship in 2004–05 and a back-to-back Colonial Cup championship. On August 30, 2006, Bruce Ramsay
119-457: The "International Hockey League" (IHL). Paul L. Pickard was named the first president and CEO of the new IHL. During that summer, the UHL headquarters moved from Lake St. Louis, Missouri, to Rochester, Michigan . The UHL's rebranding was intended to evoke the original IHL , which had ceased operations in 2001 and covered much of the new IHL's footprint. The Fort Wayne Komets were a longtime member of
136-673: The 2009–10 season. The announcement coincided with the United States Hockey League awarding an expansion team to Muskegon taking on the name Muskegon Lumberjacks . On June 23, 2010, the International Hockey League announced that Ron Geary had finalized the transaction to purchase the Muskegon Lumberjacks' IHL franchise from the IHL and move it to Evansville, Indiana , as the Evansville IceMen at
153-635: The CHL. The remaining two franchises from the league's last season that were not absorbed into the CHL, the Flint Generals and the Port Huron Icehawks , folded. Dennis Hextall was named as the president and commissioner of the International Hockey League on September 2, 2009. Hextall was preceded by Paul Pickard, who served as commissioner for the first two years of the renamed league (2007–2009). Several UHL teams had affiliations with
170-582: The Fury, would not let that tradition end. Lisman kept his vow to keep hockey in Muskegon by establishing the Fury in the one-season-old Colonial Hockey League (CoHL). The Fury made it to the Colonial Cup finals in their third season after losing in the first round of the playoffs after their first two seasons. However, they lost to the Thunder Bay Senators in six games. In the 1995–96 season , they won their division but were upset in
187-685: The UHL name. Following the 2006–07 season, the league lost half of its ten teams. The franchises in Moline and Rockford, Illinois moved to the American Hockey League , the team in Elmira, New York, went to the ECHL , and the franchises in Chicago, Illinois and Port Huron, Michigan ceased operations. In June 2007, at the league’s annual meeting, the UHL announced that it was changing its name to
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#1732775476359204-687: The conclusion of the 2009–10 IHL season. However, the IHL would not play another season and the remaining teams, including the new IceMen, joined the Central Hockey League. From 2008 to 2010, the Lumberjacks were affiliated with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL). In 2008, the Evansville IceMen of the All American Hockey League (AAHL) served as a farm team affiliate. In 2009,
221-670: The first round to the Detroit Falcons in five games. Erin Whitten, one of the few female hockey players to play professionally, played for the Fury during the 1995–96 season before being traded to the Flint Generals . The CoHL was renamed the United Hockey League in 1997. In the 1998–99 season , the Fury finished with the best record during the regular season and won their first Colonial Cup by defeating
238-450: The latter league engaged in upmarket expansion. As time passed, the CoHL moved eastward, into places like Glens Falls, NY; Danbury, CT; Utica, NY; Binghamton, NY; and Richmond, VA. During that expansion, the league was renamed "United Hockey League" (UHL) and the headquarters was moved to Lake St. Louis, Missouri , in 1997. The 2006–07 season was the last season of play for the league under
255-555: The original league while the Kalamazoo Wings and Flint Generals franchises were revived names of the original Kalamazoo and Flint IHL teams. On July 13, 2010, the league announced an agreement with the Central Hockey League , the effects of which saw five IHL teams – the Bloomington PrairieThunder , Dayton Gems , Evansville IceMen , Fort Wayne Komets and Quad City Mallards – absorbed into
272-551: The team's name from the Muskegon Fury to the Lumberjacks to reflect back on what many remember as the glory days of hockey in Muskegon. Head coach Bruce Ramsay resigned after the 2008–09 season to become the head coach of the Tulsa Oilers in the Central Hockey League . Ramsay was replaced for the 2009–10 season by Rich Kromm. On February 8, 2010 it was announced that the Lumberjacks franchise would fold following
289-496: Was named the head coach for the 2006–07 season , replacing Todd Nelson who had accepted the assistant coaching position for the Chicago Wolves a few days earlier after three head coaching seasons in Muskegon. In 2007, the United Hockey League changed names again to the International Hockey League in honor of the now defunct league. On September 12, 2008, new owners Stacey Patulskey, Jeff Patulskey and Tim Taylor changed
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