The Tallahassee Tiger Sharks were a minor league professional ice hockey team that played in Tallahassee, Florida , from 1994 to 2001 as members of the East Coast Hockey League . The Tiger Sharks home rink was the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center . While in Tallahassee, the franchise was affiliated with the NHL 's New York Islanders , Florida Panthers , and Montreal Canadiens . Since the loss of the Tiger Sharks franchise, several attempts have been made by local residents to bring ice hockey back to Tallahassee. Thus far, none of these efforts have been successful.
19-905: The franchise started in 1981 as the Nashville South Stars in Nashville, Tennessee , in the Central Hockey League . Henry Brabham then took over the team in 1983 and relocated it mid-season to Vinton, Virginia , to become the Virginia Lancers . Brabham and the Lancers were then one of the founding members of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) in 1988. The franchise remained in Vinton until 1993 when it relocated to Huntsville, Alabama , as
38-450: A playground area and picnic shelter. A wooden path near the park entrance provides an educational lookout in a wetlands area. Goode Park is a public park located east of Vinton. The park includes a baseball/softball field, a soccer field, trails, and picnic area. M. A. Banks Park is a neighborhood park that includes a basketball court, picnic area, and playground. Vinton operates a council–manager form of government. Vinton Town Council
57-465: Is a weekly newspaper that covers the town of Vinton. The Roanoke Times , the region's primary newspaper, also covers the town. The Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport is the closest airport with commercial service to the town. The Norfolk Southern operated Blue Ridge District and Altavista District run through the town. The closest passenger rail service is located in Roanoke . Law enforcement
76-469: Is composed of a mayor and four council members who are elected at-large. The town is served by Roanoke County Public Schools . Public school students residing in Vinton are zoned to attend Herman L. Horn Elementary School or W. E. Cundiff Elementary School, William Byrd Middle School, and William Byrd High School . Higher education institutions are located in Hollins and Roanoke. The Vinton Messenger
95-743: Is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Roanoke Region of Virginia. By the late 18th century, settlers began moving into the area and in 1797, the Gish family established a gristmill on Glade Creek. Afterward the area would become known as Gish's Mill . As the railroad expanded into the Roanoke Valley, Gish's Mill became a stop for the Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad . In
114-699: The Huntsville Blast for one season. In 1994, the Huntsville franchise relocated to Tallahassee and became the Tiger Sharks. The team adopted a new color scheme of black and gray, with white as an official accent color. Terry Christensen was named head coach of the Tiger Sharks, a position he held for five of the team's seven seasons in Tallahassee. The Tiger Sharks qualified for the playoffs in each of its first three seasons. Christensen left
133-636: The Nashville Dixie Flyers , played as part of the Eastern Hockey League . The South Stars were founded by Larry Schmittou , who was a principal owner of the Nashville Sounds minor-league baseball team. The team played at Nashville Municipal Auditorium , where the hockey seating configuration was such that spectators seated more than a row back in the seats that were above and behind the goal lines could not see
152-606: The National Hockey League . Nashville South Stars The Nashville South Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the Central Hockey League (CHL) for the 1981–82 season. They then played in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) for the 1982–83 season and part of the 1983–84 season before the franchise relocated to become the Virginia Lancers . It had been 10 years since Nashville 's last hockey team,
171-545: The United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 3.16 square miles (8.2 km ). The town shares a substantial portion of its western border with the neighboring city of Roanoke. Several neighborhoods in this area are bisected by the border between the two communities. Given its proximity and size, the town is considered a bedroom community for Roanoke. The southern border of Vinton consists of 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of lakefront in
190-468: The 1982–83 season. The franchise would relocate to Vinton, Virginia during the next season in December 1983. Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes Vinton, Virginia Vinton is a town in eastern Roanoke County , Virginia , United States. The population was 8,059 at the 2020 census . Vinton
209-475: The Roanoke River Gorge. This lake, however, which was created by the 1904 construction of the hydroelectric Niagara (so-called) dam, is not visible from any inhabited part of the town, is difficult to reach, and is little used. Vinton has varied topography, considering its 3.2 square mile size. The above-mentioned lake is at an elevation of 890 feet (270 m) above sea level. The Vinton side of
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#1732801284158228-480: The Tiger Sharks again for the 1999–2000 season. During the 2000–01 season, the Tiger Sharks were coached by Gerry Fleming , a former enforcer who spent ten years with the Fredericton Canadiens as both a player and as an assistant coach. During the 2000–01 season, the team was in position to qualify for the playoffs after missing in the previous three seasons, but was penalized $ 50,000 and 15 points in
247-506: The lake consists of a steep, wooded cliff 150 feet (46 m) in vertical height. Vinton's highest point is on Olney Road, at an elevation of 1,265 feet (386 m), which affords a good view of the adjacent city of Roanoke. While the entirety of the town of Vinton is located in Roanoke County, much of its ZIP Code also covers the western portion of Bedford County . As of the census of 2020, there were 8,059 people residing in
266-465: The late 1870s and early 1880s, the Gish family led a movement to establish a town around the train depot site. A mass meeting to discuss incorporation was held in 1883 and in 1884 the area was incorporated as the Town of Vinton. Vinton is located at 37°16′41″N 79°53′43″W / 37.27806°N 79.89528°W / 37.27806; -79.89528 (37.277987, −79.895248). According to
285-716: The nets. The team was the top affiliate of the Minnesota North Stars of the National Hockey League and was coached by Gene Ubriaco, who would later coach the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL. The South Stars reached the CHL playoffs, but lost in the first round to the Wichita Wind . The Nashville South Stars played only for one season in the CHL before joining the Atlantic Coast Hockey League for
304-662: The organization to coach the Miami Matadors hockey club in 1998. At the start of the 1998–99 ECHL season , the color scheme was changed to red, white, and black. Jeff Brubaker , a former NHL enforcer who won the ECHL's Riley Cup as the coach of the Greensboro Monarchs , coached the team during the 1998–99 season. Following the folding of the Miami Matadors after one season, Christensen returned to coach
323-513: The standings for violating the team salary cap and making improper payments to NHL and AHL teams to get assigned players. After the conclusion of the 2000–01 season, the franchise was relocated to Macon, Georgia . The Tiger Sharks' mascot was an ice-skating 6-foot-tall (1.8 m) gray tiger shark named Frenzy. Frenzy was immensely popular among Tiger Sharks fans (and Tallahasseans in general). List of Tallahassee Tiger Sharks alumni who played more than 25 games in Tallahassee and 25 or more games in
342-442: The town. The racial makeup of the town was 90.0% White, 5.6% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.3% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.8% of the population. The median income for a household in the town was $ 44,667. Vinyard Park is an 86-acre public park located just north of Vinton. The park includes fields for baseball, football and soccer,
361-408: The town. There were 3,774 housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 83.6% White , 7.2% African American or Black , 0.2% American Indian , 1.2% Asian , 0.0% Pacific Islander , 1.4% from other races, and 6.4% from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.6% of the population. As of the census of 2010, there were 8,092 people, 3,774 housing units, and 3,547 households in
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