Louisiana Hockey Rivalries
Although league divisions were restructured several times, the Kingfish played most often in the Southwest Division, which usually included the (Biloxi) Mississippi Sea Wolves, Mobile Mysticks, Birmingham Bulls, Pensacola Ice Pilots, New Orleans Brass, Jackson Bandits, (Little Rock) Arkansas RiverBlades, and the (Lafayette) Louisiana IceGators who were one of the most successful franchises in the history of the ECHL, both in wins and ticket sales. The proximity of the IceGators, (about 50 miles west of Baton Rouge) contributed to them immediately becoming a fierce rival of both the Kingfish players and fans, a rivalry dubbed by bumper stickers as "the cold war". The rivalry was exacerbated by the departure of early Kingfish players like Blair Manning and Don Parsons (who was incidentally the original captain for the Kingfish) who went on to have successful careers with the IceGators.
Beginning with the Kingfish inaugural season in 1996-1997, the Kingfish and IceGators challenged each other annually for the Atchafalaya Governor's Cup, which was named for the river that divided the two cities and was awarded to the team with the best head-to-head record. The Kingfish won the cup in their first season despite finishing behind the IceGators in the division. The name of the cup was later changed to the Hibernia Cup when New Orleans subsequently joined the league, effectively making it a 3-way challenge for state bragging rights. New Orleans' arrival in the league did very little if anything to alter the chemistry between the existing rivals though they remained competitive in the division. Despite some modest success in head-to-head games against the IceGators, the Kingfish franchise ultimately spent most of its existence in their shadow, and were never able to match the on-ice success or popularity of the Lafayette club. The best finish for the Kingfish was in 1998-1999 as they went 3-3 in the Kelly Cup Playoffs, reaching the conference quarterfinals. Lafayette still remains the most active city in Louisiana for amateur hockey.
Read more about this topic: Baton Rouge Kingfish
Famous quotes containing the word louisiana:
“The recent attempt to secure a charter from the State of North Dakota for a lottery company, the pending effort to obtain from the State of Louisiana a renewal of the charter of the Louisiana State Lottery, and the establishment of one or more lottery companies at Mexican towns near our border, have served the good purpose of calling public attention to an evil of vast proportions.”
—Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901)