Formation
The team was formed as the Orlando Seals, and played its first season beginning in October 2002 with the Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL). That first year's team included former NHL players Zac Boyer (Dallas), David Goverde (Los Angeles), Chris LiPuma (Tampa Bay) and Terry Ryan (Montreal) and was coached by former Tampa Bay Lightning player Stan Drulia. The Seals were running away with the league during the regular season and made a pivotal move at the trade deadline getting both Ryan and high scoring forward Mike Sanderson. These moves at the trading deadline gave the Seals the final pieces to the puzzle to win the ACHL regular season. The Seals original staff was made up of owner Jeff Brubaker until he ran out of money 1 month into the season and David Waronker saved the franchise. Other staff members brought in over time were Steve McCall, Erica Hodges and Tom Bradley. With the backing of several Solar Bears season ticket holders, the Seals got off to a solid start attendance-wise and later on the ice thanks to a solid core of hockey fans in Orlando and a roster full of veteran players. With Waronker's investment the staff was able to work hard to make the team a success. The Seals were the winners of that league's first and only President's Cup in 2003 as well as the Commissioner's Cup as regular season champions after an amazing 43-14 record. League Commissioner Jim Riggs awarded the trophy to the Seals owner David Waronker and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer during an on-ice ceremony at one of the regular season's games. The Seals swept both Macon and Knoxville in the playoffs to win the championship. Sadly, the team won the championship on the road in Knoxville and did not get to enjoy the win on the ice in Orlando as their predecessors, the Orlando Solar Bears did.
The team's celebration event, held at Wall Street Plaza in downtown Orlando, drew hundreds of fans to celebrate the city's second hockey championship. When the ACHL folded, they and two other teams, the Jacksonville Barracudas and the Macon Trax, merged into the new World Hockey Association 2 (WHA2), founded by Waronker and longtime Canadian hockey man and former WHA staffer Peter Young. The second season staff was rounded out with Ryan Morris, Dan Pinkasavage and John Henry. The second season also brought a coaching change as Stan Drulia left Orlando to take over the coaching duties of the Augusta Lynx. Former Pittsburgh Penguin Jim Paek was brought in to lead the Seals in year two. Fling was later replaced by the recently retired LiPuma as GM.
Read more about this topic: Florida Seals
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