Cleveland Monsters | |
---|---|
2016–17 AHL season | |
City | Cleveland, Ohio |
League | American Hockey League |
Conference | Western |
Division | Central |
Founded | 1994 (In the IHL) |
Operated | 2007–present |
Home arena | Quicken Loans Arena |
Colors | Wine, black, gold, white, blue |
Owner(s) | Dan Gilbert |
General manager | Bill Zito |
Head coach | John Madden |
Media | Radio: WMMS-HD2 TV: WUAB, Fox Sports Ohio, SportsTime Ohio |
Affiliates | Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL) |
Franchise history | |
1994–1995 | Denver Grizzlies |
1995–2005 | Utah Grizzlies |
2007–2016 | Lake Erie Monsters |
2016–present | Cleveland Monsters |
Championships | |
Conference Championships | 1 (2015–16) |
Calder Cups | 1 (2015–16) |
The Cleveland Monsters are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The team began play in 2007 as the Lake Erie Monsters and since 2015 has served as the top affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Monsters play home games at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland and have one Calder Cup championship, after winning their first title in 2016.
The Monsters began in 2006 when the dormant Utah Grizzlies AHL franchise was purchased on May 16, 2006, by a Cleveland ownership group led by Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans. A new AHL team was awarded to Cleveland following the departure of the Cleveland Barons to Worcester, Massachusetts, after the 2005–06 season. With Quicken Loans Arena established as the team's home venue, the Colorado Avalanche was announced on December 17, 2006, as the franchise's first NHL parent club with a five-year agreement.
The franchise was officially announced on January 25, 2007, as the Lake Erie Monsters, referring to Bessie, a creature of local folklore. The name was chosen from researching focus groups around the Cleveland area and the logo incorporated the geographical connection in the region with Lake Erie. The Monsters do not recognize any past links to the Grizzlies (including the Grizzlies' two Turner Cups) and promote themselves as having begun in 2007.