Manitoba Moose | |
---|---|
2016–17 AHL season | |
City | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
League | American Hockey League |
Conference | Western |
Division | Central |
Founded | 1994 (In the IHL) |
Home arena | Bell MTS Place |
Colours | Polar Night Blue, Aviator Blue, Silver, White |
Owner(s) | True North Sports & Entertainment |
General manager | Craig Heisinger |
Head coach | Pascal Vincent |
Captain | Patrice Cormier |
Media |
TSN3 TSN Radio (1290 AM) |
Affiliates |
Winnipeg Jets (NHL) Tulsa Oilers (ECHL) |
Website | MooseHockey |
Franchise history | |
1994–1996 | Minnesota Moose |
1996–2011 | Manitoba Moose |
2011–2015 | St. John's IceCaps |
2015–present | Manitoba Moose |
Championships | |
Regular season titles | 1 (2008–09) |
Division Championships | 2 (2006–07), (2008–09) |
Conference Championships | 1 (2008–09) |
The Manitoba Moose are a Canadian professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba that plays in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team plays its home games at Bell MTS Place, the home arena of its parent club, the National Hockey League's Winnipeg Jets.
The franchise was founded as the Minnesota Moose of the International Hockey League (IHL) in 1994. During their first tenure in Winnipeg (1996–2011), the Manitoba Moose played five seasons in the IHL and ten in the AHL. This was followed by four seasons in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador (2011–2015), during which time the team was known as the St. John's IceCaps. The team returned to Winnipeg prior to the 2015–16 season.
After the departure of the original Winnipeg Jets franchise to Phoenix, Arizona in 1996, a group of local businessmen, including Mark Chipman, purchased the Minnesota Moose of the IHL. The team was relocated to Winnipeg in order to provide a new tenant for the Winnipeg Arena and keep professional hockey in the city.
The team's first season in Winnipeg was a disaster. Former Montreal Canadiens coach Jean Perron was brought in to replace Frank Serratore as head coach and general manager. The Moose won only 16 of 50 games under Perron before he was fired on January 4, 1997. Upon his dismissal, Perron lashed out at team ownership, the media, and the players, including a personal attack on team captain Randy Gilhen. Perron threatened legal action against the team, but nothing came of it. Assistant coach Randy Carlyle, a former Jets defenceman, took over as head coach and led the team to a winning record in their final 32 games of the season, but the team did not qualify for the playoffs.