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Worcester IceCats - Definition and Overview |
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The Worcester IceCats are an American Hockey League ice hockey franchise based in Worcester, Massachusetts. The team is affiliated with the St. Louis Blues and plays its home games in the Worcester Centrum Centre, a convention/arena complex located in the heart of the city.
The IceCats got their start when Roy Boe purchased the Springfield Indians AHL team and moved it to Worcester in the Summer of 1994. The team began play in the Fall of 1994 with a collection of players from around the league but as yet with no National Hockey League team affiliation. Late in the 1994-1995 season, Boe and Head Coach/General Manager Jim Roberts negotiated a deal with the St. Louis Blues. From that point on the IceCats would be the Blues' triple-A minor league team. The Peoria Rivermen of the East Coast Hockey League, in turn, became the IceCats' double-A franchise in 1998, having been with St. Louis before the 1994 Worcester deal. During the 2000-2001 season, Boe sold the IceCats to the St. Louis Blues. The team celebrated its tenth season in the AHL in Fall 2003.
On November 9, 2004 the St. Louis Blues announced they would sell the team to the owners of the ECHL Peoria Rivermen. Once the deal is finalized, the new owners plan to move the team to Peoria, IL for the 2005-2006 season.
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