The Peoria Rivermen were an ice hockey team that played in the International Hockey League . They played in Peoria, Illinois at the Carver Arena . A new team with the Peoria Rivermen name currently competes in the Southern Professional Hockey League .
14-768: The Peoria Rivermen were founded in 1982–83 in the International Hockey League, operating under owner Ken Wilson as the Peoria Prancers . The franchise was taken over by the Peoria Civic Center in 1984, which held a contest with the Peoria Journal Star newspaper to rename the team with Rivermen as the winner. The IHL's Peoria Rivermen began operations for the 1984–85 season and won the Turner Cup in their first season. They were bought by Bruce Saurs in
28-518: A Blues tradition ever since, even making its way into EA Sports 's NHL Video Game Series . This American ice hockey team-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a sports team in Illinois is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Ken Wilson (ice hockey) Kenneth Athol Wilson (July 23, 1923 – April 3, 2008) was a minor league hockey general manager and owner for forty years. He
42-688: A farm team the following season. The entire hockey staff was fired at the end of the first season. Wilson was assistant manager of the Muskegon Mohawks in the IHL for two seasons, 1970–1971 and 1971-1972. In 1972 Wilson was hired as general manager by the Des Moines , Iowa franchise in the IHL . Feeling the franchise needed a new look and image, Wilson changed the name to the Des Moines Capitols . In 1973-1974,
56-746: The Danville Dashers in the Continental Hockey League for the next two seasons. He retired from hockey following the 1985-1986 season. Wilson lived in Chandler, Arizona with his wife Betty, until his death in 2008. Troy Bruins The Troy Bruins were an International Hockey League team based in Troy, Ohio that played from 1951 to 1959 at the Hobart Arena . Notable players were Brian Kilrea and Larry King Kwong . Goaltender Bill Tibbs won
70-559: The IHL team Troy Bruins . Wilson spent the 1959-1960 hockey season as EHL Greensboro Generals ' general manager. For three seasons starting in 1960, Wilson was the general manager of the Omaha Knights in the IHL . In 1963, Wilson moved to Toledo, Ohio , where he owned and started the Toledo Blades in the IHL . Over the next three seasons, he served as general manager and as a mid-season replacement in 1966, as coach. In 1964,
84-775: The James Norris Memorial Trophy IHL for the fewest goals against during the 1955–1956 regular season. The Bruins were relocated by owner Ken Wilson in 1959, and admitted to the Eastern Hockey League , to play as the Greensboro Generals in the recently built Greensboro Coliseum . For the 2008-2009 season, the ECHL 's Dayton Bombers wore special Troy Bruins throwback jerseys while playing six games at Hobart Arena , before auctioning them off for charity. This American ice hockey team-related article
98-769: The Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League broke the record by winning 28 consecutive games in 2012. Former owner Bruce Saurs died in July 2014. The St. Louis Blues owe their "Towel Man" tradition to the Rivermen. According to the Towel Man himself, Ron Baechle, he and friend Monsignor Matthew Mitas attended a Rivermen game in 1990 where they saw their post-goal tradition, which Mitas suggested Baechle copy in St. Louis. It's been
112-851: The Toledo Blades won the Fred A. Huber Trophy , awarded for "Most Points in the Regular Season' and the Turner Cup awarded to the playoff champions. In 1966, Wilson managed the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Hockey League . Bert Olmstead was the coach. In 1967 the National Hockey League expanded and Olmstead was hired as general manager and coach of the Oakland Seals after the June 7, 1967 NHL player draft. Olmstead hired Wilson to run
126-463: The United Auto Workers went on strike against Caterpillar Inc. on October 1, 1982. At the time 50% of Peorians were employed directly or indirectly by Caterpillar. The strike lasted the entire first hockey season. The Prancers were never able to recover from the effects of the strike and folded after the 1983-1984 season. Wilson moved to Danville, Illinois and took over full-time duties for
140-772: The Capitols won the Huber Trophy and the Turner Cup. This was the only season that a Des Moines-based IHL team finished first and won the playoffs. The Capitols disbanded in 1975. Wilson managed the Flint Generals in 1975-1976 and the Dayton Gems in 1976-1977. In 1981, Wilson formed a group of investors to establish an IHL team in Peoria, Illinois . The Peoria Prancers began play in the 1982-1983 season. After years of good labor relations,
154-688: The Mayfair Public School hockey team in Saskatoon , Saskatchewan . In 1937, Mayfair won the J.D. McDonald Cup for the Saskatoon public schools hockey championship, with Wilson playing from the centre and left-wing positions. In 1946, Wilson moved from Trail, British Columbia to Fort Worth, Texas to play for the Rangers in the United States Hockey League (1945-51) . In 1950, Wilson became
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#1733086320839168-415: The manager of the new Hobart Arena , in Troy, Ohio . As manager, Wilson booked and promoted many of the leading acts of the 1950s, including the first Ohio venue for Elvis Presley on November 24, 1956, Roy Rogers , Gene Autry , Nat King Cole , Tex Ritter , Sonja Henie , Victor Borge , Liberace , Guy Lombardo , and Patti Page . Starting in 1951 and for the next eight seasons, he owned and operated
182-584: The summer of 1989, and he owned the club for 19 seasons. Following several season of financial losses, Saurs sold 50% of the ownership in the IHL franchise in 1996 and relocated it as the San Antonio Dragons . Saurs then launched the Rivermen in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) beginning with the 1996–97 season. They held professional hockey's longest winning streak at 18 games in 1991 until
196-573: Was born in Craik, Saskatchewan . His career as a manager spanned sixteen years in the International Hockey League , five years in the Continental Hockey League and single seasons each in the National Hockey League , Western Hockey League and Eastern Hockey League . Wilson was known for identifying young talent; his players won league-wide Rookie of the Year awards seven times. Wilson played for
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