Bonus: What Happened and Where Are They Now?--2000-01 UHL Edition

     Programs have all sorts of interesting parts, from articles to statistics and player bios. One thing I scanned recently was the United Hockey League's directory from my 2001 Port Huron Border Cats program. I'll post the image, and then write whether each city still has a team.

As of 2000-01, the UHL had 17 member teams, two of which were scheduled to arrive in 2001-02. In 2007, the UHL rebranded as the International Hockey League. Here's a breakdown of the league:

1. Adirondack Icehawks--The Icehawks arrived from Winston-Salem in 1999, and remained in Glens Falls, NY, until 2006. The city is currently home to the ECHL's Adirondack Thunder, who have been in town since 2015.

2. Asheville Smoke--The Smoke arrived from Brantford in 1998, and lasted in Asheville until 2002. The Asheville Aces lasted one season (2004-05) and folded. That was the last hockey team to call Asheville, NC, home.

3. BC Icemen--The Icemen were a 1997 expansion team, replacing the AHL's Binghamton Rangers. The Icemen (the BC stands for Broome County) were replaced in 2002 by the AHL's Binghamton Senators, who played from 2002-17. Currently, the market is home to the Binghamton Black Bears of the FPHL.

4. Elmira Jackals--This was the Jackals' inaugural season. The team played in the UHL until 2007, then jumped to the ECHL, where they remained until folding in 2017. The market then was home to four FPHL teams in six years (Enforcers, Mammoth, River Sharks). Currently, Elmira is home to the Elmira Aviators of the NAHL.

5. Flint Generals--Flint was the only original Colonial Hockey League city to be in the league through all 19 seasons, the Generals playing in 17 of those years. The Generals folded after Firland Management gave the exclusive lease to Perani Arena to the NAHL's Michigan Warriors, who played from 2010-15. Currently, Flint is home to the OHL's Flint Firebirds.

6. Fort Wayne Komets--The Komets joined the UHL in 1999-2000, leaving the collapsing IHL after 47 seasons (and two teams). The Komets stayed in the UHL the rest of that league's existence, then was part of the IHL/CHL merger in 2010. The Komets later joined the ECHL in 2012, where they remain to this day.

7. Kalamazoo Wings--The Kalamazoo Wings actually began play in 1999 as the Madison Kodiaks, playing one season in Madison before relocating to Kalamazoo when the IHL Wings franchise folded. The new K-Wings stayed in the league through the 2008-09 season, then transferred to the ECHL, where Kalamazoo remains to this day.

8. Knoxville Speed--From 1995-99, the Speed were the Madison Monsters until moving to Tennessee after low attendance and financial losses. The Speed lasted in Knoxville until 2002, when the franchise folded. Since 2002, the market has been home to the Knoxville Ice Bears of the SPHL. 

9. Missouri River Otters--The River Otters joined the UHL in 1999. The team averaged nearly 6,000 per game in it's inaugural season, then saw attendance drop steadily to 2,446 per game in 2006, it's final year. The Central Hockey League added the St. Charles Chill in 2013-14, but a horrible team, low attendance and heavy financial losses made them one-and-done. Currently, St. Charles, MO. does not have a hockey team.

10. Mohawk Valley Prowlers--The Prowlers were the third attempt at a UHL franchise in Utica, New York. The team lasted about 2 1/2 seasons, never finishing over .500 and drawing about half capacity. The Prowlers folded 54 games into the 2000-01 season when ownership ran out of money and started bouncing checks to players, who naturally went on strike in protest. After 12 seasons, pro hockey returned to Utica with the AHL's Utica Comets, who remain in town to this day.

11. Muskegon Fury--The Fury were the longest-lasting team in league, playing from 1992-2010. The Fury were rebranded as the Muskegon Lumberjacks in 2008, then folded when the IHL merged with the Central Hockey League. Currently, Muskegon is home to the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks, who have been in town since 2010.

12. New Haven Knights--New Haven has a pro hockey tradition that stretches back to the 1920s. The Knights were a UHL expansion team in 2000-01, replacing the AHL's Beast of New Haven. The Knights lasted through 2001-02, then folded when New Haven Arena was closed and demolished by the City of New Haven. As of 2024, no hockey team (pro or junior) has called New Haven home since.

13. Port Huron Border Cats--The Border Cats were an original Colonial League franchise, starting play in 1991-92 as the Michigan Falcons. The Cats would suspend operations after the 2001-02 season due to poor attendance. Port Huron would see three more UHL teams come and go from 2002-10 (Beacons, Flags, Icehawks). After the Icehawks folded in 2010, the NAHL's Fighting Falcons called Port Huron home from 2010-14. Port Huron is currently home to the FPHL's Port Huron Prowlers, who have been in town since 2015.

14. Quad City Mallards--The Mallards joined the Colonial League in 1995, and were one of the more successful expansion franchises in league history, winning the Colonial Cup in 1997, 1998 and 2001, and appearing in the Finals in 1999, 2000 and 2003. Mallards' attendance steadily declined from a high of 8,646 in 1998 to 3,120 in 2007, their final year. Quad City would be home to the AHL's Flames from 2007-09, then returned to the IHL with a new Mallards team from 2007-10. The new Mallards were part of the IHL-CHL merger and stayed in that league through 2014, when it was absorbed by the ECHL. The Mallards folded in 2018, and were replaced by the SPHL's Quad City Storm, who remain in town to this day.

15. Rockford Ice Hogs--The Ice Hogs were another original Colonial League franchise, dating back to 1991-92 as the Thunder Bay Thunder Hawks. The Ice Hogs stayed in the UHL from 1999-2007, and won the final Colonial Cup. In 2007, the team jumped to the AHL, becoming Chicago's top farm team, where they remain to this day.

Now for the proposed teams...

16. Arctic Xpress--The Xpress were based in Massillon, Ohio, and dated back to 1992-93 as the Chatham Wheels. The team arrived in Ohio from Saginaw in December 1999, finishing out that season as the Ohio Gears in a rec rink and drawing a couple hundred fans a game (at best). Ownership mothballed the franchise after that year, with plans to move into a new 6500-seat arena in Massillon in time for the 2001-02 season. The team was first renamed "Ohio Express", but a possible copyright infringement lawsuit forced a change to "Arctic Xpress". Regardless, construction never started on the new arena. Ownership then tried to place the team in Canton, renaming it "Canton Ice Patrol", but nothing came of that either (not sure if Canton Memorial Civic Center even has an ice plant). The team never played a game, and Massillon and Canton do not have any hockey teams as of 2024.

17. Lehigh Valley Xtreme--The Xtreme were granted a UHL expansion franchise set to begin play in 2001-02 in a brand new arena in Allentown, PA. They even hired legendary Flyers enforcer Dave "The Hammer" Schultz as head coach. Much like Massillon, that arena was never built, and the Xtreme never played a game. Allentown eventually did build an arena in 2014, the 8,420-seat PPL Center, and is currently home to the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms. 

So there you go, a "What Happened and Where Are They Now?" for members of the 2000-01 United Hockey League. To sum up, you have cities in the following leagues:

OHL: 1 (Flint)

SPHL: 2 (Quad City, Knoxville)

FPHL: 2 (Port Huron, Binghamton)

USHL: 1 (Muskegon)

ECHL: 3 (Fort Wayne, Kalamazoo, Adirondack)

NAHL: 1 (Elmira)

AHL: 3 (Mohawk Valley/Utica, Lehigh Valley, Rockford)

No Hockey: 5 (New Haven, Massillon, Canton, Asheville, St. Charles/Missouri)