Sport | Ice hockey |
---|---|
Awarded for | to the ECHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success. |
History | |
First award | 1989 (renamed in 2003) |
Most recent | Bruce Ramsay (Wichita Thunder) |
The John Brophy Award goes to the ECHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success as voted by the coaches of each of the ECHL teams. The John Brophy Award has been awarded since 1989. The award is named after John Brophy, who coached in the league for 13 seasons and won 575 regular and postseason games, an ECHL record. The award, founded in 1989 and originally named Coach Of The Year, was renamed in his honor in 2003.
Bob Ferguson is the only multiple winner of the award having won it in 1999 and 2000.
The Wheeling Nailers are a professional ECHL ice hockey team based in Wheeling, West Virginia. They are the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League.
The South Carolina Stingrays are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in North Charleston, South Carolina. The Stingrays play in the South Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. They play their home games at the North Charleston Coliseum. The Carolina Ice Palace, also located in North Charleston, serves as a practice facility and backup arena. Established in 1993, the team has been owned by a group of local businesses since 1995. The team was affiliated with the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League and the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League from 2004 to July 2012, when the Capitals announced their affiliation with the ECHL's Reading Royals. On June 26, 2014, the Washington Capitals announced an affiliation agreement with the Stingrays for the 2014–15 season.
The Idaho Steelheads are an American professional minor league ice hockey team based in Boise, Idaho, and a member of the ECHL. The Steelheads play in the Mountain Division of the ECHL's Western Conference since the 2016–17 season. In 1996, the Steelheads were announced as a 1997–98 expansion team by Diamond Sports Management, headed by Cord Pereira, as a member of the West Coast Hockey League (WCHL). The Steelheads and the rest of the WCHL joined the ECHL in 2003. As of the 2022-23 season, the Steelheads are the westernmost ECHL team. During the 2003–04 season and since the 2005–06 season the Steelheads have been an affiliate of the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars. The Austin-based Texas Stars have been the Dallas Stars AHL affiliate since the 2009–10 season. Home games are played at the 5,002-seat Idaho Central Arena in downtown Boise.
The Wichita Thunder are a minor league hockey team based in Wichita, Kansas. The team played in the Central Hockey League from 1992 until 2014, and then in the ECHL since the 2014–15 season. From 1992 until December 2009, the Thunder played in the Britt Brown Arena located in the northern Wichita suburb of Park City. In January 2010, the team began playing its home games at the newly built Intrust Bank Arena. The Thunder are currently the ECHL affiliate of the San Jose Sharks.
The Florida Everblades are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Estero, Florida, in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers metropolitan area. They play in the ECHL and are affiliated with the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL) starting in the 2022–23 ECHL season. Their home games are played at Hertz Arena.
The Reading Royals are a professional ice hockey team that currently plays in the ECHL. The team participates in the North Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Royals play their home games at the Santander Arena located in downtown Reading, Pennsylvania.
John Duncan Brophy was a Canadian ice hockey coach and hockey player who spent most of his career in minor professional leagues, including 18 years as a player in the Eastern Hockey League and 13 seasons as a coach in the East Coast Hockey League. From 1986 to 1988 the native of Antigonish was head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League.
The Colorado Eagles are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Loveland, Colorado. The Eagles play in the Pacific Division of the American Hockey League.
The Cincinnati Cyclones are a professional ice hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team is a member of the ECHL. Originally established in 1990, the team first played their games in the Cincinnati Gardens and now play at Heritage Bank Center. The Cyclones are a minor league affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres and the Rochester Americans.
Jared John Staal is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. He is an assistant coach for the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Bradley Ralph is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey left winger and is the head coach of the Florida Everblades of the ECHL. He played in one National Hockey League game for the Phoenix Coyotes during the 2000–01 NHL season.
The 2008–09 ECHL season was the 21st of the ECHL.
The Ontario Reign were a professional ice hockey team from Ontario, California that played in the ECHL. Their home arena was the Citizens Business Bank Arena. They were affiliated with two National Hockey League teams: the Los Angeles Kings were the team's primary affiliate, and the Winnipeg Jets were the secondary affiliate. In 2015, the franchise moved to Manchester, New Hampshire, to become the Manchester Monarchs while the Monarchs of the American Hockey League moved to Ontario and became the Reign as part of the AHL's plan to create a Pacific Division.
The Toledo Walleye are a professional ice hockey team based in Toledo, Ohio. The Walleye are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the ECHL. The Walleye were founded in 1991 as the Toledo Storm and play their home games at the Huntington Center, which opened in 2009. Since the beginning of the 2009–10 season, the team has been affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League and the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League with an agreement in place through the 2023–24 season.
Glen Gulutzan is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former player. He is currently an assistant coach for the Edmonton Oilers.
Cail MacLean is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and is an assistant coach for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League.
Murray Hood is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 138 games with the Hampton Roads Admirals of the East Coast Hockey League between 1989 and 1992.
Jeff Pyle is an American former ice hockey player and the current Director of Hockey Operations of the ECHL Atlanta Gladiators.
Chuck Weber is an American ice hockey coach.
Matt Thomas is a Canadian ice hockey coach and is currently an assistant coach with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League.