Trenton Titans

Last updated
Trenton Titans
Trenton Titans logo.svg
City Trenton, New Jersey
League ECHL
ConferenceEastern Conference
DivisionAtlantic Division
Operated 1999–2013
Home arena Sun National Bank Center
ColorsRed, black, white    
Owner(s)Delaware Valley Sports Group LLC
Media The Trenton Times , The Trentonian , WPHY-CD
Franchise history
1999–2007Trenton Titans
2007–2011Trenton Devils
2011–2013Trenton Titans
Championships
Regular season titles1 (2000–01)
Division titles2 (2000–01, 2001–02)
Conference titles2 (2000–01, 2004–05)
Kelly Cups1 (2004–05)

The Trenton Titans were a professional minor league ice hockey team that played in the ECHL. The team last played in the Atlantic Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Titans played their home games at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, New Jersey. [1] Established in 1999, the team was owned by Delaware Valley Sports Group LLC, a local ownership group. They were most recently the ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers and the AHL's Adirondack Phantoms.

Contents

The Titans finished with the best record in the ECHL once in 2002, and qualified for the playoffs for eight out of their fourteen seasons. They won the league's Kelly Cup championship in 2005.

The team was owned by the New Jersey Devils from 2006 to 2011, but remained an affiliate of the Flyers under the Titans name for the 2006–07 ECHL season. Renamed the Trenton Devils, the team was affiliated with the New Jersey Devils starting from the 2007–08 ECHL season. After the team was sold in 2011, the team reverted to the Titans moniker and affiliation with the Flyers for the 2011–12 ECHL season.

The ECHL announced on April 23, 2013 that the Titans had ceased operations and that all players are considered unrestricted free agents, effective immediately. [1] [2]

History

Trenton Titans (1999–2007)

The ECHL awarded Trenton an expansion team in 1996, three years before the club played a game. The franchise started as the Trenton Titans and played their first season in 1999. The Titans were affiliated with the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL) and the Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL) from 1999–2000 to 2006–07 and with the New York Islanders (NHL) and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) from 1999–2000 to 2002–03, and again for the 2005–06 season.

Following the 2004–05 ECHL season, the Titans won the Kelly Cup by defeating the Florida Everblades, four games to two. Leon Hayward was named the MVP of the Kelly Cup Finals. Rick Kowalsky was Trenton's captain. After the season, head coach Mike Havilland was hired by the AHL's Norfolk Admirals. Assistant coach Ted Dent was hired by the Columbia Inferno.

Intrastate rivalry

Before moving to Stockton, California to become the Stockton Thunder in 2005, the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies were rivals of the Titans. They played for the Garden State Cup, which was awarded to the regular season series winner between New Jersey's two ECHL teams.

  • 2001–02: Trenton wins, 6 games to 4
  • 2002–03: Atlantic City wins, 6 games to 4
  • 2003–04: Trenton wins, 6 games to 4
  • 2004–05: Trenton wins, 5-3-2

In 2006, the New Jersey Devils bought the Trenton Titans and the team became the ECHL affiliate of the Devils for the 2006–07 season. [3] The team still maintained their affiliation with the Flyers for that season only.

Trenton Devils (2007–2011)

Main logo (2007-2011) TrentonDevils.png
Main logo (2007–2011)

In 2007, the New Jersey Devils announced that the Titans were changing their name to the Trenton Devils. [4] This re-branding alienated fans in the Trenton area, many of whom were part of the Philadelphia Flyers' (and to a lesser extent, the fellow NHL rivals of the Devils in the New York Rangers) fan base. The name change and the team's lackluster record led to a significant decline in attendance, positioning Trenton at or near the bottom of the league in attendance. [5] The only exception to this was on February 21, 2009, when the Trenton Devils retired former Titan Kelly Cup champion Scott Bertoli's No. 19 in front of a crowd of 6,013 fans. [6] [7]

On July 6, 2011, the New Jersey Devils announced that the Trenton Devils would be suspending operations immediately, citing a desire to restructure their player development system to more closely mirror those of other NHL franchises (New Jersey was the only NHL team to wholly own its ECHL affiliate). Trenton had failed to qualify for the playoffs in three of the previous four seasons and had regularly posted league-low attendance numbers. Prior to the suspension of operations, the team lost $1.5 million during the 2010–11 ECHL season. [8]

The ECHL worked to find a new ownership group for the franchise, with the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers eager to affiliate with franchise and help in cross-promotion. The Flyers, however, were not interested in owning the ECHL franchise. [9] Two weeks prior to the announcement of the Trenton Devils' suspension of operations, the ECHL registered the Trenton Titans name with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, with a logo description that was similar to the logo used by the Titans from 1999 to 2007. [10] One week after the Devils suspended operations, a group of local fans began lobbying investors to restart the franchise under the Titans name. [11]

Trenton Titans (2011–2013)

Blue Line Sports LLC, managed by John and Eileen Martinson, took over the team, restoring the original Titans moniker and affiliating the team once again with the Philadelphia Flyers. [12] [13] On March 28, 2012, the team and its owner Blue Line Sports LLC was sold to Delaware Valley Sports Group LLC, consisting of Jim O'Connor, Jim Cook, Tim Curran and the team's general manager Richard Lisk.

Former Titan all-time scoring leader Scott Bertoli, whose number 19 is the only one to be retired by the franchise, was named senior adviser of hockey operations for the team. Former Titans' general manager from 2001–05, Richard Lisk, rejoined the team and was appointed to be the franchise's president and CEO. [14]

Former Titans defenseman and previous assistant coach during the Trenton Devils years Vince Williams was named head coach of the Titans on August 1, 2011. [15] [16]

NHL veteran and original Titan Todd Fedoruk was named assistant coach on November 9, 2011. [17] [18] On August 28, 2012, the Titans announced the addition of Joe Trotta as an assistant coach. Trotta had last served as video coach for the Anaheim Ducks of the NHL. [19] The Titans also announced an affiliation with the Danbury Whalers of the Federal Hockey League on September 10, 2012. This is one of the first times an ECHL team has affiliated with a lower minor league team. [20]

While experiencing numerous financial issues, [21] [22] [23] it was announced on April 23, 2013 the Titans would cease operations for the 2013–14 season. [1] [24]

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Season GPWLTOTLSOLPtsGFGAPIMFinish Playoffs
1999–2000 7037294——7823319914614th Northeast DivisionLost in conference finals
2000–01 7250184——10423616412841st Northeast DivisionLost in Kelly Cup finals
2001–02 72461610——10223817818221st Northeast DivisionLost in divisional finals
2002–03 72382410——8622920718604th Northeast DivisionLost in divisional semifinals
2003–04 7237287——8122219315696th North DivisionOut of playoffs
2004–05 7242219——9321319714412nd East DivisionWon Kelly Cup
2005–06 7231365——6716621413185th East DivisionLost in divisional quarterfinals
2006–07 723631—147725024214004th North DivisionLost in divisional semifinals
2007–08 722936—346518322012606th North DivisionOut of playoffs
2008–09 724025—258723620611462nd North DivisionLost in divisional semifinals
2009–10 723330—457524425214653rd East DivisionOut of playoffs
2010–11 722737—266221825712553rd Atlantic DivisionOut of playoffs
2011–12 722141—46522112719594th Atlantic DivisionOut of playoffs
2012–13 723232—047222624711714th Atlantic DivisionOut of playoffs

Playoffs

SeasonPrelim1st round2nd roundConference
Finals		Kelly Cup
Finals
1999–2000 —W, 3–0, Richmond W, 3–2, Hampton Roads L, 2–4, Peoria —
2000–01 —W, 3–1, Johnstown W, 3–0, Toledo W, 4–3, PeoriaL, 1–4, South Carolina
2001–02 —W, 3–1, Roanoke L, 0–3, Atlantic City ——
2002–03 —L, 0–3, Atlantic City———
2003–04 Out of playoffs
2004–05 —W, 3–0, Atlantic CityW, 3–1, Reading W, 4–3, Alaska W, 4–2, Florida
2005–06 L, 0–2, Johnstown————
2006–07 W, 2–0, JohnstownL, 0–3, Dayton ———
2007–08 Out of playoffs
2008–09 —L, 3–4, Elmira ———
2009–10 Out of playoffs
2010–11 Out of playoffs
2011–12 Out of playoffs
2012–13 Out of playoffs

Club Records

Season

Game

General managers

Head coaches

Retired numbers

19: Scott Bertoli (Retired on February 21, 2009; Re-dedicated on October 22, 2011)

Media

The Titans were covered by the two city newspapers, The Trenton Times and The Trentonian . Hunterdon County Democrat writer Mike Ashmore kept an active blog [25] of the team during their time as the Devils. WRRC (107.7 FM The Bronc) carried all Titans games, both over-the-air and through an Internet link, with Daryle Dobos calling the action.

The games were broadcast on radio during the first nine years of existence on WHWH, WBCB-AM, and WTSR, In 2008, the broadcasts switched to internet-only, and were handled by first-year play-by-play announcer Paul Roper, who was selected to broadcast the 2009 ECHL All-Star Game.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Jersey Devils</span> National Hockey League team in Newark

The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The club was founded as the Kansas City Scouts in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1974. The Scouts moved to Denver in 1976 and became the Colorado Rockies. In 1982, they moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey, and took their current name, which is derived from the legendary Jersey Devil creature. For their first 25 seasons in New Jersey, the Devils were based at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford and played their home games at Brendan Byrne Arena. Before the 2007–08 season, the team moved to Prudential Center in Newark. The Devils are owned and managed by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), with founders Josh Harris and David Blitzer acquiring the team in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Tortorella</span> American ice hockey coach

John Tortorella is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player. He serves as the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Tortorella was previously the head coach of the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vancouver Canucks. He led Tampa Bay to the 2004 Stanley Cup championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading Royals</span> Ice hockey team

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maine Mariners (AHL)</span> Defunct American Hockey League franchise

The Maine Mariners were two separate professional ice hockey teams in the American Hockey League. They both played in Portland, Maine, at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mobile Mysticks</span> Ice hockey team

The Mobile Mysticks were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Mobile, Alabama that played in the ECHL. They played their home games at the Mobile Civic Center. The team was founded in 1995 as an expansion franchise, joining the ECHL alongside the Louisville RiverFrogs and the Louisiana IceGators. The Mysticks owed their name to the prevalence of mystic societies—social organizations responsible for throwing parades and balls during the Carnival season—that existed in Mobile since the early 18th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todd Fedoruk</span> Canadian ice hockey player

Todd Julian Fedoruk is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played nine seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for six different teams. Todd has Ukrainian origin.

The 2006–07 ECHL season was the 19th season of the ECHL. The league had 25 teams for 2006–07. The Brabham Cup regular season champions were the Las Vegas Wranglers and the Kelly Cup playoff champions were the Idaho Steelheads.

Kevin Charles Dean is an American former professional ice hockey player and current assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks in the National Hockey League (NHL). Dean played seven seasons in the NHL for the New Jersey Devils, Atlanta Thrashers, Dallas Stars, and Chicago Blackhawks.

The 2006–07 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Flyers' 40th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). For the first time in franchise history the Flyers finished with the worst record in the entire league and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1994.

The 2004–05 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Flyers' 38th season in the National Hockey League (NHL), however its games were canceled due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout. The other 29 teams did not play either due to the labor dispute.

The 1999–2000 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Philadelphia Flyers' 33rd season in the National Hockey League (NHL). One of the most tumultuous seasons in franchise history, the Flyers reached the Eastern Conference Finals, losing in seven games to the New Jersey Devils, blowing a 3-1 series lead in the process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devils–Flyers rivalry</span> National Hockey League rivalry

The Devils–Flyers rivalry is a rivalry between the New Jersey Devils and the Philadelphia Flyers, two ice hockey teams in the Metropolitan Division of the National Hockey League (NHL). This rivalry has become quite intense in New Jersey itself, sometimes referred to as the "Battle of the Jersey Turnpike", with the northern part of the state being the Devils fanbase, while the southern part of the state is overwhelmingly Flyers fans due to South Jersey's proximity to Philadelphia. The Flyers practice in Voorhees Township, New Jersey, and since their Stanley Cup days of 1974 and 1975, many members of the Cup teams have lived in South Jersey.

The 2011–12 ECHL season was the 24th season of the ECHL. The regular season schedule ran from October 4, 2011 to March 31, 2012 and was followed by the 2012 Kelly Cup playoffs beginning on April 2, 2012.

The 2011–12 New Jersey Devils season was the 38th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 11, 1974, and 30th season since the franchise relocated from Colorado prior to the 1982–83 NHL season. The Devils hoped to return to the playoffs after having their long playoff streak snapped the previous year. While finishing fourth in the strong Atlantic Division, they ranked sixth in the Eastern Conference, thus securing a playoff berth, and faced the Southeast Division-winning Florida Panthers in the Conference Quarterfinals where they won in seven games. In the Conference Semifinals, the Devils played against the Philadelphia Flyers and won in five games. In the Conference Finals, they faced their rivals, the New York Rangers, and won in six games advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since the 2002–03 season. The Devils lost in the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals to the Los Angeles Kings in six games.

The 2011–12 Philadelphia Flyers season was the team's 45th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers lost in the second round of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs to their local rivals, the New Jersey Devils, in five games.

Scott Bertoli is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was the Senior Advisor of Hockey Operations for the ECHL's Trenton Titans until their folding.

Vince Williams is a former ice hockey defenseman and a current scout with the expansion Vegas Golden Knights. He was previously the head coach of the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL from 2013-2015 and the Trenton Titans from 2011-2013.

Rick Kowalsky is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the 10th round of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maine Mariners (ECHL)</span> ECHL franchise

The Maine Mariners are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL that began play in the 2018–19 season. Based in Portland, Maine, the team plays their home games at Cross Insurance Arena. The team participate in the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The team replaced the American Hockey League's Portland Pirates after the franchise became the Springfield Thunderbirds in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Appleby</span> Canadian ice hockey player

Ken Appleby is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Bridgeport Islanders in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils.

References

  1. 1 2 3 George, John (April 23, 2013). "Trenton loses a hockey team". Philadelphia Business Journal . Retrieved April 26, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Trenton Ceases Operations". ECHL . April 23, 2013. Archived from the original on April 27, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  3. ↑ "TRENTON TITANS". Trenton Titans. November 12, 2006. Archived from the original on November 12, 2006. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  4. ↑ Kimelman, Adam (May 18, 2007). "Trenton Titans become Trenton Devils". The Times . Retrieved July 7, 2011.
  5. ↑ Duffy, Erin (July 6, 2011). "Future of Trenton Devils minor league hockey team is clouded by uncertainty". The Times . Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Bertoli's number to retire". The Times . January 13, 2009. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Game Summary 610". Hockeytech.com. ECHL. February 21, 2009. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
  8. ↑ Abdur-Rahman, Sulaiman (July 6, 2011). "ECHL's Trenton Devils suspend operations". The Trentonian . Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
  9. ↑ Kimelman, Adam (July 6, 2011). "Flyers prospect achieves "Trial on the Isle" first". National Hockey League . Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  10. ↑ Creamer, Chris (July 6, 2011). "Trenton Devils suspend operations... Titans returning?". SportsLogos.net . Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  11. ↑ Duffy, Erin (July 16, 2011). "With Trenton Devils iced, local group wants to revive hockey team's predecessor". The Times . Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  12. ↑ Rosenau, Joshua (July 27, 2011). "Trenton Titans minor league hockey team to be revived at Sun National Bank Center". The Times . Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  13. ↑ "ECHL Board of Governors approves membership for Trenton Titans". ECHL . July 28, 2011. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  14. ↑ Duffy, Erin (July 29, 2011). "Fans cheer the return of the Trenton Titans". The Times . Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Williams named head coach of Titans". August 1, 2011. August 1, 2011. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Trenton Titans name Williams head coach". The Trentonian . August 1, 2011. Archived from the original on May 24, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Todd Fedoruk named TItans Assistant Coach". Trenton Titans. November 9, 2011. Archived from the original on June 6, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  18. ↑ "ORIGINAL TITAN, NHL VETERAN FEDORUK NAMED TRENTON'S ASSISTANT COACH". ECHL . November 9, 2011. Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Trenton tabs former ECHL'r Joe Trotta as Assistant Coach". Trenton Titans. August 28, 2012. Archived from the original on October 31, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  20. ↑ "Trenton Titans Announce Affiliation with Danbury Whales of the FHL". Trenton Titans. September 17, 2012. Archived from the original on September 23, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  21. ↑ https://www.crossingbroad.com/2013/02/the-trenton-titans-arent-paying-their-players-rent.html
  22. ↑ https://www.nj.com/mercer/2014/06/bankrupt_trenton_titans_hockey_team_still_owes_nearly_500000_to_creditors.html
  23. ↑ https://oliver-nj-bankruptcy.com/blog/2014/06/hockey-team-files-bankruptcy-after-owing-fans-and-creditors/
  24. ↑ "Trenton Titans Hockey Team To Cease Operations". Trenton Titans. April 23, 2013. Archived from the original on April 26, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  25. ↑ "Inside The Trenton Devils with Mike Ashmore". Inside The Trenton Devils with Mike Ashmore. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
Preceded by Kelly Cup
2004–05 		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.