The Cincinnati Cyclones are a professional ice hockey team located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team is a member of the ECHL. It was originally established in 1990; the team first played its games in the Cincinnati Gardens and now plays at Heritage Bank Center. The Cincinnati Cyclones are a minor league affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.
The Cincinnati area has had a Cyclones hockey team with three separate franchises and in two different leagues. It was in the IHL from (1992–2001) and the ECHL from (1990–1992, 2001–2004, 2006–present). Together, the franchises have combined to win two Kelly Cup titles (2008 and 2010), three conference championships (2008, 2010, and 2014), two Brabham Cups (2008 and 2019), and five Division Championships (1996, 2008, 2009, 2013 and 2019). In 2007–08, the team had the most successful season in ECHL history with 55 wins, 115 points, and its first conference and league championships.
The early ECHL years: 1990–1992
The first franchise to use the name Cincinnati Cyclones was founded in 1990. The team played their games at the Cincinnati Gardens. The Cincinnati Cyclones lost in the 1st round of the playoffs in the 1990–91 season. In the 1991-92 season, the Cincinnati Cyclones lost in the Riley Cup semifinals. The team’s owner at the time, Doug Kirchhofer, was granted an International Hockey League franchise and chose to move the Cyclones’ name to that franchise. Doug Kirchhofer sold the ECHL franchise to Art Clarkson of Birmingham, Alabama, to form the new Birmingham Bulls.
The IHL years: 1992–2001
The inaugural season in the IHL. The Cincinnati Cyclones failed to qualify for the postseason, which would be the first of only two seasons in which they did not qualify. Paul Lawless, who would eventually be the head coach and vice president of player development and have his number retired, began his first of several stints with the team in the 1992-93 season. On April 2, 2004, during his number retirement ceremony, he was singled out as a reason for the team’s success, both on the ice and in attendance. During the IHL years, the Cincinnati Cyclones set a team record of eight consecutive 90-plus point seasons, ending when the International Hockey League ceased operations in 2001. During the Cincinnati Cyclones’ nine years in the IHL, they won their only division and conference regular season championships in the 1995-96 season. Still, they lost in a seven-game semifinal series to the Orlando Solar Bears.
In 1997, the Cincinnati Cyclones’ lease agreement with the Cincinnati Gardens came to an end when the two sides were unable to reach an agreement for a new contract. Team owner, Doug Kirchhofer, purchased what then was known as Riverfront Coliseum in downtown Cincinnati, renamed it The Crown, and renovated the arena. During the seven seasons, the Cyclones were in the arena, the venue was renamed the Firstar Center and now is known as Heritage Bank Center. The team has since been unsuccessful in reclaiming the higher attendance numbers from the Cincinnati Gardens until the 2008 Kelly Cup, where they drew 12,722 fans to the last game of the postseason.
Return to the ECHL: 2001–2004
The third Cyclones franchise started at the beginning of the 1995 season as the Louisville RiverFrogs in Louisville, Kentucky. After three years, the team moved to Miami as the Miami Matadors. After the lone season in Florida, the franchise eventually came into the ownership of a group in Birmingham, Alabama, and the franchise went into inactive status while ownership looked into locations for their team. Upon the folding of the IHL, the Cyclones’ name was sold to this ownership group, who moved the franchise to Cincinnati to become the new Cyclones.
The 1st year back in the ECHL, they ended the team’s streak of 90+ point seasons, with the Cyclones finishing just 12 points shy despite having fewer games. Former Cyclones player Paul Lawless became head coach as a mid-season replacement for Ray Edwards.
Before the start of the 2003-04 season, former Cyclones player and assistant coach Chris Cichocki left the Arkansas RiverBlades in order to return as the Cyclones’ head coach. Despite his success with Arkansas, Cichocki led the team to their worst season with 54 points and failed to make the playoffs for the second time in team history.
Shortly after ending the season without a playoff berth, in April 2004, the Cyclones suspended operations. This suspension was mainly due to a lack of revenue and safe access to the arena, as it was limited by construction in Downtown Cincinnati. This dormancy left Cincinnati hockey to the cross-town, Cincinnati Gardens-based AHL rival, the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks. The Cincinnati Mighty Ducks suspended operations in 2005 after their NHL affiliate, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, switched their affiliation to the Portland Pirates.
Resumed play: 2006–present
With minor league hockey dormant in Cincinnati for a year and plans for the proposed AHL Cincinnati RailRaiders franchise scrapped for 2006-07, on April 21, 2006, the Cincinnati Cyclones announced that they would participate in the upcoming 2006-07 ECHL season. They returned to play their home games at U.S. Bank Arena, joining their two ECHL rivals, the Dayton Bombers and Toledo Storm. They then obtained an affiliation with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League or NHL, and the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League or AHL. The Cincinnati Cyclones won their 1st game back in the ECHL on October 20 against the Pensacola Ice Pilots at U.S. Bank Arena with a score of 3–1. Head coach Chuck Weber was the runner-up for the ECHL’s Coach of the Year award for 2006–07 and was re-signed for the 2007-08 season.
In addition to the Montreal/Hamilton affiliation, the Cyclones added the NHL’s Nashville Predators and the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals as affiliates in 2007. The Cincinnati Cyclones 2007–08 season saw the club break numerous franchise and league records. Through 50 games, the Cyclones were 31 games over .500. Attendance at games had increased nearly 40% over 2006–07, and the club had already surpassed their win total from 2006 to 2007 up to 37 wins. They achieved this mark in 24 fewer games. On February 22, 2008, the Cyclones tied the ECHL record for a single-season winning streak of 14 consecutive games, defeating the Johnstown Chiefs 5-2 in Cincinnati, Ohio. On February 23, 2008, David Desharnais recorded two assists, extending his streak of games with at least one assist to 18 games, breaking the existing ECHL record of 17 games. In the same game, the Cincinnati Cyclones set a new ECHL record for a single-season winning streak of 15 consecutive wins when the Cyclones defeated the Elmira Jackals in a 5–4 shootout.
The team finished the regular season with 115 points, earning them the Brabham Cup regular season championship. Individually, Chuck Weber was named ECHL coach of the year, earning him the John Brophy trophy. David Desharnais claimed three ECHL awards: Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, and the Leading Scorer award with 29 goals and 77 assists for 106 points. In addition, Chad Starling won the award for the highest plus/minus rating.
The Cincinnati Cyclones entered the playoffs and defeated the Johnstown Chiefs 4 games to 0. The Cincinnati Cyclones moved on to the next round of the playoffs and take on the Reading Royals; Cincinnati took the series in seven games to claim their 2nd ever North Division playoff title. The Cincinnati Cyclones then defeated the South Carolina Stingrays, 2–1 in overtime, to claim the American Conference Championship in five games. With their victory, the Cincinnati Cyclones also claimed the E.A. “Bud” Gingher Memorial Trophy.
The Cincinnati Cyclones then defeated the National Conference Champion Las Vegas Wranglers in the Kelly Cup Finals, clinching their 1st championship in team history in six games. After splitting the first two games in Cincinnati (Cincinnati 4–3 and Las Vegas 1–0), the series shifted to Las Vegas, where Cincinnati won games three and five to take a 3–2 series lead. In front of a record-setting crowd, 12,722 fans, at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati on June 5, the Cincinnati Cyclones defeated Las Vegas Wranglers in game six, 3–1, to take the championship and their 71st win of the season. Goalie Cedrick Desjardins was named the Kelly Cup Playoff MVP.
After the Cyclones Cup win, coach Chuck Weber and assistant coach Dean Stork received multi-year extensions. Weber was also given the title of vice president. On November 29, Weber picked up his 100th professional head coaching victory with a 6–3 win at Johnstown.
The Cincinnati Cyclones 2008-09 season was not as successful as the previous season, but they won 41 games for 87 points, repeating as North Division champions. They won a seven-game series against the Wheeling Nailers, including a double overtime game seven win, and swept the Elmira Jackals to win the North Division playoff title. However, the Cincinnati Cyclones would be swept by the South Carolina Stingrays in the American Conference Finals.
The 2009-10 season proved to be more successful with 44 wins and 91 points, the wins total being the most in the American Conference. Despite that, the Cyclones finished in 2nd place in the North Division to the Kalamazoo Wings and in 5th place in the conference. This led to a rematch with fourth-seeded and defending champion South Carolina in the 1st round, where the Cincinnati Cyclones defeated the South Carolina Stingrays in five games. Veteran captain Barrett Eghotz scored in overtime for the 3–2 win in game five, and it was the 3rd straight overtime game in the series. The Cincinnati Cyclones then faced the top-seeded Charlotte Checkers, defeating the Charlotte Checkers in pivotal game seven with a 2–1 victory.
The Cincinnati Cyclones drew the Reading Royals in the American Conference Final. The seven-game series was marred by several incidents, both on and off the ice, that resulted in suspensions and fines to players and staff members of both organizations. The worst occurred after game six, when Reading’s Scott Fletcher allegedly struck a Cincinnati fan with a stick, drawing an indefinite suspension by the league. Nevertheless, the series made ECHL history when, after losing the first two at home, then game three at Reading, Cincinnati posted wins of 6–4, 5–0, and 6–3 to force the team’s 3rd winner-take-all game in the 2010 playoffs. In front of 5,340 fans, the Cincinnati Cyclones posted a 1–0 win to become the 1st team in ECHL history and the 6th professional hockey team in history to come back from a 3–0 deficit to win a best-of-seven series. The contest’s only goal was scored by Barret Ehgoetz 13:48 into the game.
The Cincinnati Cyclones defeated the Idaho Steelheads in the 2010 Kelly Cup Final, four games to 1. Cincinnati scored game-winning goals within the last minute in the first two games, a 3–2 win on a goal by Mark Van Guilder with 49.2 seconds remaining on May 14, and a 1–0 win the next night when Mathieu Aubin netted the only goal in the contest and only with 20.1 seconds remaining in regulation. The series shifted to U.S. Bank Arena and witnessed an Idaho victory within the 1st minute of the 2nd overtime of game three, as Evan Barlow received a pass at the bottom of the right circle and fired the puck into a largely vacated goal, as Cyclones goalie Robert Mayer had committed to the left side.
In front of yet another ECHL playoff record-setting crowd of 13,483 at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Cincinnati Cyclones defeated the Idaho Steelheads in game 5 with a 2–1 victory to take the championship. With the victory, the Cincinnati Cyclones clinched their 2nd Kelly Cup title in 3 years. The game was also the Cincinnati Cyclones’ 24th Kelly Cup playoff game, surpassing the club record of 22 postseason games played by the 2008 championship team and is one more than South Carolina (23) had in its title run in 2009. Rookie Cincinnati Cyclones goaltenders Robert Mayer and Jeremy Smith were named co-winners of the Kelly Cup playoffs MVP. Cincinnati finished with a total record of 59–32–4.
The Cyclones underwent several changes before the 2010-11 season when assistant coach Dean Stork became the head coach of the Greenville Road Warriors in June, and head coach Chuck Weber was promoted to the American Hockey League as head coach of the Rochester Americans on July 27.
On August 4, Cincinnati signed a new affiliation agreement with the NHL’s Florida Panthers, who used Rochester as their AHL farm team, creating a working relationship between Chuck Weber and his former Cyclones team.
On August 12, Cincinnati named Jarrod Skalde as the new head coach. After undergoing this major coaching overhaul and losing a large portion of their roster, the Cyclones went on to post their 3rd lowest points total in franchise history. They were still able to earn a 7th seed in the ECHL playoffs but lost in the 1st round to the Reading Royals, three games to one.
In 2011, the Florida Panthers moved their AHL affiliation to the San Antonio Rampage as well their AHL head coach, Chuck Weber. Despite heavy support by the new AHL affiliate, the 2011-12 season would still be unsuccessful. The Cincinnati Cyclones had a slow start to the season, and while they stayed competitive throughout the rest of the season, they earned only 35 wins and 79 points. The Cincinnati Cyclones would finish 10th in the conference, marking only the 3rd time in their 20-season history that they did not make the playoffs.
The Cincinnati Cyclones made a complete turnaround the following season, beginning the season unbeaten in regulation for the first nine games. Their 42 wins and 92 points won the North Division regular season championship, their 3rd such accolade in 6 seasons, and placed them 2nd in the Eastern Conference. The season earned head coach Jarrod Skalde Coach of the Year honors. Then the Cincinnati Cyclones would go on to win a pair of six-game wins against the Toledo Walleye and Gwinnett Gladiators before losing a five-game conference final to the top-seeded Reading Royals, who would go on to win the Kelly Cup.
On July 9, 2013, coach Skalde accepted an assistant position with the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals, becoming the 2nd consecutive Cincinnati Cyclones coach to be promoted to a higher level. Before the 2014–15 season, Skalde was appointed as Norfolk’s head coach.
The Cincinnati Cyclones came back strong under new head coach Ben Simon during the 2013–14 season, with 41 wins and 91 points for a 5th-place finish in the Eastern Conference. The Cincinnati Cyclones would win three series against the Orlando Solar Bears, Fort Wayne Komets, and the Greenville Road Warriors, all in six games, earning their 3rd trip to the Kelly Cup Finals. They faced the Brabham Cup-winning Alaska Ace but would lose the series in six games. Despite the loss in the final, Cincinnati Cyclones goaltender Rob Madore was named Most Valuable Player of the 2014 Kelly Cup playoffs, becoming the 1st player from the losing team to win the award in the ECHL’s 26-year history and the 4th Cincinnati Cyclones goaltender to either win the trophy outright or share the trophy. Madore earned the award after leading the ECHL with all 14 of Cincinnati’s playoff wins, 1,493 minutes of play, and a Cincinnati record 756 saves while playing every second of Cincinnati’s 24 playoff games. After the season, coach Simon accepted a role with the Toronto Marlies, the top affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Simon became the 3rd consecutive Cincinnati Cyclones head coach to accept a role in the AHL level. Following Simon’s promotion, Matt MacDonald became Cincinnati Cyclones head coach. In the 2014-15 season, the Cincinnati Cyclones finished the season in 5th place in the North Division of the Eastern Conference with a record of 31–30–2–9. The team would miss the playoffs by only 3 points.
On February 27, 2016, the Cyclones played in front of their 1st ever sellout crowd at U.S. Bank Arena, with 16,529 fans were in attendance. While the game was a 3–2 shootout loss to the Indy Fuel, the Cincinnati Cyclones set the record for the largest crowd for a professional hockey game in the 41-year history of U.S. Bank Arena.
After ten seasons, the Nashville Predators and Milwaukee Admirals ended their affiliation with the Cyclones prior to the 2017-18 season. The Cincinnati Cyclones then found affiliations with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabers and the AHL’s Rochester Americans. This is the 2nd time Buffalo has affiliated with a Cincinnati hockey team, after the Sabres’ affiliation with the Cincinnati Swords in the 1970s.
Before the 2018-19 season, head coach Matt Mcdonald was hired as an assistant with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL.
He was replaced by Matt Thomas, who then led the team to the regular season title and 2nd Brabham Cup in franchise history and won the John Brophy Award for coach of the year. Despite the regular season success, the team lost in the division finals four games to 1 to the Toledo Walleye.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cincinnati Cyclones voluntarily suspended operations for the entire 2020-21 ECHL season. Prior to the start of the 2021-22 season, head coach Thomas was hired by the AHL’s Providence Bruins as an assistant coach, and the Cyclones named Jason Payne as the next head coach.
