Tallahassee Tiger Sharks

East Coast Hockey League (1994-2001)

Tombstone

Born: 1994 – The Huntsville Blast relocate to Tallahassee, FL
Moved: June 2001 (Macon Whoopee)

First Game: October 19, 1994 (W 8-7 vs. Birmingham Bulls)
Last Game: April 1, 2001 (L 4-2 @ Florida Everblades)

Riley Cup/Kelly Cup Championships: None

Arena

Leon County Civic Center (11,048)
Opened: 1981

Marketing

Team Colors: Metallic Silver, Black & Tiger Shark Red

Ownership & Affiliation

Owners:

1994-2001*: David Elmore & Donna Tuttle
2000-2001*: Michel Cadrin

*Cadrin leased the team from Elmore-Tuttle Sports Group and returned it in June 2001.

NHL Affiliation:

Background

The Tallahassee Tiger Sharks were a mid-level minor league hockey club that played seven seasons in the East Coast Hockey League from 1994 to 2001. The team was affiliated with the New York Islanders of the NHL.

The Tiger Sharks were owned by prolific minor league baseball and hockey investors David Elmore and Donna Tuttle.

Notable Players

Female goaltender Manon Rheaume played one game for the Tiger Sharks during their first season in the winter of 1994-95. She played only one period and let in four goals. Rheaume had some talent, but was used as a sort of touring novelty act by various minor league and roller hockey clubs during the mid-1990’s. She typically played one or two games in a city to sell tickets and attract publicity, and then moved on to the next stop.

The most impactful player to spend time in Tallahassee was Michael Ryder, who played five games for the Tiger Sharks during the team’s final season in the winter of 2000-01. Ryder broke into the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens in 2003 and has recorded three 30-goal seasons with Montreal and the Dallas Stars. He also won a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011.

Decline & Move to Georgia

The Tiger Sharks’ existence followed a storyline familiar to many Southern ECHL franchises during the 1990’s. A couple of years of strong crowds and community enthusiasm, followed by a steep, sharp decline after the novelty wore off. The Tiger Sharks drew over 6,000 fans per game in their early years, but by the winter of 1999-00, crowds dwindled to a league-worst 2,728 per game. A very strong team during the Tiger Sharks’ final campaign in 2000-01 did nothing to reverse this trend. Adding insult to injury, the Tiger Sharks were caught violating the ECHL salary cap that winter and penalized 15 points in the standings. The penalty effectively barred the team from the playoffs.

David Elmore moved the franchise to Macon, Georgia in June 2001 where it became the Macon Whoopee.