| Springfield Jr. Blues | |
|---|---|
| City | Springfield, Illinois |
| League | NAHL |
| Division | Midwest |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Home arena | Nelson Center |
| Colors | Navy, Gold |
| Owner(s) | Dan Ferguson |
| General manager | Todd Pococke |
| Head coach | Todd Pococke |
| Media | Hockey TV |
| Franchise history | |
| 1993–present | Springfield Jr. Blues |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 3: 1996, 1997, 1998 |
| Robertson Cups | 2: 1996, 1997 |
The Springfield Jr. Blues are a Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League's Midwest Division.[1] The team plays their home games at the Nelson Center in Springfield, Illinois.[2]
History
[edit]Founded by John D. O'Laughlin and Al Jennings, the franchise joined the North American Hockey League for the 1993–94 season.[3] Springfield had previously been home to multiple semi-pro teams the Springfield Kings and Springfield Capitols. The team has made numerous appearances in the NAHL playoffs and were back-to-back Robertson Cup National Championships in 1996 and 1997.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that curtailed the 2019–20 season, the Jr. Blues suspended operations for the 2020–21 season.[4][5]
Season-by-season records
[edit]| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | SOL | PTS | GF | GA | Finish | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–94 | 46 | 13 | 26 | 5 | 2 | – | 31 | 171 | 215 | 5th of 5, Western 10th of 10, NAHL |
Information missing | ||||
| 1994–95 | 44 | 32 | 8 | 2 | 2 | – | 68 | 275 | 148 | 2nd of 9, NAHL | Information missing | ||||
| 1995–96 | 46 | 34 | 7 | 4 | 1 | – | 74 | 270 | 147 | 1st of 8, NAHL | Won Quarterfinal series, 2–0 (Dearborn Heights Nationals) Won Semifinal series, 2–0 (Soo Indians) Won Robertson Cup Championship series, 2–1 (Detroit Compuware Ambassadors) | ||||
| 1996–97 | 46 | 35 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 71 | 230 | 144 | 1st of 8, NAHL | Won Quarterfinal series, 2–0 (St. Louis Sting) Won Semifinal series, 2–0 (Danville Wings) Won Robertson Cup Championship series, 2–1 (Detroit Compuware Ambassadors) | ||||
| 1997–98 | 56 | 42 | 12 | – | 2 | – | 86 | 274 | 175 | 1st of 9, NAHL | Won Quarterfinal series, 2–0 (Gaylord Grizzlies) Lost Semifinal series, 1–2 (USNTDP) | ||||
| 1998–99 | 56 | 32 | 20 | – | 4 | – | 68 | 189 | 178 | 2nd of 4, South 4th of 9, NAHL |
Won Quarterfinal series, 2–1 (Chicago Freeze) Lost Semifinal series, 1–2 (St. Louis Sting) | ||||
| 1999–2000 | 56 | 28 | 24 | – | 4 | – | 60 | 190 | 183 | 3rd of 5, West 6th of 11, NAHL |
Lost Div. Semifinal series, 0–2 (Danville Wings) | ||||
| 2000–01 | 56 | 19 | 36 | – | 1 | – | 39 | 164 | 276 | 4th of 5, West t-8th of 10, NAHL |
Lost Div. Semifinal series, 0–2 (Texas Tornado) | ||||
| 2001–02 | 56 | 12 | 38 | – | 6 | – | 30 | 147 | 266 | 5th of 5, West 11th of 11, NAHL |
Did not qualify | ||||
| 2002–03 | 56 | 20 | 27 | – | 9 | – | 49 | 191 | 237 | 4th of 5, West 8th of 11, NAHL |
Lost Div. Semifinal series, 0–2 (Texas Tornado) | ||||
| 2003–04 | 56 | 34 | 18 | – | 4 | – | 72 | 194 | 143 | 2nd of 7, North t-4th of 21, NAHL |
Won Div. Semifinal series, 3–2 (Cleveland Jr. Barons) Won Div. Final series, 3–0 (USNTDP) Lost Semifinal series, 5–2 (Fairbanks Ice Dogs), 2–3 (Bismarck Bobcats), 0–1 (Texas Tornado) Won Consolation Game, 3–5 (Fairbanks Ice Dogs) | ||||
| 2004–05 | 56 | 30 | 25 | – | 1 | – | 61 | 207 | 200 | 5th of 7, South 10th of 19, NAHL |
Did not qualify | ||||
| 2005–06 | 56 | 28 | 26 | – | 4 | – | 60 | 181 | 208 | 3rd of 5, South 11th of 20, NAHL |
Lost Div. Semifinal series, 1–3 (Texarkana Bandits) | ||||
| 2006–07 | 56 | 26 | 31 | – | 5 | – | 57 | 188 | 203 | 6th of 6, Central 13th of 17, NAHL |
Did not qualify | ||||
| 2007–08 | 58 | 27 | 26 | – | 5 | – | 59 | 190 | 190 | 4th of 6, Central 11th of 18, NAHL |
Won Div. Semifinal series, 3–0 (North Iowa Outlaws) Won Div. Final series, 2–3 (Alexandria Blizzard) | ||||
| 2008–09 | 58 | 25 | 28 | – | 5 | – | 55 | 183 | 185 | 4th of 4, South 15th of 19, NAHL |
Won Div. Semifinal series, 3–0 (North Iowa Outlaws) Lost Div. Final series, 2–3 (Alexandria Blizzard) | ||||
| 2009–10 | 58 | 21 | 29 | – | 8 | – | 50 | 163 | 193 | 4th of 5, South 14th of 19, NAHL |
Lost Div. Semifinal series, 1–3 (Topeka RoadRunners) | ||||
| 2010–11 | 58 | 31 | 24 | – | 3 | – | 65 | 191 | 170 | 5th of 8, North 15th of 26, NAHL |
Did not qualify | ||||
| 2011–12 | 60 | 31 | 27 | – | 2 | – | 64 | 202 | 190 | 3rd of 5, Midwest t-17th of 28, NAHL |
Won Div. Semifinal series, 3–2 (Janesville Jets) Lost Div. Final series, 1–3 (St. Louis Bandits) | ||||
| 2012–13 | 60 | 26 | 30 | – | 4 | – | 56 | 159 | 181 | t-6th of 8, North t-16th of 24, NAHL |
Lost Div. Play-in series, 0–2 (Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings) | ||||
| 2013–14 | 60 | 26 | 26 | – | 8 | – | 60 | 141 | 160 | 5th of 6, North 17th of 24, NAHL |
Did not qualify | ||||
| 2014–15 | 60 | 23 | 31 | – | 6 | – | 52 | 126 | 184 | 6th of 6, North 20th of 24, NAHL |
Did not qualify | ||||
| 2015–16 | 60 | 29 | 25 | – | 6 | – | 64 | 155 | 164 | 5th of 6, Midwest 13th of 22, NAHL |
Did not qualify | ||||
| 2016–17 | 60 | 27 | 28 | – | 4 | 1 | 59 | 174 | 189 | 5th of 6, Midwest 18th of 24, NAHL |
Did not qualify | ||||
| 2017–18 | 60 | 33 | 21 | – | 5 | 1 | 72 | 169 | 166 | 3rd of 6, Midwest t-8th of 23, NAHL |
Lost Div. Semifinal series, 0–3 (Janesville Jets) | ||||
| 2018–19 | 60 | 33 | 22 | – | 4 | 1 | 71 | 192 | 177 | 3rd of 6, Midwest 9th of 24, NAHL |
Lost Div. Semifinal series, 1–3 (Minnesota Magicians) | ||||
| 2019–20 | 48 | 14 | 29 | – | 2 | 3 | 33 | 116 | 169 | 6th of 6, Midwest 10th of 23, NAHL |
Postseason cancelled | ||||
| 2020–21 | Franchise suspended play due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–22 | 60 | 36 | 20 | – | 2 | 2 | 76 | 211 | 177 | 2nd of 8, Midwest 7th of 29, NAHL |
Lost Div. Semifinal series, 0–3 (Anchorage Wolverines) | ||||
| 2022–23 | 60 | 26 | 31 | – | 1 | 2 | 55 | 147 | 174 | t-7th of 8, Midwest t-25th of 29, NAHL |
Did not qualify | ||||
| 2023–24 | 60 | 21 | 29 | – | 9 | 1 | 52 | 151 | 218 | t-6th of 8, Midwest t-25th of 32, NAHL |
Did not qualify | ||||
| 2024–25 | 59 | 27 | 27 | – | 3 | 2 | 59 | 158 | 182 | 6th of 8, Midwest 21st of 35, NAHL |
Did not qualify | ||||
References
[edit]- ^ "Jr. Blues skate on as Springfield's longest-operating sports franchise". sj-r.com. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
- ^ "The History of Hockey in Springfield". dexknows.com. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
- ^ "Junior Blues' finances 'better every year'". sj-r.com. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
- ^ "Springfield Jr. Blues suspend operations for 2020-21 season". NAHL. September 16, 2020.
- ^ Mahan, Ryan. "Springfield Jr. Blues cancel 20-21 season". The State Journal-Register. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
External links
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