Tacoma Sabercats

Tacoma Sabercats
CityTacoma, Washington
LeagueWCHL
Founded1997
Operated1997–2002
Home arenaTacoma Dome
ColorsRed, blue, copper
Championships
Regular season titles1 (1999–00)
Division titles3 (1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00)
Taylor Cups1 (1998–99)

The Tacoma Sabercats were an American professional minor league ice hockey team based in Tacoma, Washington. The team began play in the West Coast Hockey League as of the 1997–98 season.[1]

Tacoma immediately emerged as a power in the WCHL, winning the regular season Northern Division title and reaching the league finals in its first season. However the Sabercats were defeated by the defending champion San Diego Gulls in the league's Taylor Cup finals.[2]

The following season, 1998–99, Tacoma won its second WCHL Northern Division title and defeated the Gulls in the Taylor Cup finals, becoming the first team other than San Diego to win the WCHL title in the league's history.[3][4] Although the Sabercats won the WCHL Northern Division a third time in 1999–2000, the team failed to win another league championship.

Despite a strong following in the Tacoma area with over 1,500 season ticket holders, the Sabercats were folded in May 2002 by owner Coach-Sports. They had been eliminated by the Idaho Steelheads in the 2002 WCHL playoffs immediately before ceasing operations.[5]

Season-by-season record

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

Final records.[6]

Season League GP W L OTL SOL Pts GF GA PIM Finish Coach Playoffs
1997–98 WCHL 64 42 19 - 3 87 300 214 1493 1st, North John Olver Lost in finals, 1-4 (San Diego)
1998–99 WCHL 70 44 18 - 8 96 278 234 1627 1st, North John Olver Won Taylor Cup, 4-2 (San Diego)
1999–00 WCHL 72 51 12 - 9 111 297 193 1509 1st, North John Olver Lost in finals, 0-4 (Phoenix)
2000–01 WCHL 72 31 35 - 6 68 236 247 1608 3rd, North Robert Dirk Lost in round 1, 2-3 (Colorado)
2001–02 WCHL 72 30 36 - 6 66 211 249 1573 3rd, North Robert Dirk Lost in round 2, 2-3 (Idaho)

References

  1. ^ "Sabercats Unveil Logo, Colors", Seattle Post-Intelligencer (July 15, 1997). (HiBeam)
  2. ^ 1997-98 West Coast Hockey League
  3. ^ "Sabercats basking in championship afterglow", The News Tribune (July 28, 1999). (NewsLibrary.com)
  4. ^ 1998-99 West Coast Hockey League
  5. ^ Ruiz, Don (May 6, 2002). "And five years later, Sabercats close up shop". The News Tribune. p. C1. Retrieved December 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Hockeydb.com, Tacoma Sabercats Statistics and History


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