Ice hockey in Rhode Island

Rhode Island is one of the traditional centers of ice hockey in the United States. Located in New England, the font of American ice hockey, teams from Rhode Island have played organized hockey as far back as the late-19th century and many residents have played at the highest levels of the sport.

Ice hockey in Rhode Island
Flag of Rhode Island
CountryUnited States
Governing bodyUSA Hockey[1]
National team(s)Men's national team
Women's national team
First played1893
Club competitions
List
  • AHL (minor professional)
    NCAA (collegiate)
    EHL (junior)

History

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Brown's first hockey team
First Brown University hockey team in 1897–98. From left: Robert Steere, Harris Bucklin, Jesse Pevear, Irving Hunt, Albert Barrows, Charles Cooke, Horace Day.
Plaque in Meehan Auditorium honors the first game

When ice hockey began to be introduced to the United States in the 1890s, there were no artificial ice rinks in the state. When nearby colleges Yale, Penn and Columbia began fielding teams of their own, their traditional rival Brown followed in short order. Brown played its first game on January 19, 1898, and defeated Harvard 6–0.[2] The team, led by Irving O. Hunt, would go on to win the intercollegiate championship that season, the first time a collegiate ice hockey championship was ever awarded. Despite its early success, Brown was hamstrung by the lack of a local rink and the team was forced to construct a temporary surface atop the school's baseball diamond, Aldrich Field. This situation was untenable for the Bears and caused the team to plummet in the college hockey rankings. By 1906 the school knew that there was no impending remedy for the team and the program was shuttered.

Very little happened in the sport over the next 20 years but that was changed in February 1926 when the Rhode Island Auditorium opened its doors.[3] The arena was located in downtown Providence and was the first indoor ice rink in the state. Almost immediately after opening, it served as the home venue for a host of teams. First a foremost was the Providence Reds, one of the founding members of the Canadian–American Hockey League, a precursor to the American Hockey League, both minor professional leagues that send many players into the National Hockey League. Other tenants that first season also included two college teams. Brown returned after a 20-year absence and used the building as its home until 1962 while Providence also inaugurated its ice hockey program. Financial difficulties would force the Friars to cease after that one season but the team would eventually return after World War II.[4]

While Brown saw little success after their return, the Reds became one of the top minor teams in the country. Providence won three league titles in both the 1930s and 40s to establish the bonafides of ice hockey in Rhode Island. During this time the grassroots of hockey were beginning to take hold and several home-grown players would go on to achieve notoriety. George Pulliam, Bob Monahan and Ed Zifcak grew up during this period and each would eventually become an All-American.[5] Ralph Warburton became the first home-grown player to play for the US national team at the Olympics and was one of the top performers with 21 points in just 8 games.[6]

In 1972 the Reds moved out of the old Auditorium and into the Providence Civic Center but the change of venue did not help their ailing finances. The team had been mired in mediocrity for most of the previous decade and attendance numbers had fallen. A resurgence in their new venue was unable to get enough interest back into the team and in 1977, the team moved to Binghamton, New York. The state was left without a professional team for 15 years until the Boston Bruins relocated their AHL affiliate from Maine. The Providence Bruins played their first season in 1992–93 and shot out of the gate by winning a division title in their first year. The team would remain as one of the better teams in the league and went on to win the Calder Cup in 1999, the first league championship for a Rhode Island team since Brown's win more than a century before.[7]

In the meantime, Rhode Island was one of the early adopters of women's ice hockey. Brown was the first school to field a varsity women's team, playing its first games in 1967. Providence was not far behind when it started its women's program in 1974.[8] Brown's women's team reached the national championship game in 2002, losing to Minnesota Duluth.

Teams

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Professional

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Active

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Team City League Arena Founded
Providence Bruins Providence AHL Amica Mutual Pavilion 1992

Inactive

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Team City League Years Active Fate
Providence Reds Providence AHL 1926–1977 Hartford Wolf Pack
Rhode Island Eagles Woonsocket EHL 1972–1973 Defunct
Rhode Island Storm Kingston NEPHL 2009–2010 Defunct

Collegiate

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Active

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Team City Gender Division League Arena Founded
Brown Bears Providence Men's NCAA Division I ECAC Hockey Meehan Auditorium 1897
Women's NCAA Division I ECAC Hockey Meehan Auditorium 1967
Providence Friars Providence Men's NCAA Division I Hockey East Schneider Arena 1926
Women's NCAA Division I Hockey East Schneider Arena 1974
Johnson & Wales Providence Men's NCAA Division III NEHC New England Sports Village 1997
Women's NCAA Division III NEHC New England Sports Village 2015
Salve Regina Newport Men's NCAA Division III CCC St. George's Ice Arena 1997
Women's NCAA Division III CCC St. George's Ice Arena 1999

Inactive

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Team City Gender Division League Years active
Bryant Smithfield Men's NCAA Division II ECAC 2 1973–1980
Roger Williams Bristol Men's NCAA Division III ECAC North/South/Central 1983–1998

Junior

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Team City League Arena Founded
HC Rhode Island Warwick EHL Thayer Arena 2022
Providence HC Providence EHL Dennis M Lynch Arena 2023

Timeline

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Johnson %26 Wales UniversityRhode Island StormSalve Regina SeahawksSalve Regina SeahawksJohnson %26 Wales UniversityProvidence BruinsRoger Williams HawksProvidence Friars men's ice hockeyBryant BulldogsRhode Island EaglesBrown Bears men's ice hockeyProvidence RedsProvidence Friars men's ice hockeyBrown Bears men's ice hockey

  Active     Active (out of state)  

Players

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As of end of the 2022–23 season, Rhode Island had 3,566 registered with USA Hockey.[9] This placed Rhode Island as 14th in the nation in terms of population percentage (0.316%).

Due to the state's low population (approximately 1.1 million as of 2020), fewer players from Rhode Island are seen at high levels of the sport. However, some have gone on to achieve notoriety.

  • Brian Lawton, though born in New Jersey, was raised in Cumberland and became a star player at Mount Saint Charles Academy. He was so well regarded as a junior player that he became the first US-born player chosen with the 1st selection in the NHL Entry Draft. While his professional career did not meet those high expectations, he remained in the game as both an executive and broadcaster.[12]
  • Brian Boucher was a long-time goaltender in the NHL, playing mostly for the Philadelphia Flyers. Though he was a backup for much of his career, Boucher had several outstanding periods in his career. In 2004, while playing for Phoenix, Boucher set the modern-day record for consecutive shutout streak at 332, not allowing a goal for over 5 games. A few years later he helped the Flyers reach the Stanley Cup Finals, winning 6 games during the run.
  • Bryan Berard was the second player from Rhode Island taken first at the NHL Draft. He performed well in 5 seasons but had his career derailed by a severe injury. In a game against the Ottawa Senators, Berard was hit in the eye by a stick and was told that he may lose the eye.[14] Berard underwent several surgeries and was able to regain limited use of the eye (20/600 vision). With the aid of a contact, he was able to improve the vision in the eye to meet the NHL minimum of 20/400 and returned to play a year and a half after suffering the injury.

Notable players by city

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Bristol
 
Coventry
 
Cranston
 
Cumberland
 
East Greenwich
 
Johnston
 
Newport
 
North Providence
 
North Smithfield
 
Pascoag
 
Providence
 
Riverside
 
Warwick
 
Woonsocket
location of cities

Bristol

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Coventry

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Cranston

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Cumberland

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East Greenwich

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Johnston

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Newport

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North Providence

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North Smithfield

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Pascoag

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Providence

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Includes East Providence.

Riverside

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Warwick

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Woonsocket

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† relocated from elsewhere.

References

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  1. ^ "USA Hockey encourages kids with NHL dreams to play other sports". ESPN The Magazine. June 26, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  2. ^ "2009–10 Brown men's ice hockey media guide part 2" (PDF). Brown Bears. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  3. ^ "With puck and pluck: Documentary tells the story of the Rhode Island Reds hockey team". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
  4. ^ "Providence Friars men's Hockey 2018–19 Media Guide". Providence Friars. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  5. ^ "1947–1948 All-American Team". The American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
  6. ^ Findling & Pelle (2004), p. 317
  7. ^ 1999 Calder Cup Playoffs caldercup.com. Retrieved on April 29, 2008.
  8. ^ "Brown Women's Ice Hockey All-Time Results" (PDF). Brown Bears. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  9. ^ "2021–22 Season Final Registration Report" (PDF). USA Hockey. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  10. ^ "Team USA – Olympics – Sankt Moritz 1948 – Player Stats". Quanthockey. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  11. ^ "Honored Members". Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  12. ^ "Lightning General Manager Jay Feaster Resigns". Tampa Bay Lightning. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  13. ^ "Sara DeCosta Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved Apr 25, 2019.
  14. ^ Mooney, Harrison (November 13, 2013). "Bryan Berard helps bring down con men that stole millions from retired NHLers". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
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