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The Miami Matadors were an ice hockey team in the East Coast Hockey League. They played in Miami, Florida, USA at the Miami Arena for one season before folding. The Matadors franchise would resurface two years later as the Cincinnati Cyclones. ==History== The franchise began as the Louisville RiverFrogs in 1995. Robert Snyder bought the team in February 1998 with intentions of moving the team to South Florida.〔(Sun-sentinel.com, The Miami Matadors Are Hoping Low Prices, Hustling Players And Goofy Mascots Give The New Team A Shot, page 2, October 11, 1998, by Alan Snel )〕 Upon buying the team, he made the team a family business of sorts. His wife Michelle Dannin was named Vice President Of Communications, and his father Richard Snyder handled the team's legal matters.〔 On May 12, 1998, Matadors Owner-President Robert Snyder signed a five-year agreement with Miami Arena that would allow the arena to host 35 games from October until April 4.〔(ECHL's Matadors To Debut In Miami )〕 A coaching decision was made several days later when Snyder would name former Tallahassee Tiger Sharks head coach Terry Christensen as their head coach on May 16, 1998. Prior to the start of the 1998-99 ECHL season, the Matadors would announce that they would be the ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Florida Panthers〔(Matadors Offer A Cut-rate Look At Pro Hockey, October 09, 1998, by Dave Joseph )〕 On October 16, 1998, the Matadors made their ECHL debut against the South Carolina Stingrays.〔(ECHL's Matadors To Debut In Miami )〕 Fans that attended the opening night game received a Miami Matadors cape.〔(Miami Herald - Hockey Returns To Miami As Matadors Debut Tonight, October 16, 1998 )〕 With an opening night crowd of 3,368 fans, the Matadors lost to the Stingrays 5-2〔(Sun-sentinel.com, Team Loses Opener But Keeps Hopes High, October 17, 1998, by Ira Winderman )〕 In their only season as an ECHL franchise, the Matadors finished with a 28-32-10 record, finishing seventh in the ECHL's Southeast Division. The team's leading scorer was ex-Brown University center Michael Flynn, with 20 goals and 50 assists; center Greg Clancy was the leading goal scorer with 28. Among other notable Matadors were veteran minor league star Sheldon Gorski and goaltender Brent Belecki. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Miami Matadors」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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