Peoria Rivermen (IHL)
The Peoria Rivermen were an ice hockey team that played in the International Hockey League. They played in Peoria, Illinois at the Carver Arena. A new team with the Peoria Rivermen name currently competes in the Southern Professional Hockey League.
| Peoria Rivermen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Peoria, Illinois |
| League | International Hockey League |
| Operated | 1982–1996 |
| Home arena | Carver Arena |
| Colors | Blue, Red, and Yellow |
| Franchise history | |
| 1982–1984 | Peoria Prancers |
| 1984–1996 | Peoria Rivermen |
| 1996–1998 | San Antonio Dragons |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 2 (1984–85, 1990–91) |
| Division Championships | 4(1984–85, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1994–95) |
| Turner Cups | 2 (1985, 1991) |
History
The Peoria Rivermen were founded in 1982–83 in the International Hockey League, operating under owner Ken Wilson as the Peoria Prancers. The franchise was taken over by the Peoria Civic Center in 1984, which held a contest with the Peoria Journal Star newspaper to rename the team with Rivermen as the winner. The IHL's Peoria Rivermen began operations for the 1984–85 season and won the Turner Cup in their first season. They were bought by Bruce Saurs in the summer of 1989 and he owned the club for 19 seasons. In 1996, the organization left the IHL and joined the East Coast Hockey League when the IHL franchise relocated to become the San Antonio Dragons.
They held professional hockey's longest winning streak at 18 games in 1991 until the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League broke the record by winning 28 consecutive games in 2012.
Former owner Bruce Saurs died in July 2014.[1]