Orlando Solar Bears (IHL)

Lore & Background

The Solar Bears franchise began play in 1995, owned by the DeVos family, who also owned the Grand Rapids Griffins, Kansas City Blades, and the NBA's Orlando Magic. Despite on-ice success—including three Turner Cup finals appearances—the team never drew well. In 1996 they were swept by the Utah Grizzlies; in 1999 they lost in game seven to the Houston Aeros after rallying from a 0–3 series deficit against the Detroit Vipers in the conference finals, a feat unmatched in the IHL's 56-year history. In 2001 they defeated the Chicago Wolves in five games to win the Turner Cup, the league's final championship. When the IHL folded, the DeVos family could bring only one team into the American Hockey League and chose the Griffins, leaving the Solar Bears out. Several players, including playoff MVP Norm Maracle, later joined the Chicago Wolves in the AHL, where the Wolves won the Calder Cup in their first season.

Reader's Guide

The Orlando Solar Bears occupy a unique place in minor league hockey history as the last team to win the Turner Cup before the IHL dissolved. Their 2001 championship marked the end of an era, and the team's exclusion from the AHL—despite its success—underscores the business realities that can override on-ice performance. The franchise's legacy includes the remarkable 1999 conference finals comeback against the Detroit Vipers, a 0–3 series deficit overcome in seven games, capped by Todd Krygier's double-overtime winner. Individual records set by Solar Bears players, such as Craig Fisher's 74 goals and 130 points in a season, and Norm Maracle's eight shutouts in 2000–01, reflect the team's high-caliber play. The Solar Bears name was revived in 2011 when the ECHL awarded a new franchise to Orlando, keeping the identity alive in a different league.

Did You Know?

• The Solar Bears completed the only successful comeback from a 0–3 series deficit in IHL history, against the Detroit Vipers in the 1999 conference finals.
• Goalie Norm Maracle won the IHL MVP, playoff MVP, and shared the James Norris Memorial Trophy in 2000–01.
• Craig Fisher set team records with 74 goals and 130 points in the 1995–96 season.
• The DeVos family chose to bring the Grand Rapids Griffins into the AHL instead of the Solar Bears, despite Orlando winning the final Turner Cup.