Richmond RiverDogs

Lore & Background

The RiverDogs were originally owned by Dr. Eric Margenau, a New York–based psychologist who also owned several other minor league teams. In their first year of play in the UHL, the RiverDogs were coached by Rod Langway and won the Eastern Division in the regular season and made the playoffs, but lost in the first round to the Elmira Jackals. General manager Jeff Croop then fired Langway and replaced him with Don Martin. The following offseason, Dr. Margenau sold the team to Glenn Morelli and the team failed to qualify for the playoffs while also reportedly bouncing checks.

In 2005, Dr. Eric Margenau re-purchased the franchise along with Jay Acton and hired Robbie Nichols as head coach and general manager. On January 31, 2006, Nichols was announced to be leaving his post as coach of the RiverDogs on February 4 to join the UHL expansion Chicago Hounds, which was also owned by Dr. Margenau, while staying on for the rest of the season as the RiverDogs' general manager. In April 2006, the Richmond Coliseum's management announced that the RiverDogs had missed several opportunities to renew their lease for 2006–07 and Margenau transferred all operations to the new Chicago team.

Reader's Guide

The Richmond RiverDogs represent a brief but turbulent chapter in Richmond's minor league hockey history, bridging the gap between the original ECHL Renegades and the later SPHL Renegades. Their existence was marked by ownership instability, coaching changes, and financial difficulties, including bounced checks under Glenn Morelli's ownership. The team's first season under Hall of Fame defenseman Rod Langway was its most successful, winning a division title before a first-round playoff exit. The franchise's ultimate demise came when owner Dr. Eric Margenau shifted operations to a new UHL expansion team in Chicago, the Chicago Hounds, after the RiverDogs failed to renew their lease at the Richmond Coliseum. The RiverDogs were replaced by the second incarnation of the Richmond Renegades in the Southern Professional Hockey League in October 2006. Former RiverDog Brian Goudie was named player–assistant coach of the SPHL Renegades in 2006–07 and head coach of the Renegades in 2007–08, providing a direct link between the two franchises.

Did You Know?

• The RiverDogs were formed during an expansion of the United Hockey League in fall 2003, replacing the ECHL's Richmond Renegades.
• In their first season, the RiverDogs won the Eastern Division under coach Rod Langway but lost in the first playoff round to the Elmira Jackals.
• Owner Dr. Eric Margenau sold the team to Glenn Morelli after the first season; the team then failed to make the playoffs and reportedly bounced checks.
• In April 2006, the Richmond Coliseum announced the RiverDogs had missed lease renewal opportunities, and Margenau transferred all operations to the new Chicago Hounds.