Jump to content

Battle Creek Rumble Bees

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Battle Creek Rumble Bees
CityBattle Creek, Michigan
LeagueFederal Prospects Hockey League
Founded2019
Folded2020
Home arenaThe Rink Battle Creek
General managerAdam Stio
Head coachAdam Stio
WebsiteBattle Creek Rumble Bees
Franchise history
2019–2020Battle Creek Rumble Bees

The Battle Creek Rumble Bees were a professional ice hockey team based in Battle Creek, Michigan. The team was a member of the Federal Prospects Hockey League and played at The Rink Battle Creek.

History

[edit]

In June 2019, the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) announced it had added a tenth team for the 2019–20 season and it would be in Michigan.[1] On July 23, the Battle Creek Rumble Bees were announced[2] with Adam Stio as the general manager after previously serving in the same role with the Southern Professional Hockey League's Evansville Thunderbolts.[3] The FHL had played multiple neutral site games in Battle Creek over the previous seasons before placing an expansion team there.

The Rumble Bees hired Clint Hagmaier as their first head coach,[4] however, he was released after a 0–9 start to the season with Stio taking over as interim head coach.[5] The Rumble Bees had a 1–45–0–2 record when the league's 2019–20 season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Their losing streak led to them being named "the worst team in professional hockey".[6] After the season, the team's players went to different teams in the FPHL as part of a dispersal draft. The Rumble Bees' 0-23-1 start to the season gave them the longest losing streak in professional hockey history which would hold up until the Delaware Thunder lost 26 straight on January 28, 2023.[7]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2019/2020 FPHL SCHEDULE". FederalHockey.com. June 17, 2019.
  2. ^ "Introducing your newest pro hockey team, the Battle Creek Rumble Bees". Battle Creek Enquirer. July 23, 2019.
  3. ^ "The FPHL's Newest Franchise". Federal Prospects Hockey League. July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  4. ^ "Rumble Bees' new head coach eager to get season started". Battle Creek Enquirer. August 14, 2019.
  5. ^ "Rumble Bees Make Coaching Change". OurSports Central. November 17, 2019.
  6. ^ "'Bad News Bees': How one-win Battle Creek became the worst team in pro hockey". ESPN.com. 2020-06-17. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
  7. ^ "@MinorHero". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
[edit]