History
The Monarchs played their first game on October 6, 2001 against the Lowell Lock Monsters, losing 6–3. Their first win was a week later, on October 13, 2001, against the Norfolk Admirals. The team has been competitive within the division every year of its existence. They won their first Atlantic Division title in 2004–05, but lost in the first round to the Providence Bruins. This continued the streak of first round playoff exits, which the team had experienced in every year of existence, and would come to include the 2005–06 season.
2006–07 was the team's best season to date. With rookie head coach Mark Morris, leading scorers Matt Moulson and Noah Clarke, and former league MVP Jason LaBarbera in goal, the team had their best finish ever, winning the Atlantic Division title with the second-best points total in the league.
Heading into the playoffs, there were doubts within the team, as star goaltender LaBarbera had ended the season injured. The team faced the Worcester Sharks in the first round. With LaBarbera coming back by Game 2, the Monarchs defeated the Sharks in six games, including double-overtime thrillers in Games 2 and 6. The second round brought the Providence Bruins, who put up as much — if not more — of a fight. The Monarchs found a way, however, and defeated the Bruins in six games. This brought the Monarchs to their first ever Eastern Conference finals, but they were swept by the defending champions — the Hershey Bears — in four games.
Following their run in 2007, the Monarchs looked to have holes to fill, as Jason LaBarbera was brought up to the Kings, along with several other players. The 2007–08 season was an up and down one, which ended following a sweep by the Providence Bruins in the first round of the playoffs. 2008–09 was a landmark year for the franchise, but not in the way they would hope. Despite a late surge, the team finished fifth, five points out of the playoffs, for the first time in franchise history.
The first half of the 2009-2010 season has proven to be successful for that year's Monarchs squad. Several players have been promoted to Los Angeles, including Rich Clune and Alec Martinez. The Monarchs won their home opener of the 2010-2011 season, as David Meckler scored the game-winning goal in front of 9,035 fans at the Verizon Wireless Arena on October 16, 2010. The game was also noteworthy as left wing Brandon Kozun and center Justin Azevedo were awarded penalty shots, the first time in franchise history that two players were awarded penalty shots in the same game.
The Manchester Monarchs have made it to the playoffs every season since their coming into existence, but are still yet to win The Calder Cup Championship.
Read more about this topic: Manchester Monarchs
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“The history of men’s opposition to women’s emancipation is more interesting perhaps than the story of that emancipation itself.”
—Virginia Woolf (1882–1941)
“What would we not give for some great poem to read now, which would be in harmony with the scenery,—for if men read aright, methinks they would never read anything but poems. No history nor philosophy can supply their place.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The second day of July 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more”
—John Adams (1735–1826)