Saginaw Spirit: Difference between revisions

| team = Saginaw Spirit

| color = background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#00285D 5px solid; border-bottom:#BF2F38 5px solid;

| color text = #000000

| logo = Saginaw Spirit Logo.svg

| logosize = 230px

| city = [[Saginaw, Michigan]]

| league = [[Ontario Hockey League]]

| conference = Western

| division = West

| founded = [[2002–03 OHL season|2002–03]]

| arena = [[Dow Event Center]]

| colors = Midnight blue, red, silver, white and yellow<br/>{{Color box|#00285D}} {{Color box|#BF2F38}} {{Color box|silver}} {{color box|#FFFFFF}} {{Color box|#FDB827}}

| owner =

| GM = Dave Drinkill

| coach = Chris Lazary

| website = {{url|saginawspirit.com}}

| affiliates =

| name1 = [[St. Catharines Falcons (1943–1947)|St. Catharines Falcons]]

| dates1 = 1943–1947

| name2 = [[St. Catharines Teepees]]

| dates2 = 1947–1962

| name3 = [[St. Catharines Black Hawks]]

| dates3 = 1962–1976

| name4 = [[Niagara Falls Flyers]]

| dates4 = 1976–1982

| name5 = [[North Bay Centennials]]

| dates5 = 1982–2002

| name6 = Saginaw Spirit

| dates6 = 2002–present

The '''Saginaw Spirit''' are a [[Junior ice hockey#Major junior|major junior]] [[ice hockey]] team based in [[Saginaw, Michigan|Saginaw]], [[Michigan]]. They are members of the West Division of the Western Conference of the [[Ontario Hockey League]] (OHL), one of the Major Junior leagues of the [[Canadian Hockey League]] (CHL). In 2024, the team won the [[2024 Memorial Cup|Memorial Cup]], their first championship since the franchise moved to Saginaw in 2002, and became only the third American team to win the Memorial Cup.<ref>[https://www.sportsnet.ca/juniors/article/spirit-beat-knights-in-nailbiter-to-win-memorial-cup/ Spirit beat Knights in nail-biter to win Memorial Cup] ''SportsNet'', June 2, 2024</ref>

In March 2023, the CHL announced the Spirit as hosts of the [[2024 Memorial Cup]], granting them an automatic berth. This will bewas the first time that the United States has hosted a [[Memorial Cup]] since the [[Spokane Chiefs]] in [[1998 Memorial Cup|1998]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://chl.ca/article/saginaw-host-2024-memorial-cup-presented-kia|title=Saginaw to host 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Kia|date=March 29, 2023|work=Canadian Hockey League|publisher=Canadian Hockey League|access-date=July 4, 2023}}</ref> The Spirit won the championship over the [[London Knights]], becoming only the third American team to win the Memorial Cup.

*''2011-122011–12'' – '''[[Brandon Saad]]''', William Hanley Trophy - Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year

*''2011-122011–12'' – '''[[Greg Gilbert]]''', [[Matt Leyden Trophy]] - Coach of the Year

*''2015-162015–16'' – '''[[Will Petschenig]]''', [[Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy]] - Humanitarian of the Year

*[[Chris Breen (ice hockey)|Chris Breen]]

*'''2008&ndash;09''' Defeated Guelph Storm 4 games to 0 in conference quarter-finals. <br/> Lost to London Knights 4 games to 0 in conference semi-finals.

*'''2010&ndash;11''' Defeated Guelph Storm 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals. <br/> Lost to Windsor Spitfires 4 games to 2 in conference semi-finals.

*'''2011&ndash;12''' Defeated Sarnia Sting 4 games to 2 in conference quarter-finals. <br/> Lost to London Knights 4 games to 2 in conference semi-finals.

*'''2022&ndash;23''' Defeated Flint Firebirds 4 games to 3 in conference quarter-finals. <br/> Lost to Sarnia Sting 4 games to 0 in conference semi-finals.

Saginaw's main mascot is "Sammy Spirit," resembling an American [[bald eagle]]. The team held a vote on their website to name a new secondary mascot for the 2006&ndash;07 season. The mascot was named<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.saginawspirit.com/ss/home.nsf/public/87F6C36ABD6B6B90852571FC0074AE03 |title=Spirit on the Colbert Report Tonight |publisher=Saginaw Spirit |date=October 3, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070209094236/http://www.saginawspirit.com/ss/home.nsf/public/87F6C36ABD6B6B90852571FC0074AE03 |archive-date=February 9, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''Steagle Colbeagle the Eagle'' after [[Stephen Colbert (character)|Stephen Colbert]]. Colbert had promoted the contest on his show, ''[[The Colbert Report]]''. After naming the mascot after Colbert, the Spirit won seven straight games before losing to the [[Sarnia Sting]] on October 20. Since then, ''The Colbert Report'' had featured ongoing comedy sketches related to the team, the mascot, and other teams in the Ontario Hockey League, especially the [[Oshawa Generals]], and [[Oshawa]], [[Ontario]] [[mayor]] [[John Gray (Oshawa politician)|John Gray]]. At one game, Spirit fans threw copies of [[General Motors]]' annual report, a reference to the fact that GM, the Generals sponsor, having poor earnings at the time. As a result of losing the game, the mayor of Oshawa created Stephen Colbert day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cc.com/video-clips/z0b9vz/the-colbert-report-stephen-colbert-day|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816122119/http://www.cc.com/video-clips/z0b9vz/the-colbert-report-stephen-colbert-day|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 16, 2016|title=Stephen Colbert Day - the Colbert Report|date=January &#124; Comedy30, Central2007 US}}</ref>