Tallahassee Tide Founded 2002 Home ice (proposed) Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center Based in Tallahassee, Florida Colors Navy Blue, Teal, Red, White League Atlantic Coast Hockey League Head coach Darryl Noren VP of Business Operations Tom Whited Owner Bill Coffey
The Tallahassee Tide were a proposed ice hockey team in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League. The team's proposed home rink was the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center.
Formation On March 29, 2002, Bill Coffey said that the chances of hockey returning to Tallahassee was somewhere between "100 and 110%."ACHL to Return Ice Hockey to Tallahassee The ACHL officially announce their formation on April 9.Hockey Close to Return David Adams was announced as the investor looking to bring a team to Tallahassee. As early as April 25, a lease deal was close to completion,Civic Center Offers Deal to Hockey Team but on May 1, Adams backed out of owning the Tallahassee franchise to instead be a part investor in the Orlando Seals. Coffey said the team would look local investors and that it would not hinder hockey's return.Adams Backs Out On May 30, 2002, the Tallahassee Democrat published a story saying that the lease deal would likely be done within the week, and it also mentioned that the Tallahassee franchise was now owned by Coffey.Civic Center, hockey team close to deal
One June 13, a story was published that citied the lack of office space for the team as the key bump in the road that was keeping a lease deal from being completed.No room at Civic Center - yet - for ACHL offices Later that month, a story was published saying that the team would have a lease done in mid July. The office space was available, but Coffey decided to wait to sign and announce the lease until he announced the staff, colors, name, and logo.ACHL team to get lease in mid-July
Despite the press saying a lease deal was imminent, a deal still had not closed by August 8, when the Tallahassee Democrat ran a story that explained that Coffey was concerned with the amount of practice time the team would get and the dates of the home games. It also mentioned that the Civic Center had made a good faith move to allow the Tide to move into the office even without a lease.Civic Center, Coffey waiting on each other
Demise On August 10, 2002, the Tallahassee Democrat ran a story stating that the Civic Center's director had grown tired of waiting for Coffey to sign a lease deal, and he had issued a scathing ultimatum saying that the Tide had until Wednesday (Aug. 14) at 5 PM to sign a lease deal. Coffey said he was still concerned with the dates available.Tide may roll out before they roll in
On August 14, when a lease had not been signed, the ACHL announced the six teams for its inaugural season, and Tallahassee wasn't on the list. Coffey said that lack of support was not the reason Tallahassee didn't get a team and that the issue was arena availability for practice time and game dates.ACHL Announces 2002-03 Lineup
References
External links Tallahassee Tide Fan Site