Editing Worcester IceCats (section)

==History==
The IceCats got their start when original [[New York Islanders]] owner [[Roy Boe]] purchased the [[Springfield Indians]] AHL franchise and moved it to Worcester in the summer of 1994. The team began play in the Fall of 1994 with a collection of free-agent players but as yet with no [[National Hockey League]] team affiliation.<ref name=UPICats>{{cite news |title=Blues announce affiliation with Worcester |date=1995-05-23 |agency=[[United Press International]] |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1995/05/23/Blues-announce-affiliation-with-Worcester/9760801201600/ |access-date=2024-05-04}}</ref> Immediately following the end of the 1994–95 season, Boe and head coach/General Manager [[Jim Roberts (ice hockey, born 1940)|Jim Roberts]] closed an affiliation deal with the [[St. Louis Blues]].<ref name=UPICats/> From that point on the IceCats would be the Blues' premier minor league team. The [[Peoria Rivermen (ECHL)|Peoria Rivermen]] of the [[East Coast Hockey League]], in turn, became the IceCats' minor league affiliate in 1998, having been with St. Louis before the 1994 Worcester deal. During the 2000–01 season, Boe sold the IceCats to the [[St. Louis Blues]]. The team celebrated its tenth season in the AHL in fall 2003.

On November 9, 2004, the [[St. Louis Blues]] announced the sale of the IceCats to the owners of their ECHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen. The new owners moved the franchise to [[Peoria, Illinois]], for the 2005–06 season.<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 9, 2004|title=Blues Agree to Sell Worcester IceCats|url=https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/blues-agree-to-sell-worcester-icecats/n-3099733|access-date=October 19, 2021|website=OurSports Central|language=en}}</ref>

:This franchise was previously known as: [[Springfield Indians]] (1926–1994)
:The franchise became known as: [[Peoria Rivermen (AHL)|Peoria Rivermen]] (2005–2013)
:This franchise was replaced by: [[Worcester Sharks]] (2006–2015)

Affiliates:
* [[St. Louis Blues]] (1995–2005)
* [[New York Islanders]] (1995–1996)
* [[Ottawa Senators]] (1996–1998)