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Hot on the heels of their second championship, and currently in the hunt for an unprecedented three peat, the Knoxville Ice Bears have won yet another prestigious award. Blank Newspaper has awarded the Knoxville Ice Bears as the professional sports franchise of the decade in Tennessee.

The Ice Bears go all the way back to the 1960’s when they were known as the Knoxville Knights. They resurfaced twenty years later as the Knoxville Cherokees, transitioning into the Knoxville Speed before finally settling into the team we know and love today, the Knoxville Ice Bears.

Tennessee has other well-known professional sports teams, most notably the Tennessee Titans of the NFL and the Nashville Predators of the NHL. Both of those teams have had their fair share of success, most remembered being the Titans Super Bowl appearance against the St. Louis Rams. The Titans unfortunately did not win that game and have not made it back to the big game since. The Predators have made the post season on numerous occasions but have yet to get past the first game of the playoffs, losing to either the Detroit Red Wings or the San Jose Sharks in the quarter finals each time. East Tennessee also hosts a professional baseball team in the minors, the Tennessee Smokies. The Smokies have the longest tenure as a professional team in Tennessee, yet have only acquired one season title, a divisional win in 2004. Each of these teams , in their own way, are important to the sports played in the state, but none of their accomplishments have come close to what the Ice Bears have achieved in the past ten years.

Technically, the Ice Bears have only been around in their current form for eight years. In 2002 as a member of the ACHL, Knoxville finished the season in second place. The Bears moved to the SEHL in 2003 and once again came close to greatness. Unfortunately, they lost to the Huntsville Channel Cats in three games in the championship series.

In 2004 the Ice Bears moved to the newly created SPHL and really began to shine. Having already experienced success in the early part of the aughts, the Ice Bears suddenly came into their own during the 2004-2005 season.

The Ice Bears won the Commissioner’s cup for most wins during the regular season but were yet again were stopped short of the ultimate goal when they lost to the Columbus Cottonmouths. The next year (2005-06) saw Knoxville win its second regular season championship in a row. As far as the playoffs went, Victory would not escape the Ice Bears this time, as they finally secured a post season championship by defeating the Florida Seals in game four of the best of five series to take home the President’s Trophy.

In the 2006-2007 post-season Knoxville was upset early but returned with a vengeance during the next regular season.

A new head coach, Scott Hillman, took the helm. His guidance was questioned at first but then the Bears started winning. Once again, the Bears won the title for most wins during the regular season. But they didn’t stop there.

With one title already under their belt, The Ice Bears went on to win their second President’s trophy in three years by sweeping Jacksonville in a best of five series.

The following year, The Ice Bears became the first team in the SPHL’s short history to win back to back titles. In a series that kept everyone on the edge of their seats, the Ice Bears were taken to the limit against the Fayetteville Fire Antz, winning in seven games. Even now the Ice Bears are striving to continue their ways by attempting to make it three in a row.

Since 2004, the Knoxville Ice Bears have won three regular season titles and three President’s trophies, making them the most winning and most successful team in Tennessee professional sports. When Mike Murphy, President of the Ice Bears, was given the good news he told Blank , "It is absolutely tremendous for us to be given such an honor.　 There is an exuberant amount of people who all deserve credit for the product that people see on the ice," he said.

"Players, coaching staff, owners, everyone has paid their dues to put hockey in Knoxville and make it exciting.　 Everyone has contributed diligently to keep the brand exciting and family friendly. We’ve tried to make it one of the best family events in town, and I think we have succeeded in that."

As Knoxville now moves toward even more success, we as fans will continue to be the true winners, as clichéd as that may sound. Hockey in Knoxville has been here for a long time, has gotten better and better and does not look to be slowing down anytime soon. Here is to hoping the Knoxville Ice Bears will be named sports team of the decade again in another ten years.

Note: The winners of the best of the decade categories were based on the votes of a 50 person panel.

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