Capital Centre Pride

The Capital Centre Pride were a junior ice hockey team that played in the North American [Hockey League]. The team played out of the Summit at the Capital Centre in Dimondale, Michigan, a suburb of Lansing, Michigan.

History

Shortly after the completion of the Summit at the Capital Centre in 1999, the new building began looking for a permanent tenant. In short order, the Grand Rapids Rockets, which had been taken over by the NAHL in the middle of the previous season, were relocated to Dimondale and became the Capital Centre Pride for the 2000–01 season. Former NHLer Kelly Miller (ice [hockey, born 1963)|Kelly Miller] was chosen as the franchise's new head coach and he led them for one season.
While their home arena wasn't particularly large, seating only 1,000, the Pride nonetheless had trouble filling the barn. The average crowds in their first season were just over half capacity and, while there was a sizable increase for year two, the team was only getting about 600 fans per game in 2002–03. After three seasons, the team folded and, more than 20 years later, remain dormant.