New Jersey Griffins

The New Jersey Griffins are a professional ice hockey team based in Park Ridge, New Jersey and play in the Bergen County Family Hockey League (BCFHL). They joined the league in January 1995, while the 1994-95 season was still in progress. Since 1999, the Griffins play at the Geico Center. Prior to this, between 1995-1999, they played at Maywood Arena in Maywood, New Jersey. For the first sixteen years of the franchise, the team made the playoffs every year, which included twelve BCFHL Cup season championships, seventeen division championships, and seventeen conference championships. The Griffins particularly have rivalries with the Paramus Pioneers and the Nashville Pigs. They missed the playoffs three times; 2011-12, 2012-13, and 2020-21. Since 2000, the team's mascot is NJ Griff Dawg. Between 1995-2000, their mascot was Pucky the Hockey Puck.

Season by season records
New Jersey Griffins/Season-by-season records

BCFHL Cups
1994-1995, 1996-1997, 1997-1998, 1998-1999, 1999-2000, 2002-2003, 2003-2004, 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011, 2013-2014, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019

Division Championships
1994-1995, 1995-1996, 1996-1997, 1997-1998, 1998-1999, 1999-2000, 2000-2001, 2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2003-2004, 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011, 2013-2014, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2021-22, 2022-23

Conference Championships
1994-1995, 1995-1996, 1996-1997, 1997-1998, 1998-1999, 1999-2000, 2000-2001, 2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2003-2004, 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011, 2013-2014, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2021-22, 2022-23

Honor Titles
1998-1999, 1999-2000, 2000-2001, 2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2003-2004, 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011, 2013-2014, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2022-23

Presidents Titles
2009-2010, 2011-12, 2017-2018, 2022-23

Gold Titles
1996-1997, 1997-1998, 1998-1999, 1999-2000, 2000-2001, 2006-2007, 2008-2009, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2013-14, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2021-22, 2022-23

Affiliate Teams
New York Mighty Mice (CMHL 1995-2000)

East Stroudsburg Hounds (CMHL 2000-2017)

Portland Griffins (CMHL 2017-present)

The Griffin Rowdies
Two of the rowdiest sections at Geico Center are sections 109 and 130, primarily known as The Griffin Rowdies. They are made up of die-hard Griffins fans that stand and cheer while the puck is in play and all wear Griffins attire during all of the home games. The Griffin Rowdies were first formed in 1996, and were primarily located in section 130 at Maywood Arena. The Rowdies not only attend home games, but most road games as well.

G-Man
One of the most notable Griffins traditions is "G-Man", a man who wears a yellow Griffins jersey that has 00 on his back and has the word, "G-Man" on it. He gets the fans in particular sections of the arena fired up by doing chants with the fans. He made his debut since the team started in 1995.

Goal Light Skippy/The Goal-lighters
Skippy Squirrel from Animaniacs made appearances at most Griffins home games between 1995-2007. During those times, he wore a hat that had a revolving light that turned on each time the Griffins scored a goal. Below the light, there would be a flashing sign that said, "Griffins Goal!" He also held a portable goal light in his hand. By 2015, Skippy returned to the team and continues to do it this day. By the 2022-23 season, a group of die hard fans, known as The Goal-lighters, joined the team, wearing the same goal light hats and having the same portable goal lights in their hands.

Yakko Warner
Yakko Warner has been the team's organist since the beginning of the franchise. He was the organist originally from 1995-2008, but then returned in 2015, just in time for the franchise's 20th anniversary and holds the position to this day. From 2008-2015, the organist was former Dumbo's Circus star Q.T.

Win song
Since the team's inception in 1995, the victory song of the New Jersey Griffins has always been Glory Days by Bruce Springsteen.

Losing song
Since 1997, the team's losing song has been Bitter Sweet Symphony by The Verve.