AHL - In Focus

With a lot of focus on the migration of locked-out NHL stars, tight now, I though it a good idea to preview some of the leagues that will enjoy some time in the limelight. Starting with the AHL.

The American Hockey League (AHL) is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the NHL. Since the 2010-11 season, every team in the league had an affiliation agreement with an NHL team; in the past, one or two NHL teams would not have an AHL affiliate and so assigned players to AHL teams affiliated with other NHL teams. 26 AHL teams are located in the United States and the remaining 4 are in Canada. The league offices are located in Springfield, Massachusetts, and its current president is David Andrews. The annual playoff champion is awarded the Calder Cup, named after Frank Calder, the first President (1917–1943) of the NHL. The current champions are the Norfolk Admirals.

The AHL traces its origins directly to 2 predecessor professional leagues, the Canadian-American Hockey League (the 'Can-Am' League), founded in 1926, and the first International Hockey League, established in 1929. Although the Can-Am League never operated with more than 6 teams, after the 1935–36 season it reduced down to just 4 member clubs – Springfield, Philadelphia, Providence and New Haven – for the first time in its history. At the same time, the then-rival International Hockey League lost half of its 8 members after the 1935–36 season, also leaving it with just 4 member teams: Buffalo, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. With both leagues down to the barest minimum in membership needed to operate, the governors of each recognized the necessity to take proactive steps to assure the long-term survival of their member clubs. To that end they all decided the logical solution to their common problem was for the 2 leagues to play an interlocking schedule with each other. Styled as the International-American Hockey League, the 2 older leagues' eight surviving clubs thus began joint play in November 1936, as a new 2-division 'circuit of mutual convenience' with the 4 Can-Am teams constituting the I-AHL East Division and the IHL's quartet playing as the West Division. In addition, the IHL also contributed its former championship trophy, the F.G. 'Teddy' Oke Trophy, which would be awarded to the regular season winners of the West Division in the new I-AHL until 1952 (the Oke Trophy is now awarded to the regular-season winners of the AHL's current 7-team East Division). A little more than a month into that first season, however, the balance and symmetry of the new combined circuit suffered an early setback when its membership unexpectedly fell to 7 teams. The West's Buffalo Bisons were forced to cease operations on December 6, 1936, after playing just 11 games, because of what proved to be insurmountable financial problems and lack of access to a suitable arena; the Bisons' original arena, Peace Bridge Arena, had collapsed the previous season. The makeshift new I-AHL thus played out the rest of its first season (as well as all of the next) with just 7 teams. At the end of the 1936-37 season, a modified 3-round playoff format was devised and a new championship trophy, the Calder Cup, was established. The Syracuse Stars defeated the Philadelphia Ramblers in the finals, 3-games-to-1, to win the first-ever Calder Cup championship. The Calder Cup continues on today as the AHL's playoff championship trophy.

 

 

After 2 seasons of interlocking play, the governors of the 2 leagues' 7 active teams met in New York City on June 28, 1938, and agreed that it was time to formally consolidate. Maurice Podoloff of New Haven, the former head of the Can-Am League, was elected the I-AHL's first president. The former IHL president, John Chick of Windsor, Ontario, became vice-president in charge of officials. The new I-AHL also added an 8th franchise at the 1938 meeting to fill the void in its membership left by the loss of Buffalo 2 years earlier with the admission of the then 2-time defending EAHL champions Hershey Bears. Almost 7 decades later, Hershey remains the only one of these 8 original I-AHL/AHL cities to have been represented in the league without interruption since the 1938–39 season. Beginning with the 1938–39 season, the newly merged circuit also increased its regular-season schedule for each team by 6 games from 48 to 54. After the 1939-40 season, the I-AHL renamed itself the American Hockey League. It generally enjoyed both consistent success on the ice and relative financial stability over its first 3 decades of operation. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, however, the cost of doing business in professional ice hockey began to rise sharply with NHL expansion and relocation (a process which involved the placing of teams in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Buffalo, forcing long-time AHL clubs in those cities to fold) and especially the 1972 formation of the 12-team World Hockey Association (WHA). With these events, the number of major-league teams competing for players rose from 6 to 30 in just 7 years. Player salaries at all levels shot up dramatically with the increased demand and competition for their services. To help compensate for this increased expense, many NHL clubs cut back on the number of players they kept under contract for development, and players under AHL contracts could now also demand much higher paychecks to remain with their clubs. As a result, within a period of just 3 years from 1974 to 1977, half of the AHL's teams folded, paring the league down to just 6 teams from 12. Making the AHL's situation even bleaker as the 1977–78 season approached was news that the Providence Reds, the last surviving uninterrupted franchise from 1936–37, had decided to cease operations. The AHL appeared in serious danger of folding altogether if this dangerous downward trend was not reversed. As these clouds appeared their darkest, however, 2 events in the fall of 1977 helped reverse the trend and started the league back on the path to the great health it enjoys today. The first of these was the decision of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers to return to the league as a team owner, and the second was the unexpected collapse of the North American Hockey League just weeks before the start of the 1977–78 season. The Flyers' new AHL franchise became the immediately successful Maine Mariners, which brought the new AHL city of Portland, Maine both the regular-season and Calder Cup playoff titles in each of that club's first 2 seasons of operation. The folding of the NAHL, meanwhile, suddenly left 2 of its member cities which wanted to continue to operate teams, Philadelphia and Binghamton, without a league to play in. Binghamton solved its problem by acquiring and moving the Providence Reds franchise and joined the league as the Binghamton Dusters (a.k.a. Broome Dusters), while the Philadelphia Firebirds crossed over to the AHL from the NAHL. The Dusters and Firebirds, together with the Hampton Gulls (who had joined the league from the Southern Hockey League), boosted the AHL to 9 member clubs as the 1977–78 season opened. Hampton folded on February 10, 1978, but was replaced the next year by the New Brunswick Hawks. The league continued to grow steadily over the years, reaching 20 clubs by the 2000–01 season.

In 2001–02, the AHL's membership jumped dramatically to 27 teams, mostly by the absorption of teams in 6 cities – Milwaukee, Chicago, Houston, Salt Lake City (as Utah), Winnipeg (as Manitoba) and Grand Rapids - from the International Hockey League when that longtime rival circuit folded after 56 seasons of operation (1945–2001). The Utah Grizzlie suspended operations after the 2004–05 season (the franchise was sold in 2006 and returned to the ice in Cleveland in 2007 as the Lake Erie Monsters). The Chicago Wolves (2202, 2008), Houston Aeros (2003) and Milwaukee Admirals (2004) have all won Calder Cup titles since joining the AHL from the IHL. Chicago and Milwaukee have also made multiple trips to the Calder Cup Finals, and Houston made their second Finals appearance in 2011. The Manitoba Moose moved to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador in 2011 and were renamed the St. John's IceCaps after the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg as the second incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets. One oddity caused by the AHL's 2001 expansion is that the league now has 2 teams with the same nickname: the Milwaukee Admirals and the Norfolk Admirals. The latter team transferred to the league from the mid-level ECHL in 2000.



Eastern Conference

Manchester Monarchs	Manchester, NH	Verizon Wireless Arena
Portland Pirates	Portland, ME	Cumberland County Civic Center
Providence Bruins	Providence, RI	Dunkin' Donuts Center
St. John's IceCaps	St. John's, NL	Mile One Centre
Worcester Sharks	Worcester, MA	DCU Center
Adirondack Phantoms	Glens Falls, NY	Glens Falls Civic Center
Albany Devils	Albany, NY	Times Union Center
Bridgeport Sound Tigers	Bridgeport, CT	Webster Bank Arena
Connecticut Whale	Hartford, CT	XL Center
Springfield Falcons	Springfield, MA	MassMutual Center
Binghamton Senators	Binghamton, NY	Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena
Hershey Bears	Hershey, PA	Giant Center
Norfolk Admirals	Norfolk, VA	Norfolk Scope
Syracuse Crunch	Syracuse, NY	War Memorial at Oncenter
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	Wilkes-Barre, PA	Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
Western Conference
Abbotsford Heat	Abbotsford, BC	Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre
Hamilton Bulldogs	Hamilton, ON	Copps Coliseum
Lake Erie Monsters	Cleveland, OH	Quicken Loans Arena
Rochester Americans	Rochester, NY	Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial
Toronto Marlies	Toronto, ON	Ricoh Coliseum
Chicago Wolves	Rosemont, IL	Allstate Arena
Grand Rapids Griffins	Grand Rapids, MI	Van Andel Arena
Milwaukee Admirals	Milwaukee, WI	Bradley Center
Peoria Rivermen	Peoria, IL	Peoria Civic Center
Rockford IceHogs	Rockford, IL	BMO Harris Bank Center
Charlotte Checkers	Charlotte, NC	Time Warner Cable Arena
Houston Aeros	Houston, TX	Toyota Center
Oklahoma City Barons	Oklahoma City, OK	Cox Convention Center
San Antonio Rampage	San Antonio, TX	AT&T Center
Texas Stars	Cedar Park, TX	Cedar Park Center

All-time teams

• Buffalo Bisons (1936; folded)
• Cleveland Falcons (1936–1937; renamed the Cleveland Barons)
• New Haven Eagles (1936–1943; folded during World War II resurrected 1945)
• Philadelphia Ramblers (1936–1941, renamed Philadelphia Rockets)
• Pittsburgh Hornets (1936–1956; went on hiatus to wait for new arena, returned 1961)
• Providence Reds (1936–1976; renamed Rhode Island Reds)
• Springfield Indians (1936–1942; suspended during World War II; returned 1946)
• Syracuse Stars (1936–1940; became Buffalo Bisons)
• Cleveland Barons (1937–1973; became Jacksonville Barons)
• Hershey Bears (1938–present)
• Indianapolis Capitals (1939–1952; folded)
• Buffalo Bisons (1940–1970; folded)
• Philadelphia Rockets (1941–1942) folded
• Washington Lions (1941–1943; folded)
• St. Louis Flyers (1944–1953; folded)
• New Haven Eagles (1945–1946, renamed New Haven Ramblers)
• Springfield Indians (1946–1951; became Syracuse Warriors)
• Philadelphia Rockets (1946–1949; folded)
• New Haven Ramblers (1946–1950, renamed New Haven Eagles)
• Washington Lions (1947–1949; became Cincinnati Mohawks)
• Cincinnati Mohawks (1949–1952; transferred to IHL)
• New Haven Eagles (1950–1951, folded)
• Syracuse Warriors (1951–1954; became Springfield Indians)
• Springfield Indians (1954–1967; renamed Springfield Kings)
• Rochester Americans (1956–present)
• Quebec Aces (1959–1971; became Richmond Robins)
• Pittsburgh Hornets (1961–1967; folded)
• Baltimore Clippers (1962–1976; folded)
• Springfield Kings (1967–1974; renamed Springfield Indians)
• Montreal Voyageurs (1969–1971; became Nova Scotia Voyageurs)
• Nova Scotia Voyageurs (1971–1984; became Sherbrooke Canadiens)
• Boston Braves (1971–1974; suspended, became Moncton Hawks)
• Cincinnati Swords (1971–1974; folded)
• Richmond Robins (1971–1976; folded)
• Tidewater Wings (1971–1972; played in Norfolk; renamed Virginia Wings)
• Virginia Wings (1972–1975; played in Norfolk; became Adirondack Red Wings)
• Jacksonville Barons (1973–1974; folded)
• New Haven Nighthawks (1972–1992; became New Haven Senators)
• Springfield Indians (1974–1994; became Worcester Ice Cats)
• Syracuse Eagles (1974–1975; folded)
• Rhode Island Reds (1976–1977) became Binghamton Dusters)
• Hampton Gulls (1977–1978; folded)
• Binghamton Dusters (1977–1980; renamed Binghamton Whalers)
• Maine Mariners (1977–1992; became Providence Bruins)
• Philadelphia Firebirds (1977–1979; became Syracuse Firebirds)
• New Brunswick Hawks (1978–1982; became Moncton Alpines)
• Adirondack Red Wings (1979–1999; folded)
• Syracuse Firebirds (1979–1980; folded)
• Binghamton Whalers (1980–1990; renamed Binghamton Rangers)
• Erie Blades (1981–1982; merged into Baltimore Skipjacks)
• Fredericton Express (1981–1988; became Halifax Citadels)
• Baltimore Skipjacks (1982–1993; became Portland Pirates)
• Moncton Alpines (1982–1984; renamed Moncton Golden Flames)
• Sherbrooke Jets (1982–1984; folded)
• St. Catharines Saints (1982–1986; became Newmarket Saints)
• Nova Scotia Oilers (1984–1988; became Cape Breton Oilers)
• Sherbrooke Canadiens (1984–1990; became Fredericton Canadiens)
• Moncton Golden Flames (1984–1987; folded)
• Newmarket Saints (1986–1991; became St. John's Maple Leafs)
• Moncton Hawks (1987–1994; folded)
• Utica Devils (1987–1993; became Saint John Flames)
• Cape Breton Oilers (1988–1996; became Hamilton Bulldogs)
• Halifax Citadels (1988–1993; became Cornwall Aces)
• Binghamton Rangers (1990–1997; became Hartford Wolf Pack)
• Capital District Islanders (1990–1993; became Albany River Rats)
• Fredericton Canadiens (1990–1999; became Quebec Citadelles)
• St. John's Maple Leafs (1991–2005; became Toronto Marlies)
• Providence Bruins (1992–present)
• Hamilton Canucks (1992–1994; became Syracuse Crunch)
• New Haven Senators (1992–1993; became Prince Edward Island Senators)
• Albany River Rats (1993–2010; became Charlotte Checkers)
• Portland Pirates (1993–present)
• Prince Edward Island Senators (1993–1996; became Binghamton Senators)
• Saint John Flames (1993–2003; became Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights)
• Cornwall Aces (1993–1996; became Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins)
• Springfield Falcons (1994–present)
• Syracuse Crunch (1994–present)
• Worcester IceCats (1994–2005; became Peoria Rivermen)
• Baltimore Bandits (1995–1997; became Cincinnati Mighty Ducks)
• Carolina Monarchs (1995–1997; became Beast of New Haven)
• Philadelphia Phantoms (1996–2009; became Adirondack Phantoms)
• Hamilton Bulldogs (1996–present; merged with Quebec Citadelles 2002–03, demerged creating Toronto Roadrunners 2003–04)
• Kentucky Thoroughblades (1996–2001; became Cleveland Barons)
• Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (1997–2005; became Rockford IceHogs)
• Beast of New Haven (1997–1999; folded)
• Hartford Wolf Pack (1997–2010; became Connecticut Whale)
• Lowell Lock Monsters (1998–2006; became Lowell Devils)
• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (1999–present)
• Louisville Panthers (1999–2001; became Iowa Stars)
• Quebec Citadelles (1999–2002; merged with Hamilton Bulldogs)
• Norfolk Admirals (2000–present)
• Bridgeport Sound Tigers (2001–present)
• Chicago Wolves (2001–present)
• Grand Rapids Griffins (2001–present)
• Houston Aeros (2001–present)
• Manchester Monarchs (2001–present)
• Milwaukee Admirals (2001–present)
• Cleveland Barons (2001–2006; became Worcester Sharks)
• Manitoba Moose (2001–2011; became St. John's IceCaps)
• Utah Grizzlies (2001–2005; became Lake Erie Monsters)
• Binghamton Senators (2002–present)
• San Antonio Rampage (2002–present)
• Toronto Roadrunners (2003–2004; became Edmonton Road Runners)
• Edmonton Road Runners (2004–2005; dormant 2005-2010, became Oklahoma City Barons)
• Iowa Stars (2005–2008; became Iowa Chops)
• Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights (2005–2007; became Quad City Flames)
• Peoria Rivermen (2005–present)
• Toronto Marlies (2005–present)
• Lowell Devils (2006–2010; became Albany Devils)
• Worcester Sharks (2006–present)
• Lake Erie Monsters (2007–present)
• Quad City Flames (2007–2009; became Abbotsford Heat)
• Rockford IceHogs (2007–present)
• Iowa Chops (2008–2009; suspended, then became Texas Stars)
• Adirondack Phantoms (2009–present)
• Texas Stars (2009–present, assumed suspended Iowa Chops franchise in 2010)
• Abbotsford Heat (2009–present)
• Albany Devils (2010–present)
• Charlotte Checkers (2010–present)
• Oklahoma City Barons (2010–present)
• Connecticut Whale (2010–present)
• St. John's IceCaps (2011–present)