The AHL's History in Syracuse, New York

The Syracuse Crunch have been a steady member of the American Hockey League for nearly two decades. However, they weren’t the first to represent the New York city in the AHL. Syracuse and the AHL have a checkered past.

Syracuse Stars

The Stars brought hockey to Syracuse for the 1930-31 IHL season. This was the original IHL, a league that would evolve into the AHL over the following decade. The Stars franchise moved to Syracuse from Hamilton, Ontario, where they were known as the Hamilton Tigers. After the 1939-40 season, the franchise was moved back out of Syracuse to become the second coming of the Buffalo Bisons.

The Syracuse Stars were the first team to win the Calder Cup. In 1936-37, the inaugural year of the Calder, the Stars met the Philadelphia Ramblers in the finals and came out victorious three games to one. During the regular season, Syracuse finished first in the West Division and second overall in the eight team league. The team was led in scoring by Jack Markle and placed five players among the top ten for points.

Syracuse Warriors

The American Hockey League returned to Syracuse for the 1951-52 season. The city acted as a temporary home for the Springfield Indians for three seasons from 1951-52 to 1953-54. During that time, the team was named the Syracuse Warriors. The Warriors played just one playoff series, losing to the Cleveland Barons in the opening round of the 1952-53 Calder Cup playoffs.

Syracuse Eagles

During the 1973-74 AHL season, the Cleveland Barons, one of the league’s oldest franchises, relocated to Jacksonville midway through the year. The following year, the Jacksonville Barons became the Syracuse Eagles. 1974-75 was the only season for the Eagles, folding at the end of the year. With exception of the Baltimore Clippers, a team that folded after playing just 46 games, the Eagles had the worst record in the ten team league.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, the Syracuse Blazers of the North American Hockey League were enjoying great success. Even though the NAHL was a lower quality league, the city wasn’t big enough to support two pro hockey teams and the fans rallied behind the team that was winning.

 

Syracuse Firebirds

The Blazers died along with the NAHL after the 1976-77 season. Ironically, the AHL was revived in Syracuse for the 1979-80 season when a former NAHL team relocated to town. The Philadelphia Firebirds came into existence for 1974-75, the second of four years that the NAHL existed. They won the Lockhart Cup as NAHL post season champions in 1975-76. The franchise switched to the AHL after the 1976-77 season.

Moving to Syracuse was a last ditch effort for the franchise. After just one year, the Firebirds folded. The team did reach the post season but lost in the opening round to the Hershey Bears.

Syracuse Crunch

The city would go without AHL hockey for close to fifteen years before the Crunch came to town. Ironically, just like the Syracuse Stars, the Crunch are a relocated franchise from Hamilton, Ontario. It all started out as the Hamilton Canucks in 1992-93. Their time in Canada was short lived and the Crunch were born. The Crunch are an affiliate of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. They have yet to capture their first Calder Cup championship.

1968-69 AHL Scoring Leaders

The American Hockey League in 1968-69 consisted of eight teams, a far cry from the 30 clubs today. The Hershey Bears won the Calder Cup with a 4-1 final series win over the Quebec Aces. There was just one player in 1968-69 to reach the 100 point plateau and the league lacked a 50 goal scorer.

Jeannot Gilbert – Hershey Bears

Jeannot Gilbert of the Hershey Bears led the league, and earned the John B. Sollenberger Trophy, with 100 points on 35 goals and 65 assists over 71 games. 1968-69 was Gilbert’s fourth of eight years in Hershey. He played nine games in the NHL over his career, five with the Boston Bruins in 1962-63 and four with the Bruins in 1964-65. Gilbert ended his pro career with two years in the World Hockey Association, 1973-74 and 1974-75, with the Quebec Nordiques.

Michel Harvey – Hershey Bears

Another member of the Hershey Bears finished second with 93 points. Michel Harvey scored 41 goals and assisted on 52 while playing the full 74 game schedule. A veteran of the AHL, playing eleven years in the league, Harvey got his chance at major league hockey in 1972-73 with the Quebec Nordiques of the WHA. 1973-74 proved to be his last year in professional hockey, playing 26 games for the Maine Nordiques in the North American Hockey League.

Guy Trottier – Buffalo Bisons

Guy Trottier of the Buffalo Bisons led the league in goals with 45 and finished third in points with 82. Trottier also played two games for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League in 1968-69. The following season, Guy led the AHL in goals again, this time with 55.

Ron Ward – Rochester Americans

Ron Ward of the Rochester Americans finished fourth with 78 points on 35 goals and 43 points over 73 games. Ward played 18 games in the NHL the following season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 1971-72, with the Vancouver Canucks, Ron played 71 games in what would be his last appearance in the NHL.

Ward played 359 games in the World Hockey Association between 1972-73 and 1976-77, contributing 380 points. In Ward’s first year in the WHA, he finished second in points with 118 as a member of the struggling New York Raiders. He would also play for the Vancouver Blazers, Los Angeles Sharks, Cleveland Crusaders, Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota Fighting Saints and Calgary Cowboys during his WHA career.

Willie Marshall – Baltimore Clippers

Willie Marshall of the Baltimore Clippers also finished with 78 points but played one more game that Ron Ward. Marshall is one of the greatest players in the history of the AHL. He played 1,205 regular season games with the Pittsburgh Hornets, Hershey Bears, Providence Reds, Baltimore Clippers and Rochester Americans. He scored 523 career goals and totalled 1,375 points.

Marshall was a charter member of the AHL Hall of Fame in 2006. To date, no player has played more games or had more goals, assists and points over an AHL career than Willie. Since 2003-04, the Willie Marshall Award has been handed out to the AHL player with the most goals scored during the regular season.

 

Grand Rapids Griffins Scoring Records

The Grand Rapids Griffins professional hockey franchise was established for the 1996-97 IHL season. The Griffins played in the IHL from 1996-97 to 2000-01 before moving to the American Hockey League. Grand Rapids currently remains in the AHL. The Griffins are affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League.

The individual single season scoring records of the team are decent, considering the team was born at the end of the era of offense in North American pro hockey. The following records include both the years the Griffins spent in the IHL and AHL.

Goals – Donald MacLean

MacLean scored 56 goals in 76 games for the Griffins in 2005-06. He also assisted on 32 for 88 points. The goal total tied him with Denis Hamel of the Binghamton Senators for the AHL lead. Both have their name on the Willlie Marshall Award. However, MacLean gets the edge for playing one less game than Hamel. In 2005-06, Donald was also awarded the Les Cunningham Award as AHL most valuable player. In addition, he had a three game stint with the Red Wings.

Donald was originally a second round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 1995. He appeared in a total of 41 regular season NHL games over his career with the Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit and the Phoenix Coyotes.

MacLean won a scoring title in the AHL in 2001-02. He was awarded the John B. Sollenberger Trophy with 87 points in 75 games for the St. John’s Maple Leafs. Donald finished off his pro career in Europe from 2007-08 to 2010-11, playing in Austria, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark. He is currently the assistant coach of Medvescak Zagreb of Austria’s EBEL. Zagreb was the last team he played for.

Assists – Jiri Hudler

The same year Donald MacLean was setting the Griffins record for goals, Jiri Hudler set the mark for assists in a season. Hudler assisted on 60 while scoring 36 of his own for 96 points in 76 games. Jiri finished third in the AHL for assists that year.

Hudler was a second round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in 2002. He has just passed the 450 game mark in his NHL career while playing for the Red Wings and Calgary Flames. 2014-15 will be his third year with Calgary.

Points – Michel Picard

In the first year of existence for the Griffins, 1996-97, Michel Picard set the team record for points that currently stands today. In 82 games for the IHL Griffins, Picard totalled 101 points on 46 goals and 55 assists. His point total placed him fourth in the IHL that season.

Picard was a ninth round pick of the Hartford Whalers in 1989. Over his career, he played in 166 regular season NHL games with the Whalers, San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers. Michel led the American Hockey League for goals in 1990-91, scoring 56 as a member of the Springfield Indians. He retired from hockey in 2008-09 after five years in Quebec’s LNAH.

Norfolk Admirals Individual Single Season Records

The Norfolk Admirals came into the American Hockey League for the 2000-01 season as an expansion franchise. Originally, the Admirals were affiliated with the Chicago Blackhawks but have been the farm team of the Tampa Bay Lightning since the 2007-08 season.

In their relatively short history, Norfolk players have put up decent individual stats. The individual single season records for the team are respectable and were set by a handful of players that are familiar to hockey fans.
The Admirals individual records for most goals, assists and points in a season were all set in 2006-07. Besides this past 2011-12 season, it was their most successful regular season in history with 50 wins and 108 points. Unfortunately, they lost in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs to the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins.

Troy Brouwer – 41 Goals

Troy Brouwer set the team mark for goals with 41, finishing third in the AHL for that category. It was Troy’s only season with Norfolk before becoming a regular in the National Hockey League. Since, Troy has played over 300 games in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals.

Martin St. Pierre – 72 Assists and 99 Points

Martin St. Pierre set the mark for both assists and points with 72 and 99. For each, he was second in the AHL that season, narrowly missing out in the race for the John B. Sollenberger Trophy. 2006-07 was St. Pierre’s first of two seasons with the Admirals. He was undrafted after a great junior career with the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League but has managed to play 38 games in the league thus far with the Blackhawks, Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators. Marty spent 2011-12 with the AHL’s Springfield Falcons.

Zack Stortini – 299 PIM

Zack Stortini broke Mike Brown’s record for PIM with 299 in 2013-14. Now three seasons removed from what was a regular job in the National Hockey League, Stortini wore the ‘A’ for Norfolk in 2013-14. He played 73 regular season games and added nine points.
Zack was a third round pick by the Edmonton Oilers in 2003 after his second of four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Sudbury Wolves. Of those four years, Stortini was team captain for the final three. Zack played 257 games in the NHL with the Oilers, and Nashville Predators. His last NHL game was with the Predators in 2011-12, his only game with the team.
Brown set the previous team record for most penalty minutes in a single season with 286 in 2004-05. Brown was in his first of two seasons with the Admirals and at the tail end of his pro career. 2005-06 would be his last season before hanging up the blades. Mike was originally a first round pick of the Florida Panthers in 1997. He never played for Florida but did appear in 34 NHL games between 2000-01 and 2005-06 with the Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Mighty Ducks and Chicago.

Goaltending Records

Norfolk’s major individual single season goaltending records belong to two netminders that now play prominent roles in the NHL. Corey Crawford and Craig Anderson used the Admirals as a stepping stone to National Hockey League careers.
Crawford has the Admirals record for most wins in a single season with 38 in 2006-07. Corey was a second round pick of the Blackhawks in 2003 and has become the team’s number one goalie over the past two seasons.
Anderson set team marks for lowest goals against average and highest save percentage in 2002-03. Playing in 32 games, he recorded a 1.94 GAA and a .923 save percentage for Norfolk. He also spent time with the Blackhawks that season, appearing in six NHL games. Craig was a third round pick of the Blackhawks in 2001 and has since had stints with Chicago, Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa.

Portland Pirates Of The AHL By The Numbers

The Portland Pirates have been a franchise in the American Hockey League since the 1993-94 season and are currently affiliated with the Phoenix Coyotes of the NHL. The Pirates have roots in the Erie Blades, an AHL team that began play in 1975-76. In between Erie and Portland, the franchise made a stop in Maryland and were known as the Baltimore Skipjacks from 1982-83 to 1992-93. In this article, when referring to team records and championships, it is just for the Portland Pirates from 1993-94 forward.

1. The Pirates have been crowned Calder Cup champions on just one occasion. It happened to be their first year in Portland, 1993-94. The team finished third overall during the regular season and took out the Albany River Rats and Adirondack Red Wings in the first two rounds. Portland received a bye through the semi-finals before meeting up with the Moncton Hawks in the finals. The Pirates came away with the championship in six games.

17. The most career shutouts by a goaltender in a Portland Pirates jersey is 17 by Maxime Ouellet. Ouellet played for the Pirates from 2001-02 to 2004-05 but the 17 shutouts all occurred in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons with seven the first year and 10 the next.

2003-04 was a really unique year for a goalie to record ten shutouts. Maxime played 52 of Portland’s games. The Pirates won just 15 games, meaning 67% of the games they won were when they did not allow a single goal.

Ouellet was a first round pick by the Philadelphia Flyers at the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, 22^nd overall. On March 19, 2002, he was traded to Washington from Philadelphia for Hockey Hall of Fame member Adam Oates. Maxime played in the National Hockey League from 2000-01 to 2005-06 with the Flyers, Washington Capitals and Vancouver Canucks.

37. Olaf Kolzig wore the number 37 for the Pirates between 1993-94 and 1995-96. Each of those three years were split between Portland and the Washington Capitals. In the two previous seasons, Olaf played for the Baltimore Skipjacks.

In 1993-94, Kolzig was honoured with the Harry Holmes Trophy for the AHL’s best goaltending duo. He was also awarded the Jack Butterfield Trophy as the AHL’s Calder Cup playoff MVP. Olaf went on to win the Vezina Trophy in 1999-00. He played for the Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning between 1989-90 and 2008-09. His time in Tampa was limited to just eight games in his final NHL season. Olaf Kolzig is an honoured member of the ECHL Hall of Fame.

41. The most goals scored in a single season for the Pirates is 41 by Michel Picard over just 61 games in 1993-94. Picard played 166 regular season games in the NHL between 1990-91 and 2000-01 with the Hartford Whalers, San Jose Sharks, Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers. In 1990-91, he led the AHL in goal scoring with 56 as a member of the Springfield Indians.

48. In 1998-99, the Portland Pirates lost 48 games, the most in any single season for the franchise. Portland finished last in the Eastern Conference with 55 points, 16 points behind the next team, the Saint John Flames. Overall, the Pirates were 17^th in the 19 team league.

53. In 2005-06, the Pirates set a team record for most wins in a season with 53. Their 114 points placed them first in the Eastern Conference and second overall in the AHL behind the Grand Rapids Griffins. Portland then fell in the Eastern Conference finals to the Hershey Bears. The series went the full seven games with three decided in overtime, including game seven.

355. Mark Major set the club’s record for most penalty minutes in a single season in 1997-98 with 355 over 79 games. He then sat 52 minutes over ten playoff games that year. Over 364 career AHL regular season games, Major sat 1,238 PIM playing for the Providence Bruins, Adirondack Red Wings, Portland and the Hershey Bears. As a junior in the Ontario Hockey League, he sat 691 PIM over 183 games with the North Bay Centennials and Kingston Frontenacs. In the IHL, it was 927 minutes over 320 games with the Muskegon Lumberjacks, Detroit Vipers and Houston Aeros. Mark played two games in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings in 1996-97.

Hockey Trivia: Cleveland Barons of the AHL

The Cleveland Barons were an American Hockey League franchise from 1936-37 to 1973-74. The team thrived in the Cleveland market until the Cleveland Crusaders of the World Hockey Association came along in the early 1970’s and diluted the waters. The Barons failed soon after the arrival of the Crusaders and the Crusaders didn’t last long. The curse continued with the NHL version of the Barons that came along soon after and lasted just a few seasons. Test and expand your knowledge of the AHL Barons with the following four hockey trivia questions and answers.

Q. What player holds the AHL’s Cleveland Barons records for most career goals, assists, points and penalty minutes?

A. Fred Glover played for the Barons from 1952-53 to 1967-68. In that time, he scored 410 goals, assisted on 695 and totalled 1,105 points while sitting 2,164 minutes in the sin bin. Inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame in its 2006 inaugural season, Glover is also the AHL career leader in each of those categories with 520 goals, 814 assists, 1,334 points and 2,402 PIM. Before he was a Baron, Fred also played for the Indianapolis Capitals. He saw brief NHL action early in his career with the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Black Hawks.

Q. What arena did the Cleveland Barons play their home games at?

A. The Cleveland Arena was built for the AHL team’s first season. The seating capacity of the Cleveland Arena was 9,900 for hockey games. The rink closed in 1974, replaced by the Richfield Coliseum, and was demolished three years later.

The Richfield Coliseum held 18,544 for hockey but didn’t have a much better fate. The venue was closed in 1994 and demolished in 1999.

Q. What Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender was the AHL MVP in 1957-58?

A. Johnny Bower and the above mentioned Fred Glover are the only two AHL players to be awarded the Les Cunningham Award as the league’s MVP on three occasions. Bower won the award with Cleveland in 1957-58 and had previously won twice with the Providence Reds. Bower moved on to the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs in 1958-59 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976. Like Glover, Bower was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame in 2006.

Q. The Cleveland Barons won the Calder Cup as AHL playoff champion on nine occasions. In which year did they win their first?

A. The Barons entered the AHL in 1936-37 and in 1938-39, just their third year in the league, Cleveland was crowned Calder Cup champions. Although finishing the year just one game over .500 and in third place in the four team West Division, Cleveland beat the Springfield Indians, Providence Reds and the Philadelphia Ramblers in the playoffs to capture the Calder.

Cleveland’s final Calder Cup championship came in 1963-64 with Fred Glover leading the way. After a somewhat mediocre regular season where the Barons placed third in the four team West Division and fourth overall in the nine team league, Cleveland went undefeated in the post season. The Barons swept the Rochester Americans and Hershey Bears before taking out the Quebec Aces in four games in the finals to win the title. That year, Fred Glover won the Les Cunningham Award as AHL MVP and Ted Harris won the Eddie Shore Award as defenseman of the year.

 

 

 

Syracuse Crunch Scoring Records

The Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League originated as the Hamilton Canucks in 1992-93. The franchise moved to Syracuse to become the Crunch for the 1994-95 AHL season. The team has yet to win a Calder Cup championship and are currently affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League. The individual single season scoring records of the team are quite modest.

Goals – Lonny Bohonos

In just his second year of professional hockey, Bohonos set the Syracuse record for most goals in a season with 40 in 1995-96. Over 74 regular season games, Lonny also assisted on 39 for 79 points. That year, he also played three games in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks. The goal total tied him for ninth in the AHL that season, 28 goals behind the leader, Brad Smyth.

At the time, Bohonos was two years removed from leading the Western Hockey League in goals, assists and points. In 70 games with the Portland Winterhawks, Lonny scored 62 and assisted on 90 for 152 points to earn the Bob Clarke Trophy.

Lonny retired from professional hockey after playing for Adler Mannheim in Germany’s DEL during the 2005-06 season. Along the way, he played in 83 regular season NHL games with the Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs. In 2000-01, he led Switzerland’s National League A in points as a member of HC Davos.

Assists – Bill Bowler

Bowler set the mark for Syracuse in 2000-01 with 58 assists. In 72 games that year, he also scored 21 goals and totalled 79 points. It was also that year that he appeared in his only nine NHL games, playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

It comes as no surprise that Bowler would own a team’s assist record. After a stellar junior career in the Ontario Hockey League with the Windsor Spitfires, Bill is one of just 13 players in the history of the league to assist on 100 or more goals in a single season. In 1994-95, he assisted on 102. That total is the ninth best all-time in the OHL and 21 behind the league record of 123 set by Bobby Smith of the Ottawa 67’s in 1977-78.

Bowler owns the career record for assists in the OHL with 318 and the Windsor Spitfires record for most points in a career with 467. Windsor retired his number 9 in 2011. Bill retired from pro hockey after appearing in seven games for Krefeld Pinguine of the DEL in 2002-03.

Points – Lonny Bohonos and Bill Bowler

The Syracuse Crunch record for points in a season stands at 79. Bohonos reached the mark in 1995-96, the same year he set the record for goals. Bowler had 79 points in 2000-01, the year he set the record for assists. Not bad for two players not drafted into the NHL.

 

 

Bridgeport Sound Tigers Scoring Records

The Bridgeport Sound Tigers joined the American Hockey League as an expansion franchise for the 2001-02 season. In their first year, the Sound Tigers reached the Calder Cup finals before losing to the Chicago Wolves. They have not won a playoff series since 2002-03. Bridgeport is affiliated with the New York Islanders of the NHL. The single season individual offensive records of the Sound Tigers are quite modest.

Jeff Hamilton – Most Goals

Jeff Hamilton holds the team record for most goals in a single season with 43 in 2003-04. The number led the offensively challenged AHL and Hamilton was honoured with the Willie Marshall Award. In 2003-04, Jeff also played one game with the Islanders, his first game in the National Hockey League.

Hamilton has appeared in 157 regular season NHL games to date with the Islanders, Chicago Blackhawks, Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs. He also played at the elite level in Finland, Russia and Switzerland, retiring after the 2010-11 season which he spent with HIFK in Finland’s SM-Liiga.

Rob Collins – Most Assists

Rob Collins set the mark for assists in a single season with 48 in 2005-06. The total was not high enough to place him in the AHL’s top ten. 2005-06 was Rob’s third of three years with the Sound Tigers. He also played eight games with the Islanders that season, his only NHL action to date. Collins has been playing in Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) since 2006-07, the last two with the Hamburg Freezers.

Jeff Tambellini – Most Points

Jeff Tambellini holds the team record for points in a single season with 76 in 2007-08. Tambellini set the mark while playing only 57 games. The total was good for seventh in the AHL that season and he finished second with 38 goals. Jeff also played in 31 games with the Islanders in 2007-08 for a total of 88 games combined.

Tambellini has played in 242 regular season NHL games to date with the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders and Vancouver Canucks. 2012-13 was his second year with ZSC of Switzerland’s National League A. He has signed with MODO in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) for the 2013-14 season.

In 2012-13, there was no threat of any of these records being broken. The Sound Tigers were led in the goals department by Nino Niederreiter with 28. Matt Donovan led Bridgeport with 34 assists. Brock Nelson led the team in points with just 52 over 66 regular season games. Bridgeport did not qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs.

 

3 Calder Cup Championships of the Pittsburgh Hornets

The Pittsburgh Hornets existed in the American Hockey League from 1936-37 to 1955-56 and were revived for a stint between 1961-62 and 1966-67. In the first existence of the team, the Hornets won the Calder Cup as AHL playoff champion on two occasions. As the re-incarnated Hornets, the franchise would win one more Calder Cup championship before being chased out of town by the National Hockey League and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

1951-52

The Hornets won their first Calder Cup in 1951-52. The team finished first overall in the nine team league and first in the five team West Division. Pittsburgh knocked out the Hershey Bears, 4-1 in the opening round of the playoffs. After receiving a bye through the second round, Pittsburgh met the Providence Reds in the finals and prevailed in six games.

The 1951-52 Hornets were coached by Toronto Maple Leafs legend, King Clancy. A future Toronto star defenseman played on the blue line for Pittsburgh. Tim Horton played in all eleven playoff games. The following year, Horton became a regular with the Maple Leafs and would continue on in the National Hockey League until his death during the 1973-74 season. He would make his return to Pittsburgh, playing for the Penguins late in his career. Tim also appeared for the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres.

1954-55

Two years later, in 1954-55, the Hornets were crowned Calder Cup champions again. The AHL was reduced to a six team, single division league and Pittsburgh finished first overall. Coached by another big name former Toronto player, Howie Meeker, the Hornets beat the Springfield Indians three games to one in the first round before taking out the Buffalo Bisons 4-2 in the finals.

Leading the way for Pittsburgh in 1954-55 was Willie Marshall. Willie went on to become the AHL all-time leader in games played, goals, assists and points, records that stand today. Since 2003-04, the AHL has honoured the player that finishes the regular season with the most goals with the Willie Marshall Award.

1966-67

The reincarnated version of the Hornets knew going in that 1966-67 would be their final season in Pittsburgh. The Penguins had been granted an NHL franchise and were slated to start, along with five other new teams, in 1967-68. There simply wasn’t room for two pro teams in town. Since re-entering the league in 1961-62, the new-style Hornets had been affiliated with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. The 1966-67 team was filled with young talent like Peter Mahovlich, Gary Jarrett and Billy Harris, along with long-time veterans Andy Bathgate and Doug Harvey.

The Hornets finished first overall in the nine team AHL, as well as finishing first in the four team West Division. After beating the Hershey Bears four games to one in the opening round, Pittsburgh received a bye through to the finals. They met Rochester in the Calder Cup finals and swept the Americans in four games.

Hershey Bears Trivia

The Hershey Bears are the longest lasting American Hockey League team to remain in one location, a member of the league since 1938-39. The Bears are also one of the most successful AHL teams with four Calder Cup victories in the new millennium. Test and expand your knowledge of the Hershey Bears with the following four trivia questions and answers.

Q. What member of the Hershey Bears is the latest AHL player to lead the league in goals in consecutive seasons?

A. Alexandre Giroux led the AHL in goals in 2008-09 and 2009-10 with 60 and 50 goals. By doing so, Giroux earned the Willie Marshall Award. Alexandre is the first to lead in goals scored in consecutive seasons since Paul Gardner in the mid 1980’s. Only five AHL players have accomplished this feat since the league began in 1936-37. Giroux did this while also playing 12 games with the Washington Capitals in 2008-09 and nine with the NHL club in 2009-10.

Since, Giroux has played sparsely with the Edmonton Oilers and Columbus Blue Jackets before heading to Europe. 2012-13 was split between Dynamo Riga in the KHL and the Kloten Flyers in Switzerland’s National League A. For 2013-14, Alexandre will remain in Switzerland but has switched to Ambri-Piotta.

Q. In what year did the Hershey Bears win their first Calder Cup as AHL playoff champions?

A. In 1946-47, the Hershey Bears beat the Pittsburgh Hornets in the Calder Cup final series, four games to three. The Bears finished first in the East Division during the regular season. In a very odd playoff format, the Bears and the West Division regular season champ, the Cleveland Barons, were both given a bye through the first round. However, the two division champs then met in the semi-finals, while the two weaker teams played off in the other semi-final.

As of the end of 2012-13, the Bears have won eleven Calder Cup championships in total. Twice, they won in consecutive seasons, 1957-58 and 1958-59, along with 2008-09 and 2009-10.

Q. What Hershey Bears player has the club retired jersey number 16 for?

A. If you answered Willie Marshall, you are right. If you answered Mitch Lamoureux, you are also right. The team retired the number in honour of both players. Marshall played with the Bears from 1956-57 to 1962-63. He played over 1,200 games in the AHL and was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame in 2006. Lamoureux is also a member of the AHL Hall of Fame, inducted in 2011.

Q. What Hockey Hall of Fame player, who played his entire NHL career with the Philadelphia Flyers, coached the Hershey Bears for one full season, 1995-96?

A. Bill Barber coached the team in 1984-85, as well, but for only 17 games. In 1995-96, Barber was behind the bench as the Bears finished second in the South and made a first round exit from the Calder Cup playoffs.

Barber was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990 after playing 903 regular season National Hockey League games between 1972-73 and 1983-84, all with the Flyers. In 1997-98, Bill coached the Philadelphia Phantoms to a Calder Cup championship in the AHL. Ironically, the Phantoms swept the Hershey Bears in the second round before taking out the Saint John Flames in the finals. Barber was awarded the Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL coach of the year as head coach of the Flyers in 2001-02.