The AHL Will Look Different Next Fall

In this post, I'm hoping to catch us all up on some recent AHL news I haven't had a chance to write about. There will be new affiliations and some relocations and just general upheaval.

Canucks buy Rivermen, could move them to B.C.

We start in Illinois. Earlier this month, the Vancouver Canucks agreed to purchase the AHL's Peoria Rivermen from the St. Louis Blues. The deal, announced April 1, means starting next season, we'll have a couple of NHL/AHL affiliate swaps.

Obviously, the Canucks will be aligning with their new asset in Peoria. Only they don't appear to be staying in Peoria. According to the Vancouver Sun, the club will pack up and find a new city closer to the west coast. Where might that be?

Heat may leave Abbotsford for Utica, N.Y.

The Abbotsford Heat and owner Calgary Flames are in a spot of trouble. Things aren't really working out in B.C. See, British Columbians don't seem all that eager to cheer on the future of their enemy. Most of them are Canucks fans after all.

So where does that leave us? The Flames are apparently content with nearby Abbotsford, but clearly a Canucks-affiliated team would be a better draw. If the Rivermen find themselves in B.C. next season, where would the Heat go? I can't say, but it would be the franchise's fifth home in a decade.

From 1993 to 2003, the Saint John Flames played in New Brunswick. After that, there was a two-year suspension of the franchise followed by relocations every other year from Omaha, Neb. in 2005 to Moline, Ill. in 2007 and finally to Abbotsford in 2009.

UPDATE (4/16): A number of you have correctly pointed out that Utica, N.Y. is apparently the most likely place for the Heat to move given a February report that the Flames may sign a 10-year affiliation agreement with the city. What's funny is that Utica is where the franchise was based 20 years ago — prior to being in New Brunswick. Only then, then were affiliated with New Jersey and known as the Utica Devils. Will they keep the Heat moniker or go with something better?

Blues likely to enter affiliation with Wolves

So back to the Rivermen. They'll be ending their arrangement with the St. Louis Blues, who'll presumably pick up the Canucks' sloppy seconds, the Chicago Wolves. Geographically, it makes sense too. So no surprise there.

Aeros may leave Houston for Des Moines, Iowa

What is surprising, however, is that we could be witnessing the end of a 20-year run of pro hockey in Houston, Texas. The Houston Aeros apparently can't come to terms on a new arena deal. You know what that means. Relocation, relocation, relocation.

Word is, they've been eyeing Peoria — should the Rivermen be moved by the Canucks. In which case, my money says the storied Rivermen identity never skips a beat. The Aeros become the "new" Rivermen and the "old" Rivermen get a completely new identity in Abbotsford or elsewhere.

But if the Canucks can't get the Rivermen out of Peoria, the Aeros would still have to find a new home. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune believes Des Moines, Iowa could be a good possibility. It's closer to NHL affiliate Minnesota Wild but less convenient when it comes to air travel and call-ups.

So there you have four AHL teams that could look very different next fall. But they won't be alone.

Other leagues will look different, too

Elsewhere, other changes are in the works:

• The OHL's Brampton Battalion are on the move. The league approved the relocation to North Bay, Ont. back in November. It doesn't appear their name or logo will change — they have already been renamed the North Bay Battalion, according to the team's official website.
• Brampton, Ont. loses one CHL for another. The Central Hockey League swooped in with an expansion team for 2013-14, which recently got its official name — the Brampton Beast. (Think the IceHL's Boulder Beasts might have something to say about that?) The club doesn't have a logo yet, but this is the CHL's first foray into Canada.
• The CHL will also welcome the St. Charles Chill this season. You may recall the team named a winner in its logo design contest back in November.
• UPDATE (4/16): JanBan (comments) reminded me that the QMJHL's P.E.I. Rocket will be rebranding this summer. Their new name, announced last September, is P.E.I. Islanders. You can currently get 50% off Rocket merchandise from the team store.

If I've overlooked anything, please let me know. We'll have a lot to keep an eye on this summer as teams move around and new logos get unveiled. Stick around!

Update on Tuesday · Apr 16 · 2013 | 6:35 PM PDT by Chris

Whale could revert to Wolf Pack moniker in 2013

Almost left out these guys. According to a report back in February, the Connecticut Whale could go back to being the Hartford Wolf Pack next season. Rather than re-hashing it here I'll let you read the linked article for more details. I have no new information since that was posted.

If there are others I'm leaving out, keep them coming. Want to make this a comprehensive post.

Phantoms Sport the Retro and Ridiculous

Last week the AHL's Adirondack Phantoms busted out a couple of specialty jerseys. Nothing new in the minors. But these deserve a special look for two very different reasons.

AHL club returns to Philly in throwback threads

On Friday, Feb. 22 — for one night only — the Phantoms hit the ice at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia — sporting retro purple-infused threads just like they did back when they called Philly home from 1996 to 2009. The club moved to upstate New York when their arena was taken down.

Photos from Adirondack Phantoms (via Facebook)

The Phantoms faced their former in-state rival, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a game which drew one of the largest crowds to watch an AHL game indoors. Borrowing their NHL affiliate's arena was certainly helpful there. But the Phantoms ended up falling to the Penguins, 2-1.

It's always neat to see classic minor hockey sweater make a comeback — even if only for a night.

And then there's this disaster.

Phantoms celebrate mascot's birthday with silly sweater

I guess this is a situation where the universe required balance. The only way to allow an awesome jersey to be worn is to follow it up with an awful one. The Phantoms returned home two days after their trip to Philly to celebrate the "birthday" of their mascot, Dax.

Photo from Adirondack Phantoms (official website)

Last Sunday, grown men — professional hockey players, no less — wore these silly numbers with Dax's cartoon head replacing the classic Phantom crest. If ever there was a specialty jersey squarely meant for the kids, folks, this is the one. It's incredibly dorky and yet somehow charming.

Surprisingly, the Phantoms won while wearing it. They beat the Binghamton Senators 2-1. Still, let this not be a common occurrence. Maybe next year you just get Dax a gift card or something.

Photos from Adirondack Phantoms (via Facebook)

I'll leave you with these close-ups of the jersey. Recognize that awful number font? Remind you of something "Mighty" from way back when?

Connecticut Whale to Be No More?

Silly name and logo could soon be gone

It sounds too good to be true, but just three years after the Connecticut Whale brand was introduced, it may be disappearing, according to the Hartford Courant.

With Howard Baldwin no longer at the helm and new ownership in the picture, there's the possibility the franchise could revert to its previous (better) identity — the Hartford Wolf Pack. The article isn't specific about when the change would happen, but I'm hoping they don't do another midseason rebranding.

Evidence indicates return of Hartford Wolf Pack brand

Here's some of what writer Paul Doyle had to say on the matter — and why he thinks the Wolf Pack could be staging a comeback:

The Connecticut Whale brand was created by Howard Baldwin's Whalers Sports & Entertainment in 2010 and that company no longer runs the business side of the franchise, although it allowed current XL Center operator AEG to use the name and logo this season. The franchise is owned by MSG, but Global will run the team's day-to-day operation in Hartford and handle the marketing.

Unless MSG and Global decide to work out an agreement with WSE, the team's name will likely change. The team could return to the Hartford Wolf Pack, the name of the franchise from 1997 until it was re-branded in 2010. MSG has kept the brand alive by retaining uniforms and has even renewed the hartfordwolfpack.com domain name, updating data base information on the domain name Saturday.

Another possibility is to simply call the team the Rangers — Hartford or Connecticut preceding the name — although that could be a public relations risk. Returning to the Wolf Pack would be simple, especially with the still visible around the team and the XL Center.

The activity with the domain name is interesting. Why keep it if you have no intention of using it again? Plus, we all know the Connecticut Whale name and logo are just dumb.

I'm rooting for the Wolf Pack!

Arena Logos: The AHL West

Two weeks ago, I put NHL arena logos on display just for fun. This weekend, we're taking a look at what the AHL has to offer in this area. Yesterday, it was the rink in the Eastern Conference. Today, the Western Conference. Enjoy.

Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre opened in 2009 in Abbotsford, B.C. — and just a few months later, it became home to the Abbotsford Heat. The Heat are the latest incarnation of a franchise that has been rather nomdic over past decade, relocating every few years. After leaving Saint John, New Brunswick in 2003, the club played in Omaha, Neb. and Moline, Ill. before arriving in British Columbia.

The Time Warner Cable Arena was built for the NBA. In fact, when it opened in 2005, it was called the Charlotte Bobcats Arena. But back then, the Charlotte Checkers were an ECHL franchise and shared the arena with the Bobcats. That team was dissolved in 2010, however, when the AHL's Albany River Rats moved to North Carolina and assumed the Checkers nickname. Time Warner Cable bought the naming rights in 2008 and changed the logo as part of a 2010 corporate rebranding.

Located in Rosemont, Ill., just outside of Chicago, is Allstate Arena — known as Rosemont Horizon from its opening in 1980 until 1999. It's been home to the Chicago Wolves since their entry into the International Hockey League in 1994. The Wolves transferred to the AHL when their original league went belly up in 2001.

The story of Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. is not unlike that of Allstate Arena. It began life in 1996 housing IHL hockey in the form of the Grand Rapids Griffins. Like the Wolves, the Griffins joined the AHL in 2001 where they still play today.

Copps Coliseum has hosted Hamilton Bulldogs hockey for the past 20 years. But it hasn't always been the same franchise. The original Bulldogs arrived from Sydney, Nova Scotia in 1996 but left in 2002 to become the Toronto Roadrunners. However, at the same time, the Quebec Citadelles moved in and became the new Bulldogs. So as far as fans are concerned, their team hasn't missed a beat. 

But there's a pre-Bulldogs history to include. The Coliseum opened in 1985 where it hosted OHL junior teams until 1991. The AHL's Hamilton Canucks were formed in 1992 but moved to Syracuse, N.Y. after only two seasons. The Bulldogs entered the picture two years after that.

There's a bit of trouble brewing at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. At the end of this season, the lease is up for the Houston Aeros and negotiations for a new one are not going well, according to the Houston Chronicle. No decisions have been made yet, but if a deal isn't done, it could spell the end of a long run of minor league hockey in Houston. 

The Aeros were founded in 1994 in the IHL and joined the AHL in 2001. Since 2003, they've played at Toyota Center, which is operated by the NBA's Houston Rockets. They are the building's primary tenant.

I'm sure you're noticing a lot of Western Conference AHL teams sharing buildings with the NBA. The Lake Erie Monsters are another example, as they've split time at Quicken Loans Arena with the Cleveland Cavaliers since 2007. The Q opened in 1994 as Gund Arena, housing the Cavaliers and the IHL's Cleveland Lumberjacks. The Jacks did not survive the dissolution of the league in 2001, but were immediately replaced by the AHL's Cleveland Barons — who moved from Lexington, Kentucky. They then moved to Worcester, Mass. in 2006.

Another story you've heard a few times before in this post with just a few names changed. The BMO Harris Bradley Center (just the Bradley Center prior to the 2012 naming rights purchase by BMO Harris) houses the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals as well as the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks. It opened in 1988 with both of these teams as founding tenants — though the Ads were members of the IHL at the time.

The Cox Convention Center opened in 1972 as "The Myriad" and has hosted numerous hockey teams over the years. The Oklahoma City Blazers of the Central Hockey League did two stints, 1973—1977 and 1992—2002 and there was even a season of roller hockey in 1995 — the Oklahoma Coyotes. However, since 2010, the Oklahoma City Barons have been the prime resident. 

The Peoria Civic Center is part of a complex that includes Carver Arena, home to the Peoria Rivermen since arriving from Worcester, Mass. in 2005. But the Civic Center opened in 1982 and has always hosted some form of pro hockey. The Peoria Prancers were founded in 1982 and changed their name to Rivermen in 1984. In 1996, they moved to San Antonio, Texas but were replaced by a new ECHL team, also called the Rivermen, until the 2005 arrival of the AHL.

In downtown Rochester, N.Y., you'll find Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial. Don't let the glass façade fool you; it was built in 1955 but got a major renovation in 1998 when Blue Cross picked up the naming rights. In all that time, it's been home to the Rochester Americans. 

Look familiar? BMO Harris Bank owns the naming rights to not one, but two AHL rinks. Along with the Bradley Center in Milwaukee is BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford, Ill. The arena opened in 1981 but didn't host hockey until 1999 when the UHL's Rockford IceHogs were founded. They went out on top, winning the 2007 UHL championship before being replaced by the AHL. The Cincinnati Mighty Ducks franchise had been re-established but failed to meet a season ticket sales goal, so the team relocated to Illinois and adopted the IceHogs moniker.

The AT&T Center opened in 2002 as the new home of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs, but at the same time, earned the city a brand new hockey team. The dormant Adirondack Red Wings franchise was re-established in Texas as the San Antonio Rampage.

One of the newer arenas in the AHL is the Cedar Park Center in Cedar Park, Texas — home of the Texas Stars. The Stars were the building's founding tenant and its reason for being built. Prior to 2009, the club was based in Des Moines, Iowa, first as the Iowa Stars, and later the Iowa Chops.

And finally, the Toronto Marlies have called Ricoh Coliseum home for all of their eight years of existence. But the building itself has been around since 1921! It was renovated in 2003 and its first tenant was the Toronto Roadrunners, who the Edmonton Oilers had just moved out of Hamilton, Ont. The NHL club then moved their affilate geographically closer to them (to Edmonton) the following season and suspended operations a year after that.

The Marlies moved from St. John's, Newfoundland in 2005 after a season without hockey at the Coliseum. The arena was formerly known as Civic Arena and CNE Coliseum prior to Ricoh buying the naming rights in 2003 after the renovation.

Hope you found these posts at least half as interesting as the NHL arena posts.

Update on Wednesday · Jul 17 · 2013 | 12:42 AM PDT by Chris

A couple AHL relocations for the 2013-14 season means a couple new arenas to add to this post.

After failing to get a new contract at the Toyota Center, the Houston Aeros left town. They headed north for Des Moines, Iowa where they became the Iowa Wild and will begin playing home games at Wells Fargo Arena, a venue that's part of the Iowa Events Center.

The arena opened in 2005 with Iowa Stars as a primary tenant. That team was renamed the Iowa Chops in 2008 when they signed an affiliation deal with the Anaheim Ducks. A year later, the franchise linked up with Dallas again and moved to Cedar Park leaving Des Moines without any AHL action for the last five years.

After the Vancouver Canucks purchased the Peoria Rivermen, they decided Illinois wasn't for them. The team moved to Utica, N.Y. and became the Utica Comets this summer. They will play at the Utica Memorial Auditorium beginning this fall. And to mark the occasion, The Aud is undergoing a bit of a rebranding — as well as some renovations. This new logo is in the process of being implemented.

The 63-year-old building has hosted a number of minor league hockey teams in its time, but the last AHL game took place 20 years ago before the Utica Devils left in 1993.

By the way, weird coincidence that both these logos use the same font.

Anyone know if any AHL arenas have been renamed or rebranded in the last six months?

Arena Logos: The AHL East

These posts on arena logos have been getting pretty decent feedback from you guys. So I figured I'd go ahead with a look at rinks from around the American Hockey League. We'll start with the Eastern Conference today and focus on the other half tomorrow.

We begin with the 34-year-old Glens Falls Civic Center, the temporary home of the Adirondack Phantoms — and former home of the Adirondack Red Wings for two decades. When the Spectrum was closed in 2009, the Philadelphia Phantoms were forced to find a new place to play. They headed up to Glens Falls, N.Y. but the plan was always to return to Pennsylvania. In time for the 2014-15 season, the team will depart Glens Falls for a new building in Allentown, Penn. where they'll be renamed the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

The Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. has hosted pro hockey since it opened in 1990 and is currently home to the Albany Devils. The fun started with the Albany Choppers of the IHL at a time when the building was named Knickerbocker Arena. But the IHL club was terrible and got run out of town after one season by a new nearby AHL team, the Capital District Islanders.

In 1993, the Islanders got a new owner who moved them into the Choppers' old building. They were renamed the Albany River Rats and endured two renamings of their building over the years — Pepsi Arena in 1997, and ultimately, Times Union Center in 2007. The River Rats moved to North Carolina and became the Charlotte Checkers in 2010. At the same time, the Lowell Devils left Massachusetts and ensured that Albany would continue to host AHL hockey.

The Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena doesn't have a terribly exciting name or logo, but that's par for the course when you're talking about 40-year-old buildings owned by municipalities. The Binghamton Senators haved played here since 2002 but they're far from the first. Hockey came to Broome County by way of the NAHL's Broome Dusters (clever) when the arena opened in 1973.

Four years later, they were replaced by the AHL when the Rhode Island Reds arrived in 1977 and became the Binghamton Dusters. The team was renamed Whalers in 1980 and Rangers in 1990. (Think you can probably track the NHL affiliation changes there.) In 1997 — after a 20-year run — the team left for Connecticut where they became the Hartford Wolf Pack.

During their five years without the AHL, Binghamton turned to the United Hockey League. Enter the B.C. Icemen (that's B.C. for Broome County, not British Columbia, of course). But they went away when the Prince Edward Island Senators franchise was re-established in Binghamton after a six-year hiatus.

Here's a modern-looking AHL arena logo. The Bridgeport Sound Tigers were the founding tenant of The Arena at Harbor Yard in 2001. Webster Bank bought the naming rights in 2011.

Remember the Binghamton Dusters from earlier? They're the Connecticut Whale now and host opponents at XL Center in Hartford, Conn. — a building that once housed NHL and WHA hockey. The Wolf Pack, as they were known then, arrived in 1997 to fill the void left by the Hartford Whalers, who moved to North Carolina.

The arena opened in 1975 as the home of the WHA's New England Whalers but the roof collapsed in 1978 and closed for a couple of years. By the time the building reopened, it was for NHL hockey. The naming rights were purchased in 2007 by XL Group, a financial services company. But that contract runs out later this year.

The Giant Center houses one of the AHL's oldest franchises, the Hershey Bears. It opened in 2002 in Hershey, Penn. and never looked back. Prior the move, the Bears played at Hersheypark Arena which is approaching its 80th birthday. But the team still uses that rink to practice.

Manchester, N.H. is where you'll find Verizon Wireless Arena and its sole tenant, the Manchester Monarchs. The team was founded in 2001 just in time to open the new building.

This one is a little tricky. The Norfolk Admirals technically play at Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va. — a building that opened in 1971. But the arena is part of a larger complex of venues, now known as Seven Venues — which uses the above logo. And I haven't been able to track down a current version of the Scope logo, if one even exists. Could definitely use a hand if there are any locals that can help out. The Ads have played at Scope since their inception in 1989.

The Cumberland County Civic Center is located in Portland, Maine. It opened in 1977 and has housed AHL hockey for all but one year since. In 1993, the CCCC welcomed the Portland Pirates to town from Baltimore, Md. but before that, the original tenant was the Maine Mariners. They departed for Rhode Island in 1992 where they currently exist as the Providence Bruins. 

Hey, speaking of the Providence Bruins! The Bruins call the Dunkin' Donuts Center home, but only since their arrival in 1992. The building has a much longer history. It was simply the Providence Civic Center when it opened in 1972 as the second home of the Providence Reds (who would later become the Connecticut Whale, see above). That team left for Binghamton in 1977, which left a 15-year gap without pro hockey in Rhode Island's capital city.

The newest member of the AHL arena party is the Mile One Centre in St. John's, Newfoundland — but it's not their first rodeo. After a three-year absence, it returned to the hockey fray in 2011 with the arrival of the Manitoba Moose, who were booted from their home by the new Winnipeg Jets. Once in Newfoundland, they became the St. John's IceCaps.

The Mile One Centre opened in 2001 as the new home of the St. John's Maple Leafs, who arrived from Newmarket, Ont. in 1991. They went back to that province in 2005 and became the Toronto Marlies. From there, the arena was home to the QMJHL's St. John's Fog Devils, who left in 2008 for Montreal and eventually became the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in 2011.

Opened in 1972, the Springfield Civic Center has always been a place for hockey. And like Hartford's XL Center, it has the distinction of hosting NHL action for a time. Remember how XL's roof collapsed in 1978? Springfield, Mass. is where the Whalers played during renovations — and made their transition from WHA to NHL.

The Springfield Kings became the first resident of this arena in 1972 after leaving the aging Eastern States Coliseum, or The Big E. They were originally the Indians when founded in 1926 and switched back to that moniker in 1974. But two decades later, the team was sold and moved to Worcester, Mass. where they became the IceCats. Today, that team is the Peoria Rivermen.

In 1994, the AHL expanded to fill the gap left by the Indians' departure. Enter the Springfield Falcons we now know. And in 2005, the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company bought the naming rights to the building, today called MassMutual Center.

All right. Worst. Arena logo. Ever. Certainly the most corporate one I've ever seen. Syracuse, N.Y.'s War Memorial Arena is part of a group of venues collectively known as The Oncenter. Each has an indistinctive logo like this with varying icons on the left. Not impressed. But the Syracuse Crunch call it home.

The building itself has a long history, having opened way back in 1951. It may actually be the oldest AHL building still in use today. It's housed five different hockey teams over the years, but the Crunch arrived in 1994 after 14 years without the sport. Prior to that, the franchise played two seasons in Ontario as the Hamilton Canucks.

The Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza (in Wilkes-Barre, Penn.) opened in 1999 and re-established a dormant AHL franchise that had been affiliated with the Quebec Nordiques for 15 years. Last known as the Cornwall Aces in 1996, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins began play when the building was called the Northeastern Pennsylvania Civic Arena and Convention Center.

A year after it opened, the naming rights were purchased by First Union. (Oh no, bank flashbacks!) And as we learned a couple weeks ago, First Union became Wachovia in 2003. The contract on Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza ended in 2010 when Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs took up the flag.

We finish today with the home of the Worcester Sharks — and yet another building named for a financial institution, the DCU Center. Digital Federal Credit Union paid for naming rights in 2004, two years before the Cleveland Barons relocated to Massachusetts. The building opened in 1982 as the Centrum in Worcester (and later the awful Worcester's Centrum Centre in 1997) but it hasn't always had hockey. The AHL was housed from 1994 to 2005 after the Springfield Indians moved and became the Worcester IceCats.

That's all for today. We'll get to the west tomorrow. (Ha, see what I did there?)