Category: American Hockey League

1956 Pittsburgh Hornets program from the American Hockey League

Pittsburgh Hornets (1936-1956)

April 11, 2020

The original Pittsburgh Hornets hockey team enjoyed a 20-year run at the old Duquesne Gardens sports arena and dance hall on North Craig Street between 1936 and 1956. The Hornets won the Calder Cup as champions of the American Hockey League in 1952 and 1955. The Hornets went out of business in 1956 when the Duquesne Gardens was demolished to make way for apartment buildings. Team owner John Harris launched a revival of the Hornets in 1961 after the construction of the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. The later-era Hornets played in the AHL until the arrival of NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins expansion team displaced the minor league club in 1967.

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Louisville Panthers American Hockey League

Louisville Panthers

March 6, 2020

The Louisville Panthers were a short-lived farm club of the NHL’s Florida Panthers in the American Hockey League. When the Panthers formed in 1998 they displaced the Louisville RiverFrogs (1995-1998) of the lower-level East Coast Hockey League. The RiverFrogs played in smaller Broadbent Arena and average around 4,000 fans per game. The Panthers upgraded to the enormous NHL-sized Freedom Hall, but failed to build substantially on the ‘Frogs audience and disbanded after only two seasons. Future NHL stars Dan Boyle and Roberto Luongo played with the Panthers before establishing themselves in the senior circuit.

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Cincinnati Mighty Ducks American Hockey League

Cincinnati Mighty Ducks

February 9, 2020

The Mighty Ducks were the Disney-fied half of Cincinnati’s unusual intra-city minor league hockey rivalry of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. The Ducks, who served as the top farm club of the NHL’s Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the American Hockey League, played at the Cincinnati Gardens. The Cyclones, of the International Hockey League, played at the larger and more modern Riverfront Coliseum. Both teams fell on hard times in the mid-2000’s and the Ducks closed their doors in 2005 after Anaheim withdrew its support of the team.

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1997 Springfield Falcons program from the American Hockey League

Springfield Falcons

January 18, 2020

American Hockey League (1994-2016) Born: May 5, 1994 – AHL expansion franchise Moved: May 2016 (Tucson Roadrunners) First Game: September 30, 1994 (W 5-3 vs. Worcester

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Syracuse Firebirds American Hockey League

Syracuse Firebirds

January 17, 2020

American Hockey League (1979-1980) Born: April 11, 1979 – The Philadelphia Firebirds relocate to Syracuse, NY Folded: 1980 First Game: October 11, 1979 (L 3-2 @ Nova

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