American Hockey League

AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE

(1936 - Present)

Despite its name, the AHL has very deep roots in Canada. It can trace its origins back to two leagues that both started in 1926; the Canadian Professional League (Later International League) and the Canadian-American League. These two leagues merged for the 1936-37 season to form AHL. Four teams were taken from each league to form an eight team league; the same size as the NHL of that time.

For the most part, franchises were strong and stable. Initial franchises such as the Pittsburgh Hornets, Cleveland Barons and Buffalo Bisons all kept their franchises until either the NHL or WHA expanded into their markets decades later (Buffalo did miss a few years after the roof on their arena, located in Fort Erie, Ontario, caved in after a snow storm. Pittsburgh lost their arena for a few years as well.) The league was strong enough in the early going to spark talk of the league eventually overshadowing the NHL from the likes of a young Harold Ballard.

The oldest current franchise in the league is the Hershey Bears who joined the league in 1938.

Eventually, the league settled on being home to the top farm clubs for the NHL. The league stayed rooted in the northeast. The farthest west the ever reached was St. Louis durign the 40's and 50's. Other notable franchises of that era were the Providence Reds, Indianapolis Capitals and Springfield Indians. The second oldest current franchise, the Rochester Americans, joined the league for the 1956-57 season, primarily as a replacement team for the Pittsburgh Hornets who suspended operations pending construction of a new arena.

The AHL returned to its roots when it added the Quebec Aces for the 1959-60 season (Quebec had a franchise in the Can-Am League). The AHL has had at least one Canadian team in the league ever since. The league remained very stable up until NHL expansion. Several communities moved up to the NHL ranks. Also, the growth in the NHL created a need for more farm teams. By 1972, the AHL had grown to a 12-team league.

Many of the new franchises were not successful. Teams such as the Boston Braves, Cincinnati Swords, Syracuse Eagles, Richmond Robins, Jacksonville Barons and Virginia Wings all had short existences. With travel costs becoming less of a factor, the NHL began turning to rival leagues such as the CHL, IHL, WHL and NAHL (formerly EHL) to set up farm teams. The bottom was hit in 1976-77 when the AHL had just 6 teams.

The AHL's fortunes improved when local rivals the NAHL and SHL folded after the 1976-77 season. The AHL quickly grew to 9 teams, taking 2 teams from teh NAHL and 1 from the SHL. The league grew to 10 when it added the Adirondack Red Wings for the 1979-80 season. It continued to expand into Canada with franchises in Moncton and Halifax. Fredriction joined the league in 1981 and Sherbrooke and St. Catharines followed the next season.

The league remained stable at 13 teams for several years before adding the Utica Devils in 1987. It did not add its 15th team, the Capitol District Islanders, until the 1990-91 season. Providence rejoined the league as the 16th team in 1992. The league grew to 18 teams when it expanded back into Baltimore with the Bandits and took in the Carolina Monarchs from the ECHL in 1995. Two Canadian teams, the Cornwall Aces and PEI Senators, disappeared at the end of the 1995-96 season and were replaced by the Philadelphia Phantoms and Kentucky Thoroughblades.

The league continues to have strong Canadian representation with teh Hamilton Bulldogs, St. Johns Maple Leafs and St. John Flames. The league continues on its path of stable growth adding several new teams in recent years. It also won out in its battle with the IHL for minor hockey supremacy taking in its strongest franchises in 2001.