Springfield Thunderbirds
The Springfield Thunderbirds are an American professional ice hockey team. They began playing in 2016. The team plays in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play their home games in Springfield, Massachusetts at the MassMutual Center. They are the AHL affiliate for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (AHL).
| Springfield Thunderbirds | |
|---|---|
| City | Springfield, Massachusetts |
| League | American Hockey League |
| Conference | Eastern |
| Division | Atlantic |
| Founded | 1975 (In the NAHL) |
| Home arena | MassMutual Center |
| Colours | Red, navy blue, sky blue, white, gold |
| General manager | Kevin Maxwell |
| Head coach | Daniel Tkaczuk (interim) |
| Affiliate | St. Louis Blues (NHL) |
| Website | Official website |
| Franchise history | |
| 1975–1982 | Erie Blades |
| 1982–1993 | Baltimore Skipjacks |
| 1993–2016 | Portland Pirates |
| 2016–present | Springfield Thunderbirds |
| Championships | |
| Conference titles | 1 (2021–22) |
| Current uniform | |
 | |
The team originally played in Portland, Maine as the Portland Pirates from 1993 to 2016. On May 4, 2016, the Pirates announced that we're going to sell the team to announced from outside of Portland.[1] The team would be bought by Springfield Hockey, LLC. and would be relocated to Springfield, Massachusetts before the 2016—17 season.[2]
During the relocation, the Thunderbirds would keep the affiliation with the Florida Panthers. The deal would last until 2020. On March 6, 2020, the team announced that they were going to become the AHL affiliate to the then-recent Stanley Cup winning St. Louis Blues for five years.[3]
In the 2021–22 season, the Thunderbirds would win the Eastern Conference championship and would make it to the Calder Cup finals but would lose to the Chicago Wolves four games to one.[4]
References
change- ↑ "Portland blindsided by Pirates' plan to leave for Springfield after 23 seasons in Maine". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ↑ "Springfield investors step up to save hockey for city". The Republican. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ↑ "T-Birds Announce Five-Year Affiliation Agreement With Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues". American Hockey League. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ↑ "Wolves Top T-Birds, Capture Calder Cup". Springfield Thunderbirds. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
Other websites
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