All American Hockey League |
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| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| No. of teams | 2 |
| Country(ies) | United States |
| Most recent champion(s) | Battle Creek Revolution |
| Official website | aahlhockey.com |
The All American Hockey League (AAHL) was a lower level professional ice hockey league with teams in the Midwestern United States. After finishing the 2010-2011 season with only two remaining teams after starting with five, on June 16, 2011 the league announced it will suspend its operations for the 2011-2012 season on. [1]
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Over the course of the league's history, various All American Hockey League teams have had affiliations with the ECHL (higher affiliate), IHL (higher affiliate), CHL (higher affiliate), and Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League (lower affiliate).
The All American Hockey League was formed in 2008 as the All American Hockey Association when the Battle Creek Revolution and South Shore Shooters (later the Chi-Town Shooters) of the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League banded together with the Evansville IceMen and Motor City Gamblers (later the Detroit Dragons) of the Midwest Hockey League.
The Detroit Dragons folded mid-season, with the Chicago Blaze joining weeks later to fill the void. (The Blaze were originally going to be an expansion franchise for the 2009-10 season.)
On April 5, 2009, the Chi-Town Shooters became the first team to win the Champions Cup by defeating the Battle Creek Revolution in the Best-of-5 championship series.
On April 14, 2009, the AAHA Board of Directors announced a reorganization from a Association format to a League format. This resulted in the All American Hockey Association being renamed the All American Hockey League.[2]
On August 10, 2009, the AAHL announced a merger with the still-unlaunched Midwest Hockey League, absorbing the MWHL's Madison Ice Muskies as well as key MWHL personnel. The merged leagues continued under the AAHL name.[3]
During the season, the Madison Ice Muskies and Chicago Blaze ceased operations due to financial problems. Also, the expansion Detroit Hitmen moved west to Muskegon, Michigan mid-season, and were re-christened as the West Michigan Blizzard.
On April 15, 2010, the Evansville IceMen won the AAHL's Rod Davidson Cup (originally "Champions Cup" during the inaugural AAHA season) by beating the West Michigan Blizzard 4-games-to-1.
In June 2010 the IceMen suspended operation.
In August 2010, it was announced that the Madison Ice Muskies would be reinstated in the AAHL.[4]
In August 2010, it was also announced that the Queen City Storm were approved for membership in the AAHL as a expansion team.[5]
The Chi-Town Shooters left the league in August 2010 with plans to join a junior hockey league for the 2011-12 season.[6]
In August 2010, the AAHL granted an expansion team to Lapeer, Michigan. A contest decided that Lapeer's team would be named the Lapeer Loggers.[7]
On August 31, 2010, the Troy Bruins were officially announced as the sixth expansion team in the 2010-2011 All American Hockey League season.[8]
In September 2010, the West Michigan Blizzard relocated to Dyer, Indiana and was renamed the Indiana Blizzard.[9]
On October 27, 2010, the Madison Ice Huskies moved to Wooster, Ohio, and became the Wooster Korn Kings.[10] On November 17, 2010, the Korn Kings were taken over by the league and ceased all operations.[11]
On December 29, 2010, it was announced that the Indiana Blizzard were ceasing operations and the Chi-Town Shooters were returning for the remainder of the season, taking over all the Blizzard's players, as well as their current record. Despite keeping the "Chi-Town" monkier, they are based in Dyer, Indiana, instead of Chicago.[12]
On January 3, 2011 the Lapeer Loggers were taken over by the league.[13] Within days, the Bruins and Storm both ceased operations. Players from these three teams were brought together under the name Michigan Moose. The Moose, coached by AAHL commissioner Rod Davidson, are based in Battle Creek and play their home games in Revolution Arena (the same arena as the rival Battle Creek Revolution).[14] In February 2011, the Moose ceased operation. In March 2011, the Battle Creek Revolution won their first Rod Davidson Cup.
The Rod Davidson Cup is awarded to the annual playoff champion. It was known as the "Champions Cup" during the inaugural AAHA season, with the name change coming during the league's first season operating as the AAHL.
The past winners are:
On February 14, 2009, Kira Hurley of the Evansville IceMen became the first female goalie to register a point in a men's professional game. Because of this achievement, Kira is featured in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Kira's game memorabilia (goalie stick and game-worn jersey) is on permanent display in the minor league section of the Hockey Hall of Fame, along with the official scoresheet from the historic game.[15]
| Award | Description | 2009/2010 holder |
|---|---|---|
| Coach of the Year | Awarded to the league's best coach | Bob Clouston Battle Creek Revolution |
| Executive of the Year | Awarded to the league's best executive | Bill and Sandy Vitale West Michigan Blizzard |
| Officiating Staff Member of the Year | Awarded to the league's best Officiating Staff Member | Ryan Harrison |
| Equipment Manager of the Year | Awarded to the league's best Equipment Manager | Jeremy "JBone" Holloway West Michigan Blizzard |
| League MVP | Awarded to the league's Most Valuable Player | Cameron Sault West Michigan Blizzard |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Awarded to the league's best defensive player | Rob Schweyer Battle Creek Revolution |
| Goaltender of the Year | Awarded to the league's best goaltender | John Dorman Evansville IceMen |
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