Buffalo Bisons (American Hockey League)
| Buffalo Bisons | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| City | Buffalo, NY |
| League | American Hockey League |
| Operated | 1940–1970 |
| Home arena | Memorial Auditorium |
| Colors | Red, white, blue |
| Affiliates |
Montreal Canadiens Chicago Black Hawks New York Rangers |
| Franchise history | |
| 1926–1930 | Hamilton Tigers (CPHL) |
| 1930–1940 | Syracuse Stars |
| 1940–1970 | Buffalo Bisons |
| 1971–1974 | Cincinnati Swords |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles |
5 (1945–46, 1953–54, 1958–59, 1962–63, 1968–69) |
| Division Championships | 8 (1942–43, 1944–45, 1945–46, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1962–63, 1968–69, 1969–70) |
| Calder Cups |
5 (1942–43, 1943–44, 1945–46, 1962–63, 1969–70) |
The Buffalo Bisons were an American Hockey League ice hockey franchise that played from 1940 to 1970 in Buffalo, New York. They replaced the original Buffalo Bisons hockey team, which left the area in 1936 after its arena collapsed. They were the first professional hockey team to play their games in the Buffalo city proper; the previous team had played across the border at an arena in Fort Erie, Ontario.
The Bisons played at the newly constructed Memorial Auditorium, and at various times had affiliations with the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers. The team was brought to Buffalo from Syracuse by Louis M. Jacobs, then owner of the buffalo based Jacob's Concessions and the father of Jeremy Jacobs the current owner of the Boston Bruins.
The team's unusual logo stems from the Bisons being purchased in 1956 by the owner of the local franchise of Pepsi-Cola, who changed the team's colors and logo to reflect the soft drink company; the Bisons retained the logo for the rest of their existence.
They were Calder Cup champions in 1943, 1944, 1946, 1963 and 1970, and runners-up in 1948, 1951, 1955, 1959 and 1962.
The team ceased operations after the 1969–70 season due to the awarding of a National Hockey League expansion team, the Buffalo Sabres, to begin play in 1970–71. Like the Pittsburgh Hornets three years earlier (also shut down because of NHL expansion), the Bisons closed out their existence with one final championship.
Goaltender Roger Crozier had the unusual distinction of playing for both the Bisons and the Sabres. He played eight games for the former and eight years for the latter. Broadcaster Rick Jeanneret also called several games during the Bisons' final season and moved into a similar role with the Sabres in 1971.
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