Rochester Americans
| Rochester Americans | |
|---|---|
 2016–17 AHL season
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| City | Rochester, New York |
| League | American Hockey League |
| Conference | Eastern |
| Division | North |
| Founded | 1956 |
| Home arena |
Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial KeyBank Center (select games) |
| Colors | Blue, Red, White |
| Owner(s) | Terry Pegula |
| General manager | Tim Murray |
| Head coach | Dan Lambert |
| Media |
ESPN Rochester MSG Western New York Democrat and Chronicle |
| Affiliates |
Buffalo Sabres (NHL) Elmira Jackals (ECHL) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1956–present | Rochester Americans |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 6 (1964–65, 1967–68, 1973–74, 1982–83, 1990–91, 2004–05) |
| Division Championships | 14 (1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1973–74, 1977–78, 1982–83, 1986–87, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2004–05) |
| Conference Championships | 3 (1995–96, 1998–99, 1999–00) |
| Calder Cups | 6 (1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1982–83, 1986–87, 1995–96) |
The Rochester Americans (colloquially the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned-and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial. The Americans are the fourth-oldest franchise in the AHL, and have the second-longest continuous tenure among AHL teams in their current locations. They celebrated their 60th anniversary in the 2015–16 season.
Rochester was awarded a new franchise in June 1956, when the Pittsburgh Hornets were forced to suspend operations after their arena, the Duquesne Gardens was razed in an urban renewal project. With the Hornets franchise in limbo until a new arena could be built, there was room in the league for a team in Rochester.
The Americans' team colors are red, white and blue. The logo is a patriotic badge with "Americans" written in cursive script. The Americans have played for the Calder Cup 16 times. They have won six Cups: in 1965, 1966, 1968, 1983, 1987 and 1996. They have lost in the finals ten times: in 1957, 1960, 1967, 1977, 1984, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1999 and 2000.
Hockey was popular in Rochester, a city known for its cold weather, as far back as the 1920s; the University of Rochester had a collegiate hockey team as early as 1906, and even at that time, East High School had already developed a successful program. Professional hockey arrived in 1935 in the form of the Rochester Cardinals, a member of the International Hockey League. The Cardinals, who played at Edgerton Park Arena, lasted only one season, compiling a 15–29–3 record and a host of financial difficulties.
In the early 1950s, with the Rochester Community War Memorial under construction, Montreal Canadiens manager Frank Selke promised an American Hockey League team to Rochester at some point in the future, with 1956 one target year that was mentioned. Demonstrative of the support for hockey in Rochester, 7,092 fans turned out for a game between the AHL Buffalo Bisons and the NHL Montreal Canadiens on November 21, 1955; the game ended in a 5–5 tie and sold out five days beforehand. When 60-year-old Duquesne Gardens in Pittsburgh was scheduled for demolition in 1956, it left the Pittsburgh Hornets without an arena and forced them to go idle, freeing up room in the AHL for a Rochester team.
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