Milwaukee Admirals

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Milwaukee Admirals
2021–22 AHL season
Milwaukee Admirals logo.svg
CityMilwaukee, Wisconsin
LeagueAmerican Hockey League
ConferenceWestern
DivisionCentral
Founded1970 (As an amateur team)
Home arenaUW–Milwaukee Panther Arena
Colors       
Owner(s)Group headed by
Harris Turer
General managerScott Nichol
Head coachKarl Taylor
MediaWVTV-DT2 “My 24”
The Big 920 (primary)
97.3 The Game (occasional simulcast)
News/Talk 1130 WISN (alternate)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
AHL.TV (Internet)
AffiliatesNashville Predators (NHL)
Florida Everblades (ECHL)
Franchise history
1970 (amateur)Milwaukee Wings
1970–presentMilwaukee Admirals
Championships
Regular season titles2 AHL (2003–04, 2019–20)
Division Championships1 USHL (1976–77)
4 IHL (1982–83, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96)
6 AHL (2003–04, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2015–16, 2019–20)
Conference Championships2 (2003–04),(2005–06)
Calder Cups1 (2003–04)
Playoff championships1 USHL title (1975–76)

The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panther Arena. They have been affiliated with the NHL's Nashville Predators since that team's founding in 1998.[1]

History[]

The Admirals first took to the ice in the winter of 1970 as an amateur club known as the Milwaukee Wings. Sponsored by the Milwaukee Citizens Benefit Association, they lost their first game on January 25 when the Madison All-Stars beat them 17–7.[2][3] They got their first win five days later when they defeated the Milwaukee Winter Club 10–8.[4] They finished the season with 7 wins and 7 loses.[5]

The next year the team was sold by the original owner Reed Fansher to a group of investors. One of the investors, Erwin J. Merar, owned an appliance store. The team was renamed the "Admirals" after a brand of household appliances sold in Merar's store.[6]

Beginning with the 1973–74 season the Admirals joined the United States Hockey League. Their first season in a league was not particularly successful as they ended the season in last place in their division. They won only 11 games, lost 35, and tied two games that season.[citation needed]

The Admirals won the USHL league championship in 1976, winning seven straight games in the league's playoffs. In the off-season, the team was purchased by former Chicago Blackhawks announcer Lloyd Pettit and his wife, Jane Bradley Pettit.[citation needed]

For the 1977–78 season the Admirals joined the International Hockey League as the USHL was becoming a strictly amateur league. The Admirals appeared in the IHL's Turner Cup finals only once (1983), where they lost to Toledo in six games.[citation needed]

They stayed a part of the IHL until it joined the American Hockey League for the 2001–02[7] season when the IHL ceased operations. Five other IHL franchises also joined the AHL that season. The team was allowed to keep their nickname despite the presence of the Norfolk Admirals in the AHL, as Milwaukee has had the nickname since 1970, well before the Norfolk team was established as the Hampton Roads Admirals in the ECHL. In the 2015–16 season, Norfolk moved to the AHL's Pacific Division as the fourth incarnation of the San Diego Gulls.

2003-04 Admirals with the Calder Cup

They won their first Calder Cup in 2004 when they defeated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Prior to the finals, Milwaukee needed seven games to defeat the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks in the first round. Then the Admirals defeated the Chicago Wolves in six games to advance to the conference finals. The Admirals then eliminated the Rochester Americans four games to one. Milwaukee went on to sweep the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to win the Calder Cup. The Admirals completed a rare postseason run in which they needed one fewer game to eliminate their opponents in each subsequent series.[8]

The Admirals were purchased in June 2005 by a group of investors, led by Harris J. Turer, including Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, assistant general manager Gord Ash, and pitcher Ben Sheets. The Brewers subsequently became the sole uniform sponsor of the Admirals, and the Admirals wear a Brewers logo patch on their sweaters.[citation needed]

The Admirals won their second division title as a member of the American Hockey League in 2006, clinching the title on the last day of their schedule with a win over the Grand Rapids Griffins.[9]

In the 2006 Calder Cup playoffs after narrowly winning a seven-game playoff series over the Iowa Stars, Milwaukee swept both the Houston Aeros and Grand Rapids Griffins to advance to their second Calder Cup final series. To their disappointment, the Admirals would lose 4–2 to the Hershey Bears.[10]

On August 1, 2006, the Admirals unveiled a new logo and a change in color scheme from the traditional red-and-blue to black, white, and light blue.[11] They used this logo until 2015, when the Admirals unveiled another new logo, keeping the Lake Michigan blue from 2006, but replaced black with navy blue. Also, the skeleton motif was kept with the hat that adorns the skeleton's head as a callback to the Admirals logos used from 1976 to 1997.[12] This logo received very positive reviews, resulting in it becoming SportsLogos.net's 2015 Best New Primary Logo of the Year.[13]

On March 16, 2016, Milwaukee Admirals owner/CEO Harris Turer along with Wisconsin Center District (WCD) announced that the Admirals signed a 10-year contract, bringing the Admirals to the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panther Arena for the 2016-17 AHL season.[14] This 10-year contract also results in a $6.4 million investment to bring the arena up to AHL standards with the Admirals contributing two million and the rest being supplied by the Wisconsin Center District.[15]

The team won its second regular season championship in the 2019–20 season, which was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the ongoing restrictions during the pandemic, the Admirals were one of three teams that opted out of the 2020–21 AHL season.[16]

NHL affiliation[]

The Admirals have been the top-level affiliate of the Nashville Predators since that team's founding in 1998. On February 22, 2010, the clubs signed a new agreement that extended that relationship through the 2011–12 season with a mutual option for 2012–13.[17]

"I like to say that for our players, the road to Nashville runs through Milwaukee and a look at our roster illustrates this. (T)his is the kind of environment that we want our prospects to develop in."

— Nashville General Manager David Poile

Coincidentally, the two cities' baseball franchises shared a reverse affiliation, as the Nashville Sounds were the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers from 2005 to 2014, with the affiliation planned to be renewed starting in 2021.

During the 2006–07 season, the Admirals were also part of an unusual affiliation agreement with the Edmonton Oilers, who used five partial affiliates in the AHL for the 2006–07 season. These five affiliates included the Milwaukee Admirals, the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Iowa Stars, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and the Hamilton Bulldogs. This arrangement lasted one season, as the Oilers announced a three-year affiliation with the Springfield Falcons on March 19, 2007.

Season-by-season results[]

  • Milwaukee Wings 1970 (independent)[18]
  • Milwaukee Admirals 1970–1973 (independent)[19]
  • Milwaukee Admirals 1973–1977 (United States Hockey League)[20][21][22][23][24]
  • Milwaukee Admirals 1977–2001 (International Hockey League)
  • Milwaukee Admirals 2001–present (American Hockey League)

Legend:  —  – round did not exist at the time

Regular season Playoffs
Season Games Won Lost Tied OTL SOL Points PCT Goals
for 		Goals
against 		Standing Year Qualifying 1st round
Opening Round 		2nd round
Quarterfinals 		3rd round
Semifinals 		Finals
1970 15 8 7 0 — — 16 .533 — —
1970–71 22 14 7 1 — — 29 .659 — —
1971–72 24 11 12 1 — — 23 .479 167 117 — —
1972–73 32 26 5 1 — — 53 .828 228 145 — —
48 11 35 2 — — 24 .250 192 318 5th, Southern 1974 — Did not qualify
48 18 30 0 — — 36 .375 241 288 3rd, Southern 1975 — Did not qualify
48 23 25 0 — — 46 .479 279 270 3rd, Southern 1976 — W, 2–0, SC W, 2–0, W, 3–0, GB
48 23 23 2 — — 48 .500 231 241 1st, Southern 1977 — W, 2–0–2, GB L, 1–2–3,
1977–78 80 27 38 15 — — 69 .431 257 299 3rd, South 1978 — L, 1–4, TOL — —
1978–79 80 21 48 11 — — 53 .331 260 391 4th, South 1979 — L, 3–4, GRO — —
1979–80 80 29 41 10 — — 68 .425 327 402 3rd, South 1980 — L, 0–4, SAG — —
1980–81 82 32 35 15 — — 79 .482 354 371 3rd, West 1981 — L, 3–4, FWK — —
1981–82 82 41 34 7 — — 91 .543 385 351 2nd, IHL 1982 — L, 1–4, SAG — —
1982–83 82 43 30 9 — — 98 .579 407 312 1st, West 1983 — BYE W, 4–1, KAL L, 2–4, TOL
1983–84 82 46 27 6 3 — 101 .616 403 335 2nd, IHL 1984 — BYE L, 0–4, FLI —
1984–85 82 25 47 5 5 — 60 .366 292 389 5th, West 1985 — Did not qualify
1985–86 82 48 28 1 5 — 102 .622 368 306 2nd, West 1986 — L, 1–4, PEO — —
1986–87 82 41 37 — 2 2 86 .524 342 358 3rd, West 1987 — L, 2–4, SLC — —
1987–88 82 21 54 0 7 — 49 .299 288 430 4th, West 1988 — Did not qualify
1988–89 82 54 23 0 5 — 113 .689 399 323 2nd, West 1989 — W, 4–2, KAL L, 1–4, SLC —
1989–90 82 36 39 0 7 — 79 .482 316 370 3rd, West 1990 — L, 2–4, SLC — —
1990–91 82 36 43 — 3 0 75 .457 275 316 4th, West 1991 — L, 2–4, PEO — —
1991–92 82 38 36 — 5 3 84 .512 306 309 3rd, East 1992 — L, 1–4, MUS — —
1992–93 82 49 23 — 3 7 108 .659 329 280 1st, Midwest 1993 — L, 2–4, KC — —
1993–94 81 40 24 — 17 0 97 .599 338 302 2nd, Midwest 1994 — L, 0–4, ATL — —
1994–95 81 44 27 0 10 — 98 .605 317 298 1st, Central 1995 — W, 3–2, SD L, 1–4, LV — —
1995–96 82 40 32 — — 10 90 .549 290 307 1st, Midwest 1996 — L, 1–3, PEO — — —
1996–97 82 38 36 — — 8 84 .512 253 298 4th, Midwest 1997 — L, 0–3, LB — — —
1997–98 82 43 34 — — 5 91 .555 267 262 3rd, Midwest 1998 — W, 3–1, HOU L, 4–2, CHI — —
1998–99 82 38 28 — — 16 92 .561 254 265 4th, Midwest 1999 — L, 0–2, MTB — — —
1999–00 82 37 36 — — 9 83 .506 222 246 5th, Eastern 2000 — L, 1–2, CLE — — —
2000–01 82 42 33 — — 7 91 .555 244 217 5th, Eastern 2001 — Did not qualify
2001–02 80 30 35 10 5 — 75 .469 198 207 5th, West 2002 Did not qualify
2002–03 80 32 27 14 7 — 85 .531 247 251 4th, West 2003 W, 2–1, RCH L, 0–3, HOU — — —
2003–04 80 46 24 7 3 — 102 .638 269 191 1st, West 2004 BYE W, 4–3, CIN W, 4–2, CHI W, 4–1, RCH W, 4–0, WBS
2004–05 80 47 24 — 4 5 103 .644 247 207 2nd, West 2005 — L, 3–4, CIN — — —
2005–06 80 49 21 — 6 4 108 .675 268 234 1st, West 2006 — W, 4–3, IWA W, 4–0, HOU W, 4–0, GRG L, 2–4, HER
2006–07 80 41 25 — 4 10 96 .600 227 230 3rd, West 2007 — L, 0–4, CHI — — —
2007–08 80 44 29 — 4 3 95 .594 231 212 4th, West 2008 — L, 2–4, CHI — — —
2008–09 80 49 22 — 3 6 107 .669 229 195 1st, West 2009 — W, 4–0, RCK L, 3–4, HOU — —
2009–10 80 41 30 — 2 7 91 .569 237 220 4th, West 2010 — L, 3–4, CHI — — —
2010–11 80 44 22 — 6 8 102 .638 226 194 1st, West 2011 — W, 4–2, TEX L, 3–4, HOU — —
2011–12 76 40 29 — 2 5 87 .572 210 190 2nd, Midwest 2012 — L, 0–3, ABB — — —
2012–13 76 41 28 — 4 3 89 .586 197 200 2nd, Midwest 2013 — L, 1–3, TEX — — —
2013–14 76 39 24 — 6 7 91 .599 215 199 3rd, Midwest 2014 — L, 0–3, TOR — — —
2014–15 76 33 28 — 8 7 81 .533 206 218 5th, Midwest 2015 — Did not qualify
2015–16 76 48 23 — 3 2 101 .664 224 193 1st, Central 2016 — L, 0–3, GR — — —
2016–17 76 43 26 — 4 3 95 .612 225 215 3rd, Central 2017 — L, 0–3, GR — — —
2017–18 76 38 32 — 4 2 82 .539 216 235 6th, Central 2018 — Did not qualify
2018–19 76 36 24 — 14 2 88 .579 217 207 2nd, Central 2019 — L, 2–3, IA — — —
2019–20 61 41 14 — 5 3 90 .714 211 141 1st, Central 2020 — Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 Did not participate due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021 Did not participate

Players[]

Current roster[]

Updated September 7, 2021.[25][26]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
– United States C R 25 2021 North Reading, Massachusetts Admirals
– United States G L 28 2021 Amherst, New York Admirals
49 Canada Josh Healey D L 27 2021 Edmonton, Alberta Admirals
– United States Joseph LaBate C L 28 2021 Eagan, Minnesota Admirals
– United States C L 27 2021 Baxter, Minnesota Admirals
– United States D L 25 2021 Hinsdale, Illinois Admirals
25 United States Cole Schneider LW L 31 2021 Williamsville, New York Admirals
– United States RW R 22 2021 Naples, Florida Admirals

Team captains[]

  • Neil Meadmore, 1987–88
  • Peter Bakovic, 1988–1991
  • Gino Cavallini, 1994–1996
  • Tony Hrkac, 1996–97
  • Jeff Nelson, 1997–1999
  • Marc Moro, 1999–2001
  • Andy Berenzweig, 2002–03
  • Ray Schultz, 2003–04
  • Tony Hrkac, 2004–05
  • Greg Zanon, 2005–06
  • Sheldon Brookbank, 2006–07
  • Alex Henry, 2007–08
  • Nolan Yonkman, 2008–2010
  • Brett Palin, 2010–11
  • Scott Ford, 2011–12, 2013–14
  • Mike Moore, 2012–13
  • Joe Piskula, 2014–15
  • Colton Sissons, 2015–16
  • Trevor Smith, 2016–2018
  • Jarred Tinordi, 2018–2020

Retired numbers[]

Milwaukee Admirals retired numbers
No. Player Position Career No. retirement
9 Phil Wittliff C 1973–1977 April 3, 1977[27]
14 Fred Berry C 1980–1984, 1985–1987 December 27, 2003[28]
14 Mike McNeill C 1992–1998 December 27, 2003 [28]
20 Darren Haydar RW 2002–2006 February 21, 2020[29]
26 Tony Hrkac C 1994–1997, 2003–2005 March 14, 2008[30]
27 Danny Lecours LW 1975–1984, 1985–1986 January 4, 1987[31]
44 Kevin Willison D 1981–1984, 1985–1986 February 28, 2004[32]
44 Gino Cavallini C 1993–1996 February 28, 2004[32]

Notable alumni[]

  • Gary Agnew
  • Shawn Antoski
  • Sheldon Brookbank
  • Wade Brookbank
  • Marc Crawford
  • Jeff Daniels
  • Scott Darling
  • Peter DeBoer
  • Martin Erat
  • Kelly Fairchild
  • Filip Forsberg
  • Blake Geoffrion
  • Don Gibson
  • Adam Hall
  • Dan Hamhuis
  • Patric Hornqvist
  • Roman Josi
  • Claude Julien
  • David Legwand
  • Bob Mason
  • Chris Mason
  • Cal O'Reilly
  • Gino Odjick
  • Darren Pang
  • Pete Peeters
  • Rich Peverley
  • Yves Preston
  • Alexander Radulov
  • Pekka Rinne
  • Ken Sabourin
  • Mike Santorelli
  • Buzz Schneider
  • Ronnie Stern
  • Ryan Suter
  • Jordin Tootoo
  • Kimmo Timonen
  • Steve Tuttle
  • Scottie Upshall
  • Tomas Vokoun
  • Shea Weber
  • Colin Wilson
  • Dale Yakiwchuk

Team records[]

Single season
Goals: Danny Lecours, 75, (1982–83)
Assists: Dale Yakiwchuk, 100, (1982–83)
Points: Dale Yakiwchuk, 138, (1982–83)
Penalty minutes: Don Gibson, 381, (1992–93)
GAA: Connor Ingram, 1.92, (2019–20)
SV%: Connor Ingram, .933, (2019–20)
Career
Career goals: Danny Lecours, 445
Career assists: Fred Berry, 379
Career points: Danny Lecours, 814
Career penalty minutes: Ken Sabourin, 1233
Career goaltending wins: Rich Sirois, 119
Career shutouts: Brian Finley, 11
Career games: Danny Lecours, 641

References[]

  1. ^ "Nashville Predators renew affiliation with the Cincinnati Cyclones". predators.nhl.com. Retrieved 2016-03-28.
  2. ^ "Local Skaters Lose In Debut". Milwaukee Journal, via NewsBank: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Historical Newspapers. 25 January 1970. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Milwaukee Teams To Meet In Milwaukee". Milwaukee Journal, via NewsBank: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Historical Newspapers. 30 January 1970. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Wings Win". Milwaukee Journal, via NewsBank: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Historical Newspapers. 01 February 1970. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Wings Even Record With 6-5 Victory". Milwaukee Journal, via NewsBank: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Historical Newspapers. 12 April 1970. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  6. ^ http://news.sportslogos.net/2019/11/22/milwaukee-admirals-celebrate-refrigerators-with-50th-season-logo/
  7. ^ "Milwaukee Admirals hockey team [AHL] statistics and history at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved 2016-03-28.
  8. ^ "Calder Cup Champions - Players | AHL". theahl.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-27. Retrieved 2016-03-28.
  9. ^ "Milwaukee Admirals". www.milwaukeeadmirals.com. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  10. ^ "2006 AHL PLAYOFFS". Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  11. ^ "Milwaukee Admirals". www.milwaukeeadmirals.com. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  12. ^ Creamer, Chris (15 July 2015). "Fear This: Admirals Evolve, Unveil New Logos and Uniforms". SportsLogos.Net.
  13. ^ Creamer, Chris (16 December 2015). "2015 Logo of the Year Awards: The Best New Sports Logos of the Year". SportsLogos.Net.
  14. ^ "Admirals to move to UWM Panther Arena | AHL". theahl.com. Retrieved 2016-03-28.
  15. ^ "Admirals improvements beginning at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena". Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  16. ^ "28 teams to participate in 2020-21 AHL season". AHL. January 4, 2021.
  17. ^ "Milwaukee, Nashville Extend Affiliation Agreement". Retrieved 2011-03-05.
  18. ^ "Admirals Open Season Sunday". Milwaukee Journal. 8 November 1970. Retrieved 16 April 2020 – via NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current.
  19. ^ "Admirals Regain Stars for Meet". Milwaukee Journal. 2 April 1972. Retrieved 16 April 2020 – via NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current.
  20. ^ Smith, Russ L. (25 March 1974). "Waterloo takes 8-game win streak to playoffs". Waterloo Courier. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Twins Split in Final Two Games". Green Bay Press-Gazette. 24 March 1975. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "6-5 Overtime Defeat Eliminates Sioux City". Sioux City Journal. 21 March 1976. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Admirals end Bays' season". Traverse City Record-Eagle. 29 March 1976. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Zima, Jim (10 April 1976). "Pominville Stops Bobcats' Title Bid". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "MilwaukeeAdmirals.com – Team Roster". Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  26. ^ "TheAHL.com -Milwaukee Admirals Roster". Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  27. ^ Karpowicz, Jerry (4 April 1977). "Admirals Give TV Lesson". Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved 18 September 2021 – via NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current.
  28. ^ Jump up to: a b Dettmann, Nick (28 December 2003). "Everything but the victory - Admirals honor greats, play to frustrating tie". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 18 September 2021 – via NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current.
  29. ^ "Darren Haydar: a man with two teams". Chicago Sun-Times. February 22, 2020.
  30. ^ "Big games on tap for Admirals". MilwaukeeAdmirals.com. March 12, 2008. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  31. ^ "'Mr. Admiral' receives his due". Milwaukee Journal. 5 January 1987. Retrieved 18 September 2021 – via NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current.
  32. ^ Jump up to: a b Gardner, Charles F. (26 February 2004). "Center bounces between Admirals, Predators". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 18 September 2021 – via NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current.

External links[]

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