AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE

Introduction:

The AHL or the American Hockey League based in North America is a professional ice hockey league. The development circuit in the primary stages of the National Hockey League is handled by the American Hockey League. The AHL has twenty nine active clubs. All the thirty teams of the National Hockey League have a joint or exclusive affiliation agreement with any one or maybe more clubs of the American Hockey League. The offices of the league are based in Massachusetts, Springfield. The current president of the American Hockey League is Mr. David Andrews. The headquarters of the league was situated in Massachusetts, West Springfield in the early years of the 1990s. The champion of the annual playoff of the American Hockey League is awarded with the Calder Cup. The defending champions of the Calder Cup are the Hamilton Bulldogs. This was the first incidence of the Bulldogs team of competing in the Calder Cup.

Growth of the AHL:

The American Hockey League enjoyed consistent success in financial stability in the initial three decades of its existence. After this, there was a tremendous rise in the costs of running the game of hockey. The American Hockey League faced the danger of folding off altogether on account of this trend. But, it was saved on account of events in the late days of the year 1977. The first of the events was the decision taken by the Philadelphia Fliers of returning to the league. The second event was the eventual break down of the North American Hockey League.