Milwaukee Admirals
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| Milwaukee Admirals | |
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| Conference | Western Conference (AHL) |
| Division | West Division |
| Founded | 1970 as an amateur team |
| Arena | Bradley Center |
| City | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Team Colors | silver, black, and ice blue |
| Logo Design | A cartoon skull wearing an admiral's hat |
| Franchise History | Milwaukee Wings (1970) amateur Milwaukee Admirals (1973-77) (USHL) (1977-2001) (IHL) (2001- present) (AHL) |
| Local Media Affiliates | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |
| Owner | Group headed by Harris Turer |
| General Manager | |
| Head Coach | Claude Noel |
| Team Affiliations | Nashville Predators (NHL) Edmonton Oilers (Partial) (NHL) Rockford IceHogs (UHL) New Mexico Scorpions (CHL) |
| Regular Season Titles | 0 IHL 1 AHL (2003-04) |
| Division Championships | 4 IHL (1982-83, 1992-93, 1994-95, 1995-96) 2 AHL (2003-04, (2005-06) |
| Conference Championships | 1 (2003-04) |
| Calder Cups | 1 (2003-04) |
| Turner Cups | 0 Turner Cups 1 USHL title (1975-76) |
The Milwaukee Admirals are an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA at the Bradley Center. Their Slogan is "Never say die"
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[edit] History
The Admirals first took to the ice in the winter of 1970 as an amateur club known as the Milwaukee Wings. They lost their first game on January 25 when the Madison All-Stars beat them 17-7. They got their first win five days later when they defeated the Milwaukee Winter Club 10-8.
The next year the team was sold by the original owner Reed Fansher to a group of investors. One of the investors, Edwin J. Merar, owned an appliance store. The team was renamed the "Admirals" after a brand of refrigerators sold in Merar's store.
Beginning with the 1973–74 season the Admirals joined the newly formed 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 games, and tied 2 games that season.
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.
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.
They stayed a part of the IHL until it joined the American Hockey League for the 2001–02 season when the IHL ceased operations. Five other IHL franchises also joined the AHL that season.
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 then swept 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.
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.
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.
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.
On August 1, 2006, the Admirals unveiled their newest logo to the public at the Henry Maier Festival Park (also known as the Summerfest grounds). The logo came with a radical color change for the team, away from red and blue hues to one of black, white and light blue.
[edit] NHL Affiliation
The Admirals have been the top-level affiliate of the Nashville Predators since that team's founding in 1998. On February 15, 2007, the clubs signed a new agreement that will extend that relationship through the 2009-10 season.[1]
| “ | 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. | ” |
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— Nashville General Manager David Poile
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The Admirals are also part of an unusual affiliation agreement with the Edmonton Oilers. On September 1, 2006, the Oilers announced they would use five partial affiliates in the AHL beginning in the 2006-07 season. These five affiliates include the Milwaukee Admirals, the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Iowa Stars, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and the Hamilton Bulldogs. This decision came after the Oilers' primary affiliate, the Edmonton Roadrunners, suspended operations before the 2005-06 season.
[edit] Logos
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| logo during independent years |
1973-1977 | 1977-1981 logo, the first "Skating Sailor" |
1982-1998 | 1998-2006 | 2006-present |
[edit] Junior Admirals
On March 2, 2007, the Admirals announced a five-year partnership with Wisconsin AAA Hockey to sponsor the youth team, which will be known as the Milwaukee Junior Admirals. [2] The Junior Admirals will receive financial support, opportunities to play at the Bradley Center, and assistance with player development.
The Junior Admirals will compete against teams in other states and "promote the (Admirals') name and look throughout the country," according to Turer.
[edit] Year-by-year record
American Hockey League(New Rules)
| Year | GP | W | L | OL | SOL | GF | GA | PTS | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2005-06 | 80 | 49 | 21 | 4 | 4 | 268 | 234 | 108 | 1st, West | Lost in finals 4-2 |
American Hockey League
| Year | GP | W | L | T | OL | GF | GA | PTS | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2004-05 | 80 | 47 | 24 | 5 | 4 | 247 | 207 | 103 | 2nd, West | Lost in round 1 |
| 2003-04 | 80 | 46 | 24 | 7 | 3 | 269 | 191 | 102 | 1st, West | Won Calder Cup |
| 2002-03 | 80 | 43 | 25 | 8 | 4 | 276 | 237 | 98 | 4th, West | Lost in round 2 |
| 2001-02 | 80 | 37 | 31 | 7 | 5 | 250 | 236 | 86 | Last, West | Out of Playoffs |
International Hockey League
| Year | GP | W | L | T | OL | GF | GA | PTS | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2000-01 | 82 | 42 | 33 | - | 7 | 244 | 217 | 91 | 5th, Eastern | Lost in round 1 |
| 1999-00 | 82 | 37 | 36 | - | 9 | 222 | 246 | 83 | 5th, Eastern | Lost in round 1 |
| 1998-99 | 82 | 38 | 28 | - | 16 | 254 | 265 | 92 | Last, Midwest | Lost in round 1 |
| 1997-98 | 82 | 43 | 34 | - | 5 | 267 | 262 | 91 | 3rd, Northwest | Lost in round 2 |
| 1996-97 | 82 | 38 | 36 | - | 8 | 253 | 298 | 84 | 4th, Midwest | Lost in round 1 |
| 1995-96 | 82 | 40 | 32 | - | 10 | 290 | 307 | 90 | 1st, Midwest | Lost in round 1 |
| 1994-95 | 81 | 44 | 27 | - | 10 | 317 | 298 | 98 | 1st, Central | Lost in Semifinals |
| 1993-94 | 81 | 40 | 24 | - | 17 | 338 | 302 | 97 | 2nd, Midwest | Lost in round 1 |
| 1992-93 | 82 | 49 | 23 | - | 10 | 329 | 280 | 108 | 1st, Midwest | Lost in round 1 |
| 1991-92 | 82 | 38 | 36 | - | 8 | 306 | 309 | 84 | 3rd, East | Lost in round 1 |
| 1990-91 | 82 | 36 | 43 | - | 3 | 275 | 316 | 75 | 4th, West | Lost in round 1 |
| 1989-90 | 82 | 36 | 39 | - | 7 | 316 | 370 | 79 | 3rd, West | Lost in round 1 |
| 1988-89 | 82 | 54 | 23 | - | 5 | 399 | 323 | 113 | 2nd, West | Lost in Semifinals |
| 1987-88 | 82 | 21 | 54 | - | 7 | 288 | 430 | 49 | Last, West | Out of Playoffs |
| 1986-87 | 82 | 41 | 37 | 4 | 0 | 342 | 358 | 86 | 3rd, West | Lost in 1st Round |
| 1985-86 | 82 | 48 | 28 | 1 | 5 | 368 | 306 | 102 | 2nd, West | Lost in 1st Round |
| 1984-85 | 82 | 25 | 52 | 5 | - | 292 | 389 | 60 | Last, West | Out of Playoffs |
| 1983-84 | 82 | 46 | 30 | 6 | - | 403 | 335 | 101 | 2nd | Lost in Semifinals |
| 1982-83 | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | - | 407 | 312 | 98 | 1st, West | Lost in Finals |
| 1981-82 | 82 | 41 | 34 | 7 | - | 385 | 351 | 91 | 2nd | Lost in 1st Round |
| 1980-81 | 82 | 32 | 35 | 15 | - | 354 | 371 | 79 | 3rd, West | Lost in 1st Round |
| 1979-80 | 80 | 29 | 41 | 10 | - | 327 | 402 | 0 | 3rd, South | Lost in 1st Round |
| 1978-79 | 80 | 21 | 48 | 11 | - | 260 | 391 | 53 | Last, South | Lost in 1st Round |
| 1977-78 | 80 | 27 | 38 | 15 | - | 257 | 299 | 69 | 3rd, South | Lost in 1st Round |
United States Hockey League (semi-professional)
| Year | GP | W | L | T | OL | GF | GA | PTS | Finish | Playoffs |
| 1976-77 | 48 | 23 | 23 | 2 | - | 231 | 241 | 48 | 1st, Southern | Lost in finals |
| 1975-76 | 48 | 23 | 25 | 0 | - | 279 | 270 | 46 | 3rd, Southern | Won Championship |
| 1974-75 | 48 | 18 | 30 | 0 | - | 241 | 288 | 36 | 3rd, Southern | Out of playoffs |
| 1973-74 | 48 | 11 | 35 | 2 | - | 192 | 318 | 24 | 5th, Southern | Out of playoffs |
[edit] Team records
[edit] Single Season
- Goals: 75
Danny Lecours (1982-83) - Assists: 100 Dale Yakiwchuk (1982-83)
- Points: 138 Dale Yakiwchuk (1982-83)
- Penalty Minutes: 381 Don Gibson (1992-93)
- GAA: 2.18 Wade Flaherty (2003-04)
- SV%: .922 Wade Flaherty (2003-04)
[edit] Career
- Career Goals: 444 Danny Lecours
- Career Assists: 379 Fred Berry
- Career Points: 813 Danny Lecours
- Career Penalty Minutes: 1233 Ken Sabourin
- Career Goaltending Wins: 119 Rich Sirois
- Career Shutouts: 11 Brian Finley
- Career Games: 641 Danny Lecours
[edit] External links
- Milwaukee Admirals Official Website
- MilwaukeeHockey.com
- The Original Unofficial Milwaukee Admirals Website
- The Internet Hockey Database - Milwaukee Admirals (AHL)
- The Internet Hockey Database - Milwaukee Admirals (IHL)
- The Internet Hockey Database - Milwaukee Admirals (USHL)
- The Internet Hockey Database - Milwaukee Admirals (Independent)
- Milwaukee Admirals Blueliners Club
- Milwaukee Admirals Crew Booster Club
