How the AH Contest was created and developed
The Professional Contest – AHL – is a proficient federation, second only to the National. The AHL is considered a subsidiary of the NHL. Many sports spectators and fans often wonder how, when, and why it was created. The history of formation is quite fascinating and long. Let’s dive into this moment together.
It all started in the distant 1930s
The 1930s decisions in Cleveland changed the course of the genesis of the sport. The assembly was devoted to the negotiations between two organizations – the famous institution International Canadian-American Contest. After the Cleveland decision, the organizers announced the formation of a new group.
The group was newly called International AHL. The participants began to play in the same autumn in October. Initially, two divisions were created – East and West.
The Eastern Department received crews from Cleveland, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo, while the Western Department received crews from Springfield, Providence, New Haven, and Philadelphia. The department-elected heads were Maurice Podoloff and John D. Cheek, respectively.
What was remembered for the next decade of the 1940s
Providence won the Calder Cup in 1940, at the turn of the decade. It is this award – the Calder Cup – that is the leading award of the hockey League to this day. At the beginning of the hockey season of the new decade, the organizers decided to remove the word International from the title. The name has taken the traditional form of today – AHL.
An interesting fact is that in subsequent years, the Calder Cup was won by completely different crews in turn – Springfield, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. In the 1940s, the institution organized the Game for All-Star. The main purpose of the Match was to raise funds for the military needs of the country during the Second World War.
In 1945, the AHL acquired a new hockey club – the St. Louis Flyers. It was the St. Louis Flyers who set the first League record for the number of spectators – more than 13 thousand spectators in the first sports event.
The season was rich in primarily records – Johnny Holota of the Cleveland Barons became the winning athlete in the AHL experience to achieve 50 goals.
And in 1949, the Buffalo Bisons set the record for the highest scoring in one match. Then the club played with Philadelphia.
The 1950s-1990s season was remembered for impressive events
During these hockey seasons, the Calder Cup also went to different clubs – the Cleveland Barons, the Mohawks, King Clancy, the Pittsburgh Hornets, and the Hershey Bears. And in the 1953-1954 season, George Sullivan sold 90 passes – this was the first and last record in this area.
The record is held until 2022 – no one could surpass the athlete. In 1954, the All-Star Contest was held again. This time the reason for the event was the need to fundraise for an emergency player fund. The Springfield Indians became the winning hockey club to triumph in the Calder Cup 3 times in a row. With this action, the club opened a new decade.
In the late 70s, the NHL began to actively expand and new branches began to appear in the league.
Until the 2000s, there were many variable Cup winners and owners
We would like to consider these years separately in detail in the context of the winners.
| Season | Club |
| 1990-1991 | Springfield Indians |
| 1991-1992 | Adirondack Red Wings |
| 1992-1993 | Cape Breton Oilers |
| 1993-1994 | Portland Pirates |
| 1994-1995 | Albany Riva Rats |
| 1995-1996 | Rochester Americans |
| 1996-1997 | Hershey Bars |
| 1997-1998 | Philadelphia Phantoms |
| 1998-1999 | Providence Bruins |
| 1999-2000 | Hartford Wolf Pack |
2020s showcase modern sports trend
American Hockey League teams are preparing for the Cup playoffs. Due to the sudden outbreak of coronavirus infection in the world, the games of the 2019-2020 season were suspended for a certain period.
For the first time in nearly 85 years, Calder’s Kubo was not awarded to a victor. In the summer of 2020, the CEO stepped down and was replaced by Scott Howson. In 2021, Tampa Bay and Dallas have become teams that have successfully developed the AHL. In February 2021, performances were finally resumed.
The pandemic receded and hockey began to return to normal functioning.