Sports stats



AHL Providence Bruins

AHL's 70th season set to begin Wednesday

October 5, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Providence Bruins News Release


SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League begins its historic 70th season this week as 27 teams begin the road to the 2006 Calder Cup championship. The 2005-06 campaign gets underway on Wednesday night, Oct. 5, when the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins host the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza. It is the sixth consecutive time that the Penguins have hosted the AHL's regular-season opener.

*** For team-by-team previews for the 2005-06 season, please visit theahl.com. ***

The 2005 Calder Cup champion Philadelphia Phantoms drop the puck on their title defense on Saturday night, Oct. 8, when they take on the Binghamton Senators at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. The Phantoms were a perfect 11-0 at the Center, home of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers, during the 2005 Calder Cup Playoffs.

The Rochester Americans, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary this season, host the first-year Toronto Marlies at the Blue Cross Arena on Friday, Oct. 7. Other AHL debuts include the Peoria Rivermen and Iowa Stars meeting at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Thursday, Oct. 6, and the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights taking on the defending Western Conference champion Chicago Wolves at the Omaha Civic Auditorium on Oct. 7.

The AHL has added several new rules for the 2005-06 season, including:

>> Permission of "two-line passes"

>> Restoring "touch" icing

>> Returning the blue lines and center red line to 12 inches in width (from 24 inches)

>> Widening the attack zones to 64 feet (from 60 feet) and reducing the neutral zone to 50 feet (from 58 feet)

>> Reducing the maximum dimensions of goaltender equipment

In conjunction with B2 Networks, the American Hockey League will be offering live video broadcasts of nearly every AHL game this season. Any fan worldwide with a high-speed internet connection will be able to watch the action for just $6 (US), while listening to either team's audio feed.

The regular season comprises 1,080 games leading up to the start of the 2006 Calder Cup Playoffs in April. On Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, the 2006 AHL All-Star Classic will be held at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, featuring the top talent in the AHL competing in both the Skills Competition and the All-Star Game.

Established in 1936, the American Hockey League serves as the exclusive top development league for all 30 NHL teams. More than 80 percent of all players to compete in the NHL in 2003-04 were AHL graduates, and in 2004-05, more than 7.1 million fans - an all-time league record - attended AHL games across North America.

Check out the Providence Bruins Statistics

• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...

American Hockey League Stories from October 5, 2005


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central