AHL Releases Schedule
August 1, 2002 - American Hockey League (AHL) News Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. . . . The American Hockey League today released the complete schedule of regular season games for the 2002-03 season, the league's 67th year of operation. The season, comprising an all-time high of 1,120 games, begins on Thurs., Oct. 10 and concludes on Sun., Apr. 6. Each of the league's 28 clubs will play 80 games, 40 at home and 40 on the road.
The Chicago Wolves begin defense of their Calder Cup 2002 championship on Sat., Oct. 12, when they host the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks at Allstate Arena in a rematch of the teams' playoff series from last spring. Also on Oct. 12, the AHL returns to Binghamton when the first-year Senators and head coach John Paddock host the Hartford Wolf Pack at the Broome County Arena. The Wolf Pack moved to Connecticut from Binghamton in 1997, and won the Calder Cup championship in 2000 with Paddock at the helm.
For the first time in 65 years, the Hershey Bears have a new home. The puck will drop at the 10,500-seat Giant Center on Sat., Oct. 19 when the Bears host the Rochester Americans. Then on Sun., Nov. 3, the San Antonio Rampage, first-year affiliate of the Florida Panthers, hold their inaugural home opener against the rival Houston Aeros at the brand new SBC Center.
The 2002-03 AHL schedule also features several games in NHL arenas. On Dec. 8, the Houston Aeros and Milwaukee Admirals will face off at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. The Syracuse Crunch travel to Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Feb. 7-8 to face the AHL's two Ohio teams, Cleveland and Cincinnati. On Feb. 15, the Binghamton Senators will battle the St. John's Maple Leafs at the Corel Centre in Ottawa. And the Philadelphia Phantoms have once again scheduled three games to be played at the First Union Center, home of the parent Flyers.
The Pirates and the city of Portland, celebrating 25 years of AHL hockey, will host the 2003 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic at the Cumberland County Civic Center on Feb. 2-3.
The American Hockey League serves as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League clubs. The 2001-02 season was the AHL's most successful to date, seeing a membership expansion of 35 percent and experiencing an all-time high in average attendance, with nearly 6.7 million fans attending games across North America. More than 75 percent of all players to compete in the NHL in 2001-02 were AHL graduates, and more than 350 players took the ice in both leagues.
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American Hockey League Stories from August 1, 2002
- IceCats 2002-03 Schedule Released - Worcester IceCats
- Maple Leafs Announce 2002-03 Schedule - Toronto Marlies
- WBS Penguins Announce 2002-03 Schedule - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Ducks' Season Opener Set for October 19 - Cincinnati RailRaiders
- Flames Announce 2002-03 Schedule - Saint John Flames
- Flames Sign Defensemen Toni Lydman and Robyn Regehr - Saint John Flames
- New Opponents Listed on Griffins' 2002-03 Schedule - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Syracuse Crunch Announce 2002-03 Schedule - Syracuse Crunch
- Rats Announce 10th Anniversary schedule - Albany River Rats
- Wolf Pack Announce 2002-03 Schedule - Connecticut Whale
- Bears Release 2002-2003 Schedule - Hershey Bears
- Phantoms announce 2002-03 schedule - Adirondack Phantoms
- Moose announce 2002-03 regular season schedule - Manitoba Moose
- Norfolk Announces 02-03 Schedule - Norfolk Admirals
- AHL Releases Schedule - AHL
- Madison Hotel to be Admirals' Host Hotel in 2002-03 - Norfolk Admirals
- Tom Frater Named Joins Flames as Equipment Manager - Saint John Flames
- "Mr. Griffin" Returns for Seventh Season - Grand Rapids Griffins
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