AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Calder Cup Coming to Grand Rapids

Published on March 17, 2003 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Grand Rapids, Mich. - Hockey fans throughout West Michigan will have a chance to see the American Hockey League's championship trophy in person this week, as the Calder Cup makes a three-day visit to Grand Rapids this Tuesday, March 18 through Thursday, March 20.

The Calder Cup 2003 Tour offers fans the opportunity for a close-up view of one of the oldest trophies in North American sports. The Calder Cup, which has been competed for since the 1936-37 season, features the names of players, coaches and support staff from the last 20 AHL champions, and is accompanied by a special display highlighting the intensity and excitement of the Calder Cup playoffs.

The Grand Rapids stop is part of the coveted trophy's 19-city, 39-day tour that leads up to the start of the 2003 Calder Cup playoffs. The grail's journey began Feb. 27 in Houston and will conclude April 6 in Philadelphia. The tentative itinerary for the cup's stay in Grand Rapids is as follows:

Tuesday, March 18
6:30-9 p.m. Celebration Cinema (2121 Celebration Way)

Wednesday, March 19
11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Meijer's - Knapp's Corner (1997 E. Beltline NE)
5:30-9 p.m. Celebration Cinema

Thursday, March 20
11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Lakeside Elementary School (2325 Hall SE)
6-10 p.m. Griffins vs. Manitoba Moose (Van Andel Arena concourse)

The names of three current Griffins - Bryan Adams, Michel Picard and assistant coach Todd Nelson - can be found on the Calder Cup, along with those of 15 former Grand Rapids players (Bill Armstrong, James Black, Brian Dobbin, Jason Doig, Scott Feasby, Mark Greig, Kelly Hurd, Gord Kruppke, Francois Leroux, Chris Lindberg, Neil Little, Jason McBain, Jeff Nelson, Gaetan Royer and Matt Ruchty). The names of current Detroit Red Wings Kirk Maltby and Jason Woolley also grace the cup.

Seventeen members of the Hockey Hall of Fame are among the winners of the Calder Cup, including Terry Sawchuk, Emile Francis, Gerry Cheevers, Larry Robinson and Johnny Bower. Additionally, more than 100 players and coaches have won both the Calder Cup and the Stanley Cup in their careers, among them Patrick Roy, Andy Bathgate, Doug Harvey and Billy Smith.

The AHL's championship trophy is named after Hockey Hall of Famer Frank Calder, who served as the first president of the National Hockey League from 1917-43. During the 1920s, Calder was instrumental in guiding professional hockey into the mainstream of the United States' major cities, including New York, Boston, Chicago and Detroit, while also helping in the formation of the American Hockey League.

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American Hockey League Stories from March 17, 2003


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