Calder Cup Facts
Published on May 26, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Binghamton Senators News Release
Most Calder Cups won by a team - 11, Hershey Bears
Most Calder Cups won by a player - 5, four different players
Prior to their first-round elimination this year, the Hershey Bears had been trying to become just the second team in AHL history to win three straight Calder Cups (Springfield Indians, 1960-62)
The city of Binghamton is in the Calder Cup Finals for the first time since 1982, when a Binghamton Whalers club backstopped by goaltender Ken Holland (current GM of Detroit Red Wings) lost to the New Brunswick Hawks in five games
Some notable names who have won the Calder Cup (in no order)... Brian Burke, Sergei Gonchar, Bruce Boudreau, Patrick Roy, Adam Oates, Barry Melrose, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Brian Boucher, Byron Dafoe, Olaf Kolzig, Carey Price, Mike Green, John Carlson, Michal Neuvirth
Named after Frank Calder, the first commissioner of the NHL
First awarded in 1938 to the Providence Reds, the AHL's second season (was not awarded to the Syracuse Stars in 1937)
Remodeled in 2001, when plaques for the most recent 20 champions were added
Calder Cup weighs 35 pounds
Cup and plaques made out of solid sterling silver
Wood is made of Brazilian Mahogany
As the olderplaques are removed from the Cup, they are retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame
To get his name on the Cup, a player must play in at least one playoff game (not including back-up goaltenders)
Winning team creates own summer travel schedule for the Cup
Winning team keeps it until midway through the following season, at which time it is returned to the league and refurbished as needed for presentation to the new champion
Additional Finals Facts:
The Houston Aeros are making their second Calder Cup Finals appearance and first since winning the championship in seven games over Hamilton in 2003.
The Binghamton Senators had missed the Calder Cup Playoffs each of the past five seasons but are now in the Finals for the first time in the franchise's nine-year history
The city of Binghamton's only other appearance in the Calder Cup Finals came in 1982, when a Binghamton Whalers squad backstopped by goaltender Ken Holland fell to the New Brunswick Hawks in five games
As measured by population, the city of Houston ranks fourth in the United States (2.2 million) while Binghamton checks in at 781st (44,729).
Houston head coach Mike Yeo has his club in the Finals in his first season as an AHL head coach. Yeo, who won a Stanley Cup in 2009 as an assistant coach with Pittsburgh, follows Texas's Glen Gulutzan as the second straight first-year AHL bench boss to claim the Western Conference title.
Binghamton head coach Kurt Kleinendorst has made the Finals in his first season as the club's bench boss and just one year after leading USA hockey's under-18 team to a gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World Championships.
Binghamton is the eighth consecutive East Division team to reach the Calder Cup Finals, but the first team from the state of New York to do so since the Rochester Americans fell to the Hartford Wolf Pack in 2000.
Houston is the eighth West Division team in 10 years to play for the Calder Cup.
Neither Houston nor Binghamton made the Calder Cup Playoffs in 2010. They are the first pair of teams to reach the Calder Cup Finals after being members of the league and both missing the postseason the prior year since 1990, when Springfield defeated Rochester.
Binghamton finished fifth in the East Division during the regular season (42-30-3-5, 92 points) and ousted three higher-seeded teams - Manchester, Portland, and Charlotte - to reach the Finals. They are the first team to accomplish that feat since the 2007 Hamilton Bulldogs, who won the championship.
Houston reached the championship round after posing Game 7 victories in both the division finals (at Milwaukee) and the conference finals (vs. Hamilton). The Aeros follow the 2010 Texas Stars as the second consecutive Western Conference representative in the Calder Cup Finals to be coming off back-to-back seven-game series.
Neither Houston (98 points) nor Binghamton (92) reached the 100-point plateau during the regular season, making this the first Calder Cup Finals to not feature a 100-point squad since 2002, when Chicago (86) defeated Bridgeport (98).
Since falling into a 3-1 series deficit to Manchester in the division semifinals, Binghamton has won 11 of 13 games and enters the Finals on a five-game winning streak. Houston comes in after coughing up a 3-0 series lead over Hamilton in the conference finals but then prevailing in Game 7.
Senators forward Corey Locke and defenseman Andre Benoit were teammates on Hamilton's 2007 Calder Cup title team and are the only players on either Binghamton or Houston who have previously won an AHL championship.
Locke, the AHL's regular-season MVP, was Houston's top scorer during the 2008-09 season and led the Aeros to an appearance in that year's Western Conference Finals.
Aeros forward Warren Peters is making his second consecutive trip to the Calder Cup Finals after appearing with Texas in 2010.
Binghamton forward Ryan Potulny leads all AHL playoff scores with 25 points (14-11-25) in 17 games after totaling 49 points (21-28-49) in 71 regular-season AHL contests. Potulny has recorded at least point in all but three of his playoff games date.
This series will feature a pair of rookie goaltenders in 21-year-old Matt Hackett of Houston (a third-round draft pick by Minnesota in 2009) and 19-year-old Robin Lehner of Binghamton (a second-round draft pick by Ottawa in 2009. Lehner (46th overall) and Hackett (77th) were chosen 31 spots apart at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
Binghamton leads the AHL with five shorthanded goals during this postseason, while only one team has surrendered more than Houston's four.
During these playoffs, Houston is a perfect 3-0 when leading after one period and 6-0 when leading after two periods.
Road Warriors
The Binghamton Senators are 8-1 on the road this postseason and have won eight in a row after dropping their playoff opener. The Senators' eight road wins are just one short of the AHL single-playoff record of nine set by the 1998 Calder Cup champion Philadelphia Phantoms.
Unfamiliar Foes:
The only other time Binghamton and Houston squared off was in the 2008-09 season, when the teams split a pair of games by each defending home ice. Senators forward Zack Smith finished with a goal and an assist in the two games, and current Binghamton forward Corey Locke - then a member of the Aeros - also posted a goal and a helper.
Jan. 2, 2009 Houston 0 @ Binghamton 4
Jan. 30, 2009 Binghamton 2 @ Houston 3
Calder Cup Finalists in the NHL this season:
The rosters of the 2011 Calder Cup finalists feature 28 players who played a total of 397 games in the National Hockey League during the 2010-11 season:
Houston (15 players, 194 games total):
Jared Spurgeon 53 games with Minnesota
Patrick O'Sullivan 31 games with Minnesota
Justin Falk 22 games with Minnesota
Marco Scandella 20 games with Minnesota
Casey Wellman 15 games with Minnesota
Warren Peters 11 games with Minnesota
Cody Almond 8 games with Minnesota
Colton Gillies 7 games with Minnesota
Robbie Earl 6 games with Minnesota
Maxim Noreau 5 games with Minnesota
Carson McMillan 4 games with Minnesota
Matt Kassian 4 games with Minnesota
Jed Ortmeyer 4 games with Minnesota
Drew Bagnall 2 games with Minnesota
Nate Prosser 2 games with Minnesota
Binghamton (13 players, 203 games total):
Zack Smith 55 games with Ottawa
Bobby Butler 36 games with Ottawa
Erik Condra 26 games with Ottawa
Colin Greening 24 games with Ottawa
Ryan Potulny 10 games with Ottawa
Derek Smith 9 games with Ottawa
Patrick Wiercioch 8 games with Ottawa
Robin Lehner 8 games with Ottawa
Andre Benoit 8 games with Ottawa
Roman Wick 7 games with Ottawa
Jim O'Brien 6 games with Ottawa
Corey Locke 5 games with Ottawa
Cody Bass 1 game with Ottawa
American Hockey League Stories from May 26, 2011
- Admirals Sign Forward Philip-Michael Devos to Two-Year Contract - Norfolk Admirals
- Houston, Binghamton to Battle for 75th Calder Cup Championship - AHL
- Worcester Sharks Raise Over $100,000 for Charities - Worcester Sharks
- Calder Cup Facts - Binghamton Senators
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