AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins Return to West Division

Published on July 9, 2003 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Grand Rapids, Mich. - The American Hockey League on Wednesday introduced a new four-division alignment that returns the Grand Rapids Griffins to the West Division, along with a revised format for the Calder Cup 2004 Playoffs.

The Griffins, who won the AHL's inaugural West Division title in 2001-02, their first season in the league, finished atop the Central Division standings in 2002-03. This fall, Grand Rapids will begin its quest for a third consecutive AHL division crown in a revamped West Division that includes defending Calder Cup champion Houston, long-time rivals Chicago, Milwaukee and Utah, and recent foes Cincinnati and San Antonio.

Following the addition of Toronto and the departure of the Saint John Flames, the 2003-04 AHL lineup will feature 28 teams divided equally among the four divisions (NHL affiliates in parentheses):

WESTERN CONFERENCE

WEST DIVISION - Grand Rapids Griffins (Detroit), Chicago Wolves (Atlanta), Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (Anaheim), Houston Aeros (Minnesota), Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville), San Antonio Rampage (Florida), Utah Grizzlies (Dallas)

NORTH DIVISION - Cleveland Barons (San Jose), Hamilton Bulldogs (Montreal), Manitoba Moose (Vancouver), Rochester Americans (Buffalo), St. John's Maple Leafs (Toronto), Syracuse Crunch (Columbus), Toronto Roadrunners (Edmonton)

EASTERN CONFERENCE

ATLANTIC DIVISION - Hartford Wolf Pack (NY Rangers), Lowell Lock Monsters (Carolina/Calgary), Manchester Monarchs (Los Angeles), Portland Pirates (Washington), Providence Bruins (Boston), Springfield Falcons (Phoenix), Worcester IceCats (St. Louis)

EAST DIVISION - Albany River Rats (New Jersey), Binghamton Senators (Ottawa), Bridgeport Sound Tigers (NY Islanders), Hershey Bears (Colorado/Tampa Bay), Norfolk Admirals (Chicago), Philadelphia Phantoms (Philadelphia), Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh)

At the conclusion of the 2003-04 regular season, the top five teams in each of the four divisions will qualify for the Calder Cup 2004 Playoffs, allowing once again for at least two-thirds of NHL teams' prospects to gain valuable postseason experience.

In each division, the fourth-place team will face the fifth-place team in a best-of-three qualifying round. Each subsequent round will be a best-of-seven. In the division semifinals, the first-place team will face the qualifying winner and the second-place team will face the third-place team within each division. The division finals will match the semifinal winners within each division, with those winners advancing to their respective conference final. Conference final winners will advance to the Calder Cup 2004 Finals.

While the complete schedule for the AHL's 68th season will not be released until later this summer, Griffins full season, 25-game and 15-game ticket packages are currently available by calling (616) 774-4585 or (800) 2-HOCKEY. Single tickets for all games, including the Griffins' home opener on Oct. 18, will go on sale to the public in September.

The Griffins will welcome the NHL's future stars to Grand Rapids next winter for the AHL All-Star Classic. The two-day event at Van Andel Arena will consist of the AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, Feb. 8, followed by the AHL All-Star Game on Monday, Feb. 9. Tickets for both events, which are included in Griffins season ticket packages, will go on sale to the public in August. Of the 295 players that have taken part in the AHL All-Star Classic since 1995, more than 90 percent have competed in the NHL.

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from July 9, 2003


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