AHL Milwaukee Admirals

Noel Named #6 in Top 35 Admirals of All-Time

March 22, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Milwaukee Admirals News Release


Milwaukee, WI--The Milwaukee Admirals are proud to debut of the Top 35 Admirals of All-Time as the team celebrates 35 years of professional hockey, presented by BMO Harris Bank. Each week during the remainder of the season the Admirals will announce new members of the list until the top slot is awarded on Tuesday, April 16th.

This week's selections can be viewed below and more information on each player, including stats, photos, video and more, can be seen by clicking on the link at the bottom of their story.

The Admirals Calder Cup winning 2003-04 season started with very humble beginnings. The year's previous head coach Peter Horachek was given a promotion to the Ads parent organization the Nashville Predators as an assistant coach. By doing so, Horacek left a head coaching vacancy in Milwaukee that needed to be filled. Enter former Admiral player turned coach Claude Noel, and the beginning of the most successful year's in the team's 35 year history.

With the appointment of Claude Noel the Milwaukee Admirals were given a coach perfectly suited for the situation. The Ads were fresh off of their first AHL playoff appearance The team itself was richly composed of young talent in the names of Vern Fiddler, Simon Gamache, Scottie Upshall, and the reigning 2002-03 AHL Rookie of the Year Darren Haydar. Yet, the team also had a great balance of veterans to provide leadership through the likes of Tony Hrkac, Wade Flaherty, and Brad Tiley. The stage was set for a new coach to jump into the mix and take the team to the next level. Noel accomplished just that and shaped the careers of those he coached.

"He's a very demanding coach but he is very honest, hard-working, and he wants to get the best out of each player," said former Admiral forward Darren Haydar. "I think that is something you can appreciate after having played for him."

In his first year as head coach, Noel led the team to a 46-win season and tied the Hartford Wolf Pack for most points accumulated in the AHL that season with 102. The team topped the Western Conference standings and went past the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, Chicago Wolves, and Rochester Americans en route to their Calder Cup showdown with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The rest, as they say, is history.

After the Calder Cup winning team of 2003-04, Noel and the Admirals were gearing up for a season in which the NHL was locked out and the AHL would be overflowing with young talent. In the 2004-05 season, the Admirals roster included current NHL regulars: Dan Hamhuis, Kevin Klein, Ryan Suter, Jordin Tootoo, and Greg Zanon.

"[Claude Noel] really treated the guys well," said current Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter. "He knew when to push you and when to back off. He did a really good job balancing that."

With many members of the Calder Cup squad returning, combined with those up-and-coming NHL names, the team produced a 47 win (103 pts) season and found themselves as one of the top teams entering the playoffs. Despite a strong regular season showing the team came out on the wrong side of a first round seven-game series against Cincinnati.

While the end product might not have been what the team hoped for, the learning process and development of top flight talent proved to be the team's ultimate success story.

Check out the Milwaukee Admirals Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from March 22, 2013


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