
Springfield Thunderbirds, MGM Springfield to Host 2019 AHL All-Star Classic
February 17, 2018 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Thunderbirds News Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... American Hockey League President and CEO David Andrews announced today that the Springfield Thunderbirds and MGM Springfield have been selected as hosts of the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic, to be held at the MassMutual Center on Jan. 27-28, 2019.
"We are excited to be bringing the AHL All-Star Classic to one of the American Hockey League's keystone cities in 2019," said Andrews. "Springfield has owned a hallowed place on the AHL landscape dating back to the league's formation, and has been home to countless Hall of Famers and hockey legends over the last 82 years. We are looking forward to working with the Thunderbirds organization and MGM Springfield to put hockey's brightest young stars on display for fans at the MassMutual Center and an international television audience."
The 2019 AHL All-Star Classic will be the 25th event since it was reintroduced in 1995. Springfield last hosted the showcase on Dec. 10, 1959, when the Springfield Indians took on a team of AHL all-stars at the Eastern States Coliseum.
"The support of the city, MGM Springfield, our partners and the fans made hosting the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic a reality in less than two years' time," said Thunderbirds President Nathan Costa. "As an organization, we have prided ourselves on striving for excellence in everything we do, and to be able to host our league's signature event here in Springfield is an exemplification of the time and effort our entire team has put into this franchise. It's truly an incredible honor."
The 2019 AHL All-Star Classic will include the AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, January 27, followed by the AHL Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony on Monday, January 28 and the 2019 AHL All-Star Challenge that evening. Tickets for the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic are priced at $39, $49, $59 and $99, and include admission to both the Skills Competition and the All-Star Challenge. Tickets can be reserved now by calling (413) 739-GOAL or by visiting springfieldthunderbirds.com/allstar; priority preference will be given to existing and new Springfield Thunderbirds season-ticket members who put down a deposit for 2018-19 memberships.
The official event logo, along with details and ticket information for other social events to take place during the All-Star Classic, will be announced at a later date.
"I just can't say enough about the tremendous job our local Springfield ownership, led by Paul Picknelly, has done in promoting and marketing great professional hockey and a family fun environment with our beloved Thunderbirds," said Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno. "Having the AHL All-Star Classic here is a fitting tribute to our loyal fans and local ownership and management."
"We're bringing The Show back to Springfield, and we're just getting started," said Michael Mathis, President and Chief Operating Officer of MGM Springfield. "In hosting the AHL All-Star Classic, we're delivering on our commitment to bring world-class sporting events and entertainment to downtown Springfield. Hockey has always been a cornerstone to this great American city, and we're honored to stand with the Springfield Thunderbirds in this momentous occasion. We look forward to welcoming the sport's most prolific and inspiring superstars to downtown Springfield in 2019."
The 2019 AHL All-Star Classic will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League: since 1995, more than 94 percent of All-Star Classic participants have gone on to compete in the National Hockey League, including Jake Allen, Patrice Bergeron, Ben Bishop, Ryan Callahan, Zdeno Chara, Logan Couture, Connor Hellebuyck, Braden Holtby, Tyler Johnson, Martin Jones, Chris Kunitz, Jonathan Marchessault, Zach Parise, Tuukka Rask, Pekka Rinne, Bobby Ryan, Cory Schneider, Patrick Sharp, Jason Spezza, P.K. Subban and Mats Zuccarello.
In operation since 1936, the American Hockey League serves as the top development league for the players, coaches, managers, executives, broadcasters and staff of all 31 National Hockey League teams. More than 88 percent of today's NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame spent time in the AHL in their careers. In 2016-17, over 6 million fans attended AHL regular-season and playoff games across North America for the 16th year in a row.
American Hockey League Stories from February 17, 2018
- Condors Overcome by Tucson, 5-4 - Bakersfield Condors
- Heat Hold off San Jose for Weekend Sweep 2-1 - Stockton Heat
- Moose Fall Flat against Grand Rapids 5-0 - Manitoba Moose
- Wolves' Franchise-Record Home Win Streak Halted at 13 Games - Chicago Wolves
- San Antonio Defeats Chicago 2-1 in Defensive Battle - San Antonio Rampage
- Amerks Blanked by Devils in Overtime - Rochester Americans
- Penguins Fall to Comets in Overtime, 5-4 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Wolf Pack Rally to Tie, Fall in Shootout - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Phantoms Point Streak Stretched to Six Straight in Shootout - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Kearns Scores in OT for Devils' 1-0 Win over Amerks - Binghamton Devils
- Agostino's Quick Overtime Strike Breaks T-Birds Hearts - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Agostino Scores Six Seconds into OT to Give P-Bruins a 3-2 Win - Providence Bruins
- Comets Freeze Penguins in Overtime in Wild Affair - Utica Comets
- Copley Perfect as Bears Blank Senators, 3-0 - Hershey Bears
- Senators Shutout by Hershey - Belleville Senators
- Monsters Streak Past IceHogs, 5-2 - Cleveland Monsters
- Nedeljkovic Blanks Crunch to Extend Winning Streak - Charlotte Checkers
- Crunch Suffer 2-0 Shutout to Checkers - Syracuse Crunch
- Springfield Thunderbirds, MGM Springfield to Host 2019 AHL All-Star Classic - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Colorado Avalanche Reassign Forward A.J. Greer to San Antonio - San Antonio Rampage
- Springfield Thunderbirds to Host 2019 American Hockey League All-Star Classic - AHL
- Blue Jackets Assign Ryan Murray to Monsters for Purpose of Conditioning - Cleveland Monsters
- Hurricanes Recall Wallmark from Charlotte - Charlotte Checkers
- Canucks Reassign Reid Boucher to Comets - Utica Comets
- Iowa Wild Recalls Goaltender Steve Michalek from Rapid City Rush - Iowa Wild
- Hammond Returns to Colorado - Belleville Senators
- Heat Look to Build off Comeback Win - Stockton Heat
- Game Preview: Bears Head to Belleville Looking for Third Straight Win - Hershey Bears
- American Hockey League Announces Suspension - AHL
- Hogs Return to Action Seeking Bounce-Back Win against Monsters - Rockford IceHogs
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Gets Taylor, Zink and Schulze from Wheeling - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Flames Recall Morgan Klimchuk; Place Marek Hrivik on IR - Stockton Heat
- 'Canes Reassign Brown to Charlotte - Charlotte Checkers
- Wolf Pack Sign Goaltender Drew Fielding to PTO - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Game Day Build-Up: Senators vs. Bears, February 17 - Belleville Senators
- Road Trip Continues against Rocket - Toronto Marlies
- Furious Comeback Effort Leads Heat to 5-4 OT Win over San Jose - Stockton Heat
- Four Boyd Goals Lead Hershey to 6-3 Victory over Rocket - Laval Rocket
- Amerks Offense Explodes for 12-3 Win over First-Place Penguins - Rochester Americans
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.
Other Recent Springfield Thunderbirds Stories
- T-Birds, MassMutual Partner for 3rd Annual Community Caravan Program
- T-Birds Announce Six Guaranteed Game Dates at Thunderdome for 2025-26 Season
- T-Birds Announce Staff Hires & Promotions
- T-Birds, M&T Bank "Together We Can" in Community Initiative Raises over $100,000 this Season
- Springfield Thunderbirds Raise $38,300 for Rays of Hope

