The Life and Times of American Hockey League Fans

For 70 years, the American Hockey League (AHL) has been second in line to the National Hockey League as the developmental league for future NHL stars. The league not only boasts alumni who have had great success in the big leagues, but it has undergone a lot of changes over the years. From an eight team league in the 1930s to twenty nine teams today, franchises have been relocated, players have come and gone, and records have been set. Today, AHL teams do whatever they can to bring fans into an arena for a night of action packed hockey.

AHL hockey often does not get as much attention as teams and players in the NHL. However, without a doubt, the fans are among the most devoted sports fans regardless of how much recognition their team receives. Fans still shell out hundreds of dollars for season tickets, travel in busloads to support their teams on the road, and join team booster clubs as a way to help the community and make the players feel welcome to their new city.

So what makes minor league sports fans tick? In order to find out, I visited AHLFans, a message board for fans of AHL teams. Many of the respondents found out about the AHL through hearing about higher levels of hockey play, through family members, or by seeing ads in the media.

One of the main aspects that fans seem to enjoy about the AHL is the developmental theme. Fans enjoy seeing the guys who will eventually move up and hopefully get their name on hockey's biggest prize, the Stanley Cup. "The players in the AHL are always fighting for something where it seems established NHL players will just go through the motions," says Nick Abrams, a fan of the Portland Pirates.

Amanda Bassett, who is a native of Connecticut and a fan of the Hartford Wolfpack, agrees with Abrams. "Every night there's a different hero in the AHL, yet in the NHL, you've got the same guys who are doing all the work."

Those who attend AHL games also are privileged to have closer interactions with each other and with the staff members of each organization. "The major difference between the NHL and the AHL, if you ask me, is that everything in the AHL is done with more personalization." Tommy Bluestein, a fan of the Norfolk Admirals, says.

The fanbase of many AHL teams is extremely dedicated, as Hershey Bears fan Andrew Troutman explains. "Even on our away games, our booster club and fans still goes to games and on big nights, we're close to 9,000 people or a sell out." Part of this popularity is the Bears' 70+ years in the league, which gives them an important identity in the Hershey area.

Dave Wolf, a Grand Rapids Griffins fan from St. Joseph Michigan, says his team is probably the top draw for pro sports in Grand Rapids, a market which also boasts minor league baseball and arena football. However, he said all of the teams in the city have a loyal following. On the other hand, David Savino, who also cheers for the Admirals, says the team often suffers when the local baseball team, the Norfolk Tides, begins play in the spring.

Abrams says that it takes a winning record and top talent to bring fans into the Cumberland County Civic Center, home of the Pirates. "A winning team will bring fans into the building. The 2005-2006 team that was absolutely stacked with NHL talent had a ripple effect on the past season as we averaged over 5,000 for the first time in years. It will be interesting to see if that lasts into next year or if we have a drop off due to the poor record from last year."

Scott Murphy of Albany, New York, feels his hometown team, the Albany River Rats, suffer from the same problem. "The River Rats are not as popular these days as they used to be. But with the lousy seasons we've had the past seven years, not counting this season, I guess that is expected."

Those interviewed on the AHLFans community are also impressed with the media coverage their team receives for being part of a minor league. News channels commonly show highlights of games and newspapers do substantial articles regardless of the game outcome. Troutman, for example, believes "Hershey gets enough coverage for being a minor league team in a region without any top level teams." Fellow Bears fan Tom Mara, however, says that media outlets need to be more consistent in covering the team during the regular season, especially with such high personnel changes in the AHL. He feels that features on new, current, and former Bears players would be a welcome change for Hershey fans.

Unfortunately, Admirals and River Rats fans really have no outlets to turn to when it comes to information on their teams. "The Admirals are usually lucky to get any media coverage." Savino says. He says that with the exception of local station WTKR, that Admirals coverage is almost non-existent. "The other stations, when they do show highlights, usually show highlights mainly of the other team, even if the Admirals won the game. The Admirals get next to zero advertisement so no one even really knows that we still have a team...the news station needs to actually show that we have a team, and a good one at that."

Bluestein has a contrasting opinion from Savino's though. Although he aggress that coverage was weak in previous years, he believes that in the 2006-2007 season, the Admirals were covered very well, both on 11 o'clock newscasts and in the sports sections the next morning. He credits a new beat reporter for the team for bringing the coverage to the inside page of the Pilot, a Norfolk area newspaper.

Murphy also described how the lack of media coverage impacts the River Rats. "If you are not a diehard fan of this team it is easy not to know there is a team here. Just talk about them more, give them more highlights; not just at the end of sports coverage go 'Hey the Rats won tonight or lost tonight'."

Although dedicated fans will stick by their team regardless of their record, they do seem discouraged by the league's failure to grant some of their requests. One of the most popular complaints is the lack of a balanced schedule each year. Teams often end up playing the same teams in their division multiple times, with limited matches with opponents outside their conference or division. "We don't play any Western Conference teams this year or last," says Abrams. "You can't force a rivalry. Fans just get sick of seeing the same teams come in every weekend." Troutman and Bassett echo Abrams' complaint. "I would like to see a schedule where teams can travel further than they have in the past." Bassett says.

In Michigan, the fate of the Griffins' schedule is not much better. "Grand Rapids, in seven years in the AHL, has still never seen Hartford, Lowell, Portland, Providence, Worcester, Bridgeport, Manchester, and Springfield. Fans want to see all of the teams and yet year after year the AHL says no." Wolf complains.

Mara says that he hopes the league pays its strong base of season ticket holders more mind. "I'd like to see more league surveys geared to season ticket holders, and more heed paid to the results of those surveys. I wish the emphasis would remain on hockey instead of all the peripheral stuff aimed at the 'casual fan'."

Other changes these fans are hoping to see include instant replay systems, two referees for all AHL games (a system in place in the NHL), a ten minute overtime period as opposed to the current five minutes, and even no shootouts; a recent hot topic of debate. A user on AHLFans who goes by the username "Skipjacks" and supports the Bears feels those shootouts have nothing to do with hockey. Murphy is quick to agree. "I feel like shootouts are based on how good a single player is and hockey is meant to be a team sport and not a single player sport." Savino also puts down the shootout referring to it as "mediocre at best." Bluestein says he is still happy with a tie, but it seems to him that "a lot of people are almost done coping with the fact that (the shootout) is here to stay."

Those who attend AHL games, like those who attend any other sporting event, enjoy seeing their favorite team in action and will do whatever they can to support them. However, they also have ideas for changes and hope their requests are granted. The AHL has been a form of entertainment for the public for 70 years and with strong fan support, there are no signs of the "A" slowing down anytime soon.