| Norfolk Admirals | |
 | |
| City: | Norfolk, Virginia |
|---|---|
| League: | American Hockey League |
| Conference: | Eastern Conference |
| Division: | East Division |
| Founded: | 2000 |
| Home Arena: | Norfolk Scope 201 E.Brambleton Ave Norfolk, VA 23510 |
| Colors: | Blue, red, gold, white
|
| Owner(s): | Ken Young and Tides Baseball, LP |
| General Manager: | Vacant |
| Head Coach: | Trent Yawney |
| Media: | The Virginian-Pilot WXTG-FM |
| Affiliates: | Anaheim Ducks (NHL) |
| Franchise history | |
| 2000–present: | Norfolk Admirals |
| Championships | |
| Regular Season Titles: | 1 (2011–12) |
| Division Championships: | 3 (2001–02, 2002–03, 2011–12) |
| Conference Championships: | 1 (2011–12) |
| Calder Cups: | 1 (2011–12) |
The Norfolk Admirals are a professional ice hockey team that plays in the American Hockey League. They became affiliated with the Anaheim Ducks after being dropped from the Tampa Bay Lightning following their 2012 AHL champion season. The Admirals play in Norfolk, Virginia at the Norfolk Scope.
Official Norfolk Admirals Website: http://www.norfolkadmirals.com/
History[]
The Admirals were admitted to the American Hockey League as an expansion franchise for the 2000–01 season. The team name pays homage to the area's long naval history.
Norfolk is one of two franchises in the AHL named the Admirals, sharing the nickname with the Milwaukee Admirals. The Milwaukee franchise transferred from the defunct International Hockey League, and were allowed to keep their previous moniker.
Norfolk's geographically closest rivals are the Hershey Bears, Charlotte Checkers, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Admirals have two mascots, a dog named Salty and a rabbit named Hat Trick.
On March 19, 2007, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that their affiliation with the Admirals would end after the 2006–2007 season. On March 29, 2007, the Tampa Bay Lightning officially announced the Admirals as their new affiliate. On June 14, 2012 Tampa Bay announced their separation from the 2012 Calder Cup champions in favor of the Syracuse Crunch. Owner Ken Young announced he was close to a five year agreement with the Anaheim Ducks.
The market was previously home to:
- Tidewater Wings (1971–1972 AHL)
- Virginia Wings (1972–1975 AHL)
- Hampton Gulls (1974–1977 SHL, 1977–1978 AHL)
- Hampton Aces (1978–1981 NEHL)
- Hampton Roads Gulls (1982–1983 ACHL)
- Hampton Roads Admirals (1989–2000 ECHL)
2010 Stanley Cup Finals[]
In the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, sixteen former Admirals competed for the championship. Bryan Bickell, Dave Bolland, Troy Brouwer, Adam Burish, Dustin Byfuglien, Corey Crawford, Jake Dowell, Colin Fraser, Jordan Hendry, Duncan Keith, Danny Richmond, Brent Seabrook, Jack Skille, and Kris Versteeg were on the Chicago Blackhawks active roster. Michael Leighton and Lukas Krajicek played for the Philadelphia Flyers.
2011–12 season[]
During the 2011–12 season, the Norfolk Admirals set a professional hockey record for the longest winning streak, winning their 28th consecutive game on April 15 against the Adirondack Phantoms, 4-2 in regulation with 2012 League MVP Cory Conacher notching his first career hat trick. The streak far surpassed the previous AHL record of 17 straight wins set by the Philadelphia Phantoms in 2004-05, as well as the pro hockey record of 18 games set by the Peoria Rivermen of the original International Hockey League in 1991.
The streak garnered international media attention for the Admirals and the American Hockey League, including highlights on NHL Network and ESPN's SportsCenter.
The 28-game streak includes 15 home games and 13 road games. The win streak started on February 10 against Adirondack. Before their 3-2 OT win against Binghamton on April 14, the last 20 games were all won in regulation.
The winning streak translated into a deep playoff run for the Admirals, where they would win 15 of 18 playoff games, including back to back four game sweeps in the Eastern Conference and Calder Cup Finals. On June 9, 2012, the Admirals captured their first ever Calder Cup with a 6-1 win over the Toronto Marlies.
Season-by-Season Results[]
Regular Season[]
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | Tied | OTL | SOL | Points | Goals For |
Goals Against |
Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 80 | 36 | 26 | 13 | 5 | — | 90 | 241 | 208 | 3rd, South |
| 2001–02 | 80 | 38 | 26 | 12 | 4 | — | 92 | 222 | 205 | 1st, South |
| 2002–03 | 80 | 37 | 26 | 12 | 5 | — | 91 | 201 | 187 | 1st, South |
| 2003–04 | 80 | 35 | 36 | 4 | 5 | — | 79 | 172 | 187 | 5th, East |
| 2004–05 | 80 | 43 | 30 | — | 6 | 1 | 93 | 200 | 188 | 3rd, East |
| 2005–06 | 80 | 43 | 29 | — | 4 | 4 | 94 | 259 | 246 | 3rd, East |
| 2006–07 | 80 | 50 | 22 | — | 6 | 2 | 108 | 301 | 257 | 3rd, East |
| 2007–08 | 80 | 29 | 44 | — | 2 | 5 | 65 | 213 | 267 | 7th, East |
| 2008–09 | 80 | 33 | 38 | — | 4 | 5 | 75 | 236 | 269 | 6th, East |
| 2009–10 | 80 | 39 | 35 | — | 3 | 3 | 84 | 208 | 214 | 4th, East |
| 2010–11 | 80 | 39 | 26 | — | 9 | 6 | 93 | 265 | 230 | 4th, East |
| 2011–12 | 76 | 55 | 18 | — | 1 | 2 | 113 | 273 | 180 | 1st, East |
Playoffs[]
| Season | Prelim | 1st Round | 2nd Round | 3rd Round | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | — | W, 3–1, Cincinnati | L, 1–4, Hershey | — | — |
| 2002 | — | L, 1–3, Hershey | — | — | — |
| 2003 | — | W, 3–0, San Antonio | L, 2–4, Houston | — | — |
| 2004 | W, 2–0, Binghamton | L, 2–4, Philadelphia | — | — | — |
| 2005 | — | L, 2–4, Philadelphia | — | — | — |
| 2006 | — | L, 0–4, Hershey | — | — | — |
| 2007 | — | L, 2–4, Wilkes-Barre | — | — | — |
| 2008 | Out of playoffs. | ||||
| 2009 | Out of playoffs. | ||||
| 2010 | Out of playoffs. | ||||
| 2011 | — | L, 2–4, Wilkes-Barre | — | — | — |
| 2012 | — | W, 3–1, Manchester | W, 4–2 Connecticut | W, 4–0 St. John's | W, 4–0, Toronto |