| Syracuse Crunch | |
 | |
| City: | Syracuse, New York |
|---|---|
| League: | American Hockey League |
| Conference: | Eastern Conference |
| Division: | East Division |
| Founded: | 1992 |
| Home Arena: | Oncenter War Memorial Arena |
| Colors: | Blue, White, and Silver
|
| Owner(s): | Howard Dolgon |
| General Manager: | Julien Brisebois |
| Head Coach: | Jon Cooper |
| Media: | Syracuse Post-Standard WSKO (AM) |
| Affiliates: | Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL) Florida Everblades (ECHL) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1992–1994: | Hamilton Canucks |
| 1994–present: | Syracuse Crunch |
| Championships | |
| Division Championships: | 1 (2001–02) |
| Conference Championships: | 1 (2012–13 AHL season |
The Syracuse Crunch are a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Syracuse, New York, at the War Memorial at Oncenter. They are the primary development affiliate of the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning. On March 17, 2010, it was reported that the Blue Jackets were to cut their affiliation with the Crunch, and place its minor leaguers with the Springfield Falcons. On March 25, 2010, the Crunch announced that they had signed a deal to be the AHL affiliate for the Anaheim Ducks in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 AHL seasons. On June 14, 2012, the crunch announced that they had signed a multi-year deal to be the AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning, ending their two year tenure with Anaheim.
Official Syracuse Crunch Website: http://www.syracusecrunch.com/
History[]
The franchise originated in 1992 as the Hamilton Canucks, which were an affiliate of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks played in Hamilton, Ontario for two seasons, before relocating to Upstate New York in 1994. They were then renamed the 'Crunch' in a public vote of five names. Since then they have developed an intrastate rivalry with the Rochester Americans. The Crunch made history on February 20, 2010, when they played the first outdoor AHL game against the Binghamton Senators. The Mirabito Outdoor Classic took place at the Grandstand at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. The game set an AHL attendance record of 21,508. Syracuse won the game 2–1.
Honored Numbers[]
The Crunch raised a banner following a fan vote during the team's fifth season in honor of fan favorite #14 "Big Bad" John Badduke. It is not retired, as it would later be worn by former US Olympian Darby Hendrickson and Serge Aubin. In recent years the number has remained on the shelf out of respect for Badduke and the honor given to him by the fans in 1998–99.
During the 2008–09 AHL season, the team temporarily reserved, but not retired, #7 as a tribute to Paul Newman after his death. This honors Reg Dunlop, the player-coach for the fictional Charlestown Chiefs, which Newman played in the movie Slap Shot that was filmed partially at Onondaga County War Memorial. Coincidentally, other scenes were filmed at Cambria County War Memorial Arena in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, the home ice of the Crunch's former ECHL affiliate, the Johnstown Chiefs. The banner was raised October 14 and was up for the entire season, but the number will not be retired, as it is worn by Crunch player Artem Sergeev
Syracuse Hockey History[]
American Hockey League teams that played in Syracuse:
- Syracuse Stars (1930–1936) in the Original IHL
- Syracuse Stars (1936–1940) in the IAHL - The first team to win the Calder Cup in (1936–37)
- Syracuse Warriors (1951–1954)
- Syracuse Eagles (1974–75)
- Syracuse Firebirds (1979–80)
Season-by-Season Results[]
Regular Season[]
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | Tied | OTL | SOL | Points | Goals For |
Goals Against |
Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–95 | 80 | 29 | 42 | 9 | — | — | 67 | 288 | 325 | 5th, South |
| 1995–96 | 80 | 31 | 37 | 5 | 7 | — | 74 | 257 | 307 | 5th, Central |
| 1996–97 | 80 | 32 | 38 | 10 | 0 | — | 74 | 241 | 265 | 4th, Empire State |
| 1997–98 | 80 | 35 | 32 | 11 | 2 | — | 83 | 272 | 285 | 3rd, Empire State |
| 1998–99 | 80 | 18 | 50 | 9 | 3 | — | 48 | 220 | 327 | 5th, Empire State |
| 1999–00 | 80 | 35 | 35 | 9 | 1 | — | 80 | 290 | 294 | 2nd, Empire State |
| 2000–01 | 80 | 33 | 30 | 12 | 5 | — | 83 | 235 | 254 | 3rd, Mid-Atlantic |
| 2001–02 | 80 | 39 | 23 | 13 | 5 | — | 96 | 228 | 193 | 1st, Central |
| 2002–03 | 80 | 27 | 41 | 8 | 4 | — | 66 | 201 | 256 | 4th, Central |
| 2003–04 | 80 | 38 | 25 | 10 | 7 | — | 93 | 239 | 235 | 2nd, North |
| 2004–05 | 80 | 36 | 33 | — | 4 | 7 | 83 | 215 | 230 | 5th, North |
| 2005–06 | 80 | 47 | 25 | — | 5 | 3 | 102 | 272 | 251 | 2nd, North |
| 2006–07 | 80 | 34 | 34 | — | 4 | 8 | 80 | 250 | 248 | 5th, North |
| 2007–08 | 80 | 46 | 26 | — | 2 | 6 | 100 | 247 | 201 | 2nd, North |
| 2008–09 | 80 | 40 | 32 | — | 5 | 3 | 88 | 214 | 226 | 5th, North |
| 2009–10 | 80 | 34 | 39 | — | 4 | 3 | 75 | 227 | 272 | 6th, East |
| 2010–11 | 80 | 35 | 38 | — | 3 | 4 | 77 | 221 | 250 | 6th, East |
| 2011–12 | 76 | 37 | 29 | -- | 5 | 5 | 84 | 238 | 229 |
7th, East |
| 2012-13 | 76 | 43 | 22 | -- | 6 | 5 | 97 | 247 | 201 | 1st, East |
Playoffs[]
| Season | 1st Round | 2nd Round | 3rd Round | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–95 | Out of Playoffs | |||
| 1995–96 | W, 3–1, Binghamton | W, 4–3, Baltimore | L, 1–4, Rochester | — |
| 1996–97 | L, 0–3, Rochester | — | — | — |
| 1997–98 | L, 2–3, Hamilton | — | — | — |
| 1998–99 | Out of Playoffs | |||
| 1999–00 | L, 1–3, Hamilton | — | — | — |
| 2000–01 | L, 2–3, WBS | — | — | — |
| 2001–02 | W, 3–0, Philadelphia | L, 3–4, Chicago | — | — |
| 2002–03 | Out of Playoffs | |||
| 2003–04 | L, 3–4, Rochester | — | — | — |
| 2004–05 | Out of Playoffs | |||
| 2005–06 | L, 2–4, Manitoba | — | — | — |
| 2006–07 | Out of Playoffs | |||
| 2007–08 | W, 4-2, Manitoba | L, 3–4, Toronto | — | — |
| 2008–09 | Out of Playoffs | |||
| 2009–10 | Out of Playoffs | |||
| 2010–11 | Out of Playoffs | |||
| 2011–12 | L, 1-3, St. John's | — | — | — |
| 2012-13 | W, 3-0, Portland | W, 4-0, Springfield | W, 4-1, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton | L, 2-4, Grand Rapids |