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Milwaukee Admirals
Milwaukee admirals logo 2015
City: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
League: American Hockey League
Conference: Western Conference
Division: West Division
Founded: 1970 as an amateur team
Home Arena: UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena
Colors: Silver, black, ice blue, white

                   

Owner(s): Group headed by
Harris Turer
General Manager: Duties handled by Nashville Predators Asst. GM Paul Fenton
Head Coach: Karl Taylor (2018-19)
Media: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Affiliates: Nashville Predators (NHL)
Franchise history
1970 (amateur): Milwaukee Wings
1973 to 1977 (USHL): Milwaukee Admirals
1977 to 2001 (IHL): Milwaukee Admirals
2001 to present (AHL): Milwaukee Admirals
Championships
Regular Season Titles: 1 AHL (2003–04)
Division Championships: 4 IHL (1982–83, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96)
3 AHL (2003–04, 2005–06, 2008-09)
Conference Championships: 2 (2003–04),(2005–06)
Calder Cups: 1 (2003–04)
Playoff Championships: 1 USHL title (1975–76)

The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.

Admirals neversaydie

logo until 2015

History[]

The Admirals first took to the ice in the winter of 1970 as an amateur club known as the Milwaukee Wings. They lost their first game on January 25 when the Madison All-Stars beat them 17–7. They got their first win five days later when they defeated the Milwaukee Winter Club 10–8.

The next year the team was sold by the original owner Reed Fansher to a group of investors. One of the investors, Erwin J. Merar, owned an appliance store. The team was renamed the "Admirals" after a brand of refrigerators sold in Merar's store.

Beginning with the 1973-74 season the Admirals joined the newly formed United States Hockey League. Their first season in a league was not particularly successful as they ended the season in last place in their division. They won only 11 games, lost 35 games, and tied 2 games that season.

The Admirals won the USHL league championship in 1976, winning seven straight games in the league's playoffs. In the off-season, the team was purchased by former Chicago Blackhawks announcer Lloyd Pettit and his wife, Jane Bradley-Pettit.

For the 1977-78 season the Admirals joined the International Hockey League as the USHL was becoming a strictly amateur league. The Admirals appeared in the IHL's Turner Cup finals only once (1983), where they lost to Toledo in six games.

They stayed a part of the IHL until it joined the American Hockey League for the 2001-02 season when the IHL ceased operations. Five other IHL franchises also joined the AHL that season.

They won their first Calder Cup in 2004 when they defeated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Prior to the Finals, Milwaukee needed seven games to defeat the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks in the first round. Then the Admirals defeated the Chicago Wolves in six games to advance to the Conference Finals. The Admirals then eliminated the Rochester Americans four games to one. Milwaukee then swept the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to win the Calder Cup. The Admirals completed a rare postseason run in which they needed one fewer game to eliminate their opponents in each subsequent series.

The Admirals were purchased in June 2005 by a group of investors, led by Harris J. Turer, including Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, assistant general manager Gord Ash and pitcher Ben Sheets. The Brewers subsequently became the sole uniform sponsor of the Admirals, and the Admirals wear a Brewers logo patch on their sweaters.

The Admirals won their second division title as a member of the American Hockey League in 2006, clinching the title on the last day of their schedule with a win over the Grand Rapids Griffins.

After narrowly winning a seven-game playoff series over the Iowa Stars, Milwaukee swept both the Houston Aeros and Grand Rapids Griffins to advance to their second Calder Cup final series. To their disappointment, the Admirals would lose 4–2 to the Hershey Bears.

On August 1, 2006, the Admirals unveiled their newest logo to the public at the Henry Maier Festival Park (also known as the Summerfest grounds). The logo came with a radical color change for the team, away from red and blue hues to one of black, white and light blue. They also unveiled their new slogan, "Never Say Die".

NHL affiliation[]

The Admirals have been the top-level affiliate of the Nashville Predators since that team's founding in 1998. On February 22, 2010, the clubs signed a new agreement that extended that relationship through the 2011–12 season with a mutual option for 2012–13.[1]

"I like to say that for our players, the road to Nashville runs through Milwaukee and a look at our roster illustrates this. (T)his is the kind of environment that we want our prospects to develop in."

Coincidentally but unrelated, the two cities' baseball franchises shared a reverse affiliation, as the Nashville Sounds were the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers from 2005 to 2014.

During the 2006–2007 season, the Admirals were also part of an unusual affiliation agreement with the Edmonton Oilers, who used five partial affiliates in the AHL for the 2006–07 season. These five affiliates included the Milwaukee Admirals, the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Iowa Stars, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and the Hamilton Bulldogs. This arrangement lasted one season, as the Oilers announced a three-year affiliation with the Springfield Falcons on March 19, 2007. The Oilers are now affiliated with the Bakersfield Condors.

Retired numbers[]

Logos[]

Milwaukee admirals 1971 MilwaukeeAdmirals originallogo MilwAds1977 Milwaukee Admirals2 Milwaukee admirals 200x200 Admirals neversaydie
Milwaukee admirals logo 2015

new logo unveiled July 16, 2015

logo during
independent years
1973–1977 1977–1981 logo,
the first “Skating Sailor”
1982–1997 1998–2006 2006–2015 2015-present

Notable alumni[]

Season-by-season results[]


@ - The Admirals, already down 3 games to none, refused to take the ice in the closing minutes of game 4 due to the severity of the violent style of play employed by the Gears, forfeiting the game (and the series).  They were fined $15,000 by the IHL for doing so.  Many credit this decision with bringing increased scrutiny, and subsequent control, over in-game violence not just in-league but throughout the sport globally.  In any case, the game4/series record is technically "loss by forfeit".

Team records[]

Single season
Goals: 75 Flag of Canada Danny Lecours (1982–83)
Assists: 100 Flag of Canada Dale Yakiwchuk (1982–83)
Points: 138 Dale Yakiwchuk (1982–83)
Penalty Minutes: 381 Flag of Canada Don Gibson (1992–93)
GAA: 2.09 Flag of Canada Mark Dekanich (2008–09)
SV%: .923 Mark Dekanich (2008–09)

Career

Career Goals: 444 Danny Lecours
Career Assists: 379 Flag of Canada Fred Berry
Career Points: 813 Danny Lecours
Career Penalty Minutes: 1233 Flag of Canada Ken Sabourin
Career Goaltending Wins: 119 Flag of Canada Rich Sirois
Career Shutouts: 11 Flag of Canada Brian Finley
Career Games: 641 Danny Lecours

Current roster[]

As of April 17, 2010.[1]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
31 Flag of Canada Dekanich, MarkMark Dekanich

G Left 37 2008 North Vancouver, British Columbia
37 Flag of Canada Pickard, ChetChet Pickard

G Left 34 2009 Moncton, New Brunswick
2 Flag of Finland Laakso, TeemuTeemu Laakso

D Right 36 2008 Tuusula, Finland
3 Flag of the United States Blum, JonathonJonathon Blum

D Right 35 2009 Long Beach, California
4 Flag of Canada Ford, ScottScott Ford

D Right 44 2008 Fort St. John, British Columbia
10 Flag of the United States Cashman, ReidReid Cashman

D Left 41 2009 Red Wing, Minnesota
20 Flag of Canada Matheson, MarkMark Matheson

D Left 40 2007 Calgary, Alberta
25 Flag of Germany Dietrich, RobertRobert Dietrich

D Right 37 2008 Ordzhonikidze, Kazakh SSR, USSR
43 Flag of Canada Yonkman, NolanNolan Yonkman

D Right 42 2006 Punnichy, Saskatchewan
52 Flag of Germany Sulzer, AlexanderAlexander Sulzer

D Right 39 2006 Kaufbeuren, West Germany
5 Flag of the United States Geoffrion, BlakeBlake Geoffrion

C Right 36 2010 Plantation, Florida
7 Flag of the United States Maki, RyanRyan Maki

RW Right 38 2007 Medford, New Jersey
8 Flag of the United States Thang, RyanRyan Thang

LW Right 36 2010 Chicago, Illinois
11 Flag of Canada Santorelli, MarkMark Santorelli

LW Right 35 2008 Edmonton, Alberta
12 Flag of Sweden Thuresson, AndreasAndreas Thuresson

RW Right 36 2007 Kristianstad, Sweden
16 Flag of Canada Murray, MartyMarty Murray

C Left 49 2010 Lyleton, Manitoba
17 Flag of the United States Jessiman, HughHugh Jessiman

RW Right 39 2008 New York, New York
18 Flag of the United States Mueller, ChrisChris Mueller

RW Right 38 2009 Buffalo, New York
19 Flag of Canada Santorelli, MikeMike Santorelli

C Right 38 2007 Vancouver, British Columbia
21 Flag of Canada Grant, TristonTriston Grant

LW Left 40 2008 Neepawa, Manitoba
24 Flag of Canada Guite, BenBen Guite

C Right 45 2009 Montreal, Quebec
29 Flag of the United States Van Guilder, MarkMark Van Guilder

C Right 40 2008 Roseville, Minnesota
36 Flag of Canada Scatchard, DaveDave Scatchard

C Right 48 2009 Hinton, Alberta
40 Flag of Canada Rabbit, WaceyWacey Rabbit

C Left 37 2009 Lethbridge, Alberta
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