PROVIDENCE, RI – Like clam chowder, hockey has been engrained in New Englanders since birth. The hard working physical style of the game has always appealed to them on a level that only true New Englanders can understand.
From NHL to ECHL, these six states breed one of the most passionate fan bases in all of North America.
It has been a long summer with many changes to the landscape of New England hockey; teams have left and joined new leagues and rumors have swirled around what will happen next.
In January, it was announced that many AHL teams would be moving closer to their west coast NHL affiliates and while that moves them closer to their parent clubs it has taken some teams out of New England.
The Manchester Monarchs and the Worcester Sharks had been mainstays in the AHL and had prominent fan bases, but it looked like this would be their last season in New England.
The Shark’s run in New England ended abruptly when they were knocked out of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals by the Hershey Bears in four games.
But the Monarchs caught fire and found ways to pull out games that they probably shouldn’t have won finding themselves in the Calder Cup finals against the Utica Comets. The Monarchs pulled it out in five games to win their first Calder Cup in 14 years and it would be there only one in front of their New Hampshire fans.
It was a bittersweet end to a great run in the AHL for the Monarchs and when the announcement came down that they were going to be joining the ECHL their fans could all breathe a sigh of relief.
The Monarchs became the first ECHL team in New England and will continue their affiliation with the Los Angeles Kings this upcoming season.
The Boston Bruins aligned with the Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL and will be a direct feeder for the Providence Bruins.
In the AHL, Providence, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Hartford Wolf Pack, Portland Pirates, and Springfield Falcons will all contend for the playoffs after each team failed to qualify this past season.
There were two AHL teams in New England who became affiliated with new teams, they were Springfield and Portland. The Falcons will be affiliated with the Arizona Coyotes for at least the next three years, as for the Portland Pirates they will be the affiliate of the Florida Panthers until the 2018-2019 season.
It’ll be interesting to see what the future will hold in Worcester which is currently without a pro team, but you never know what could happen in the future.
Hockey may be one of the major sports in North America, but in New England, it has been a part of everyday life. It won’t be long before more teams capitalize on the passionate fans of the region.
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