SPRINGFIELD FALCONS

The 'Springfield Falcons' are an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, at the MassMutual Center.

Contents

History

Year-by-year record

Team records

Single Season

Career

Notable players

Retired numbers

Notable NHL/WHA alumni

External links

History

In 1994, the longtime AHL Springfield Indians team was sold to interests that moved the franchise to Worcester, Massachusetts, to become the Worcester IceCats (now the Peoria Rivermen). Ex-Indian players Bruce Landon, then the general manager of the Indians, and Wayne LaChance, a local rink owner, secured an expansion franchise for Springfield for the 1994-1995 season. The Indians name was still under trademark, so the new owners named the team after Andy and Amelia, a pair of nesting peregrine falcons that was a popular local civic symbol. The Falcons secured affiliation with both the Hartford Whalers and the Winnipeg Jets of the NHL, keeping continuity with the Whalers' affiliation of the previous few years. Veteran defenseman John Stevens (who shared the co-captaincy that first year with Rob Murray) scored the franchise's first goal.

Among the Falcons' notable players have included Jean-Guy Trudel, the franchise's leading career goal and point scorer; Daniel Briere; Manny Legace, the franchise's all-time leading goaltender and St. Louis Blues starter; Nikolai Khabibulin, the Chicago Blackhawks star goaltender and Rob Murray, the franchise's long-time captain and inspirational leader, and current assistant coach for the Providence Bruins. During the 2003-2004 season, Springfield fans voted on the Web for the team's 10th Anniversary Team, and selected Briere at center, Trudel at left wing, Tavis Hansen at right wing, Brad Tiley and Dan Focht on defense, and Legace in goal.

Individual honors won by Falcons players have included the Baz Bastien Memorial Award given to the league's best goaltender (to Legace in 1996 and Scott Langkow in 1998), Briere winning the Red Garrett Memorial Award emblematic of rookie of the year and a nod as First Team All-Star center in 1998, Tiley winning the Eddie Shore Award for the league's outstanding defenseman in 2000, and Trudel winning a Second Team All-Star award in 2000.
The team has finished in first place in its division twice and made the playoffs six times in its twelve seasons. It has subsequently been affiliated with the Phoenix Coyotes, and starting in the 2004-2005 season, exclusively with the Lightning.
On April 17, 2006, after posting a combined record of 52-90-6-12 over two seasons, the Falcons fired head coach Dirk Graham. [1] Former New York Islanders head coach Steve Stirling was named to replace him on May 22.
On March 19, 2007, the team announced that given its ninth straight losing season, it was exercising its option to sever relations with the Tampa Bay Lightning to become an affiliate to the Edmonton Oilers, starting in the 2007-08 AHL season. The Oilers have named Geoff Ward, who had coached Edmonton's AHL affiliates between 2003 and 2005, as the Falcons' new coach.
On August 1, 2007, Geoff Ward resigned as Head Coach of the Springfield Falcons in order to take an Assistant Coach position with the Boston Bruins of the NHL. Former Edmonton Oilers Devellopment Coach Kelly Buchberger was subsequently named Head Coach of the Falcons on August 8, 2007.
'This market was previously home to:'

★ Springfield Indians (1926-1994)

Year-by-year record

'Year'	'GP'	'W'	'L'	'T'	'OTL'	'SOL'	'GF'	'GA'	'PTS'	'Finish'	'Playoffs'
2005-06	80	28	43	--	3	6	220	312	65	6th, Atlantic	Out of Playoffs
2004-05	80	24	47	3	6	--	161	255	57	Last, Atlantic	Out of Playoffs
2003-04	80	26	43	9	2	--	179	234	63	Last, Atlantic	Out of Playoffs
2002-03	80	34	38	7	1	--	202	243	76	4th, East	Lost in round 1
2001-02	80	35	41	2	2	--	213	237	74	4th, East	Out of Playoffs
2000-01	80	29	37	8	6	--	253	280	72	Last, New England	Out of Playoffs
1999-00	80	33	35	11	1	--	272	252	78	4th, New England	Lost in round 1
1998-99	80	35	35	9	1	--	245	232	80	3rd, New England	Lost in round 1
1997-98	80	45	26	7	2	--	278	248	99	1st, New England	Lost in round 1
1996-97	80	41	25	12	2	--	268	229	96	2nd, New England	Lost in round 3
1995-96	80	42	22	11	5	--	272	215	100	1st, Northern	Lost in round 2
1994-95	80	31	37	12	--	--	269	289	74	5th, Northern	Out of Playoffs

Team records

Single Season

:'Goals:' 39 John LeBlanc (1994-95)
:'Assists:' 65 Jean-Guy Trudel (2000-01)
:'Points:' 99 Jean-Guy Trudel (2000-01)
:'Penalty Minutes:' 373 Rob Murray (1994-95)
:'GAA:' 2.27 Manny Legace (1995-96)
:'SV%:' .922 Jean-Marc Pelletier (2003-04)

Career

:'Career Goals:' 90 Jean-Guy Trudel
:'Career Assists:' 157 Rob Murray
:'Career Points:' 242 Jean-Guy Trudel
:'Career Penalty Minutes:' 1529 Rob Murray
:'Career Goaltending Wins:' 63 Scott Langkow
:'Career Shutouts:' 8 Manny Legace
:'Career Games:' 501 Rob Murray

Notable players

Retired numbers

★ '#2:' Eddie Shore

★ '#23:' Rob Murray
''Note: Former AHL President Jack Butterfield and Vice-President Gordie Anziano, longtime Springfield residents, have been honored with banners raised with the retired numbers.''

Notable NHL/WHA alumni

List of Springfield Falcons alumni that played more than 100 games in Springfield, and also played in the National Hockey League.

★ Ramzi Abid ★ Daniel Briere ★ Jeff Daniels ★ Patrick Desrochers ★ Dan Focht ★ Manny Legace ★ Trevor Letowski

★ Marek Malik ★ Rob Murray ★ Nolan Pratt ★ John Stevens ★ Radoslav Suchy

External links

★ Springfield Falcons Official Website

★ The Internet Hockey Database - Springfield Falcons