Ever since the Iowa Chops shuttered their ice, the Anaheim Ducks had been searching for an AHL team to affiliate with and after successful (and brief) negotiations, they landed the more stable and successful Syracuse Crunch.
Previously affiliated with the Dallas Stars, The Chops had only been a viable team for barely a year when allegations arose that ownership had taken out a loan and used the franchise as collateral. A big no-no according to AHL rules.
In addition, according to the Ducks, the Chops owed Anaheim “significant money.” Attempts at digging for more details have not been successful as the Chops phone number has been disconnected and Global Spectrum (the company handling ticket refunds) isn’t saying ‘boo.’
The Syracuse Crunch has a much better back-story. Started in 1992 in Ontario, Canada as the Hamilton Canucks, they moved to Upstate New York in 1994 and changed their name. The Crunch switched alliance from the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Ducks in March 2010 on the heels of disappointing back-to-back playoff misses for the first time in franchise history.
According to Crunch owner Howard Dolgon, ties were severed with the Blue Jackets because it was the general consensus that the team “wouldn’t financially commit to a winner.” Not exactly the type of statement one wants to hear from one’s affiliate.
Crunch management is eager to see what Ducks senior vice president of hockey operations David McNab has in store for them. McNab is widely considered to have one of the best eyes for scouting new talent and has the likes of Ryan Carter, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan and Dustin Penner to prove it.
Anaheim will be the third primary affiliate in the Crunch’s history (after Vancouver and Columbus). The Crunch has qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs in nine out of 15 seasons and former notable players who have donned Crunch colours include Francois Beauchemin, Mark Hartigan, Joe Motzko and Aaron Rome.
The Crunch made history on February 20, 2010 when they hosted the Mirabito Outdoor Classic, the AHL’s first-ever outdoor game. Attendance at the New York State Fairgrounds was a league single-game record of 21,508.