Grand Rapids Griffins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grand Rapids Griffins |
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| City | Grand Rapids, Michigan |
| League | American Hockey League |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | Central |
| Founded | 1996 (In the IHL) |
| Home arena | Van Andel Arena |
| Colors | Black, red, silver, white, gold |
| Owner(s) | Dan DeVos |
| General manager | Shawn Horcoff |
| Head coach | Dan Watson |
| Captain | Josiah Didier |
| Media | Bally Sports Detroit NewsRadio WOOD 1300 AM/ 106.9 FM AHL.TV (Internet) |
| Affiliate(s) | Detroit Red Wings (NHL) Toledo Walleye (ECHL) |
| Website | www.griffinshockey.com |
| Franchise history | |
| 1996–present | Grand Rapids Griffins |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 1 IHL (2000–01) 1 AHL (2005–06) |
| Division Championships | 2 IHL (1999–00, 2000–01) 5 AHL (2001–02, 2002–03, 2005–06, 2012–13, 2014–15) |
| Conference Championships | 1 IHL (1999–00) 2 AHL (2012–13, 2016–17) |
| Calder Cups | 2 (2012–13, 2016–17) |
 Current season |
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The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional ice hockey team. They are based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The team plays in the American Hockey League (AHL). Their home games are held at Van Andel Arena. The Griffins are the AHL team linked to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). They have won the Calder Cup twice, in 2013 and 2017.
The Griffins started in 1996 in a league called the International Hockey League (IHL). In 2001, they joined the AHL. Since then, three players have had their jersey numbers retired by the team.
Team History
How Hockey Came Back to Grand Rapids
The Grand Rapids Griffins are the third professional hockey team in Grand Rapids. Before them, there were the Grand Rapids Rockets and the Grand Rapids Owls. The Griffins team was created because a large new arena was built downtown. This arena could hold over 10,000 fans.
In 1995, some business leaders wanted to bring a hockey team to the city. They talked with different hockey leagues. The IHL decided to let Grand Rapids have a team. This was because over 8,000 people had already asked for season tickets. The new arena was also ready to go.
In June 1995, a contest was held to name the new team. The name "Grand Rapids Griffins" was chosen. A Griffin is a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. The team's logo and colors were shown in November. The logo was designed by a company that also created logos for other sports teams. The team chose traditional colors like navy blue and gold. They also added hunter green, red, and silver.
In January 1996, Bob McNamara became the team's general manager. He hired Dave Allison as the head coach. Some of the first players to join had played in the National Hockey League (NHL). The team also made deals to have their games broadcast on radio and TV. They also got a practice facility, Belknap Ice Arena, which was renovated.
Early Years as an Independent Team (1996–1999)
For their first season in 1996–97, the Griffins had many experienced players. They also made deals with other minor league teams. The Griffins won their first game against the Indianapolis Ice. However, they lost their first home game. The team improved after Pavol Demitra joined them. He later became a big star in the NHL.
The Griffins finished their first season with a good record. They lost in the first round of the playoffs. The IHL thought the team's first year was a big success. Many home games were sold out. The Griffins even set a league record for season ticket sales.
Before the 1997–98 season, the Griffins added new players. Most of their defense players from the year before also returned. The team was doing well by December. They were competing for first place in their division. This was thanks to their strong goalies and top players. The team's record dropped by March. The general manager, Bob McNamara, took over as coach for the rest of the season. The Griffins were swept in the first round of the playoffs.
In July 1998, Guy Charron became the new head coach. Many players left the team that year for NHL contracts. The team faced many injuries early on. This led to a seven-game losing streak. At one point, the Griffins had the worst record in the IHL. However, players like Glen Metropolit and Robert Petrovicky played very well. Petrovicky was even named the IHL's Player of the Month. The team tried to make the playoffs but did not succeed. Metropolit was the team's top scorer that season.
Joining the AHL and Partnering with the Senators (1999–2002)
In 1999, the Griffins made a deal to become an affiliate team with the Ottawa Senators of the NHL. This meant the Senators would send their young players to play for the Griffins. The goal was to help the Griffins win a championship.
In June 2001, the IHL league stopped operating. The Griffins were one of six IHL teams that joined the American Hockey League (AHL). The AHL had different rules. Because of this, the DeVos family, who owned the Griffins, had to close their other IHL teams.
Partnering with the Detroit Red Wings (2002–Present)
On January 24, 2002, the Griffins announced a new partnership. They became the official AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings are a famous NHL team. This deal meant the Red Wings would send at least thirteen players to the Griffins each season. Most of the Griffins' players are now young talents from the Red Wings.
The Griffins are located only two hours from Detroit. This makes it easy for the Red Wings to move players between the teams. Before this, the Red Wings' AHL team was much farther away. The Red Wings also have a team in Toledo, Ohio, called the Walleye. The Walleye send players to the Griffins. Some of these players have even made it to the NHL and played for the Red Wings.
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On April 5, 2002, the Griffins won their first AHL division title. They won another division title in 2003. In 2007, the Griffins and Red Wings extended their partnership. In 2008, nine former Griffins players won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings.
After the 2010–11 season, Bob McNamara, the team's first general manager, retired. Later, Ryan Martin became the general manager for both the Griffins and the Red Wings.
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On March 7, 2012, the Griffins and Red Wings extended their partnership again. On June 13, 2013, the Griffins won their first Calder Cup. They beat the Syracuse Crunch in six games. In 2015, Todd Nelson became the head coach. On June 13, 2017, the Griffins won their second Calder Cup. They again beat the Syracuse Crunch in six games. This time, they won the championship at home in front of their fans. This was the first time a Grand Rapids team won a title at home. Tyler Bertuzzi was named the MVP of the playoffs. The Griffins and Red Wings extended their partnership again in 2017 and 2022. In 2023, Dan Watson became the new head coach.
Season Results
This table shows the Griffins' results for their last five seasons. For all their season history, see List of Grand Rapids Griffins seasons.
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||
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| Season | Games | Won | Lost | OTL | SOL | Points | PCT | Goals for |
Goals against |
Standing | Year | Prelims | 1st round |
2nd round |
3rd round |
Finals |
| 2019–20 | 63 | 29 | 27 | 3 | 4 | 65 | .516 | 177 | 193 | 3rd, Central | 2020 | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| 2020–21 | 32 | 16 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 36 | .563 | 96 | 97 | 3rd, Central | 2021 | No playoffs were held | ||||
| 2021–22 | 76 | 33 | 35 | 6 | 2 | 74 | .487 | 209 | 240 | 7th, Central | 2022 | Did not qualify | ||||
| 2022–23 | 72 | 28 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 64 | .444 | 194 | 255 | 7th, Central | 2023 | Did not qualify | ||||
| 2023–24 | 72 | 37 | 23 | 8 | 4 | 86 | .597 | 208 | 202 | 2nd, Central | 2024 | BYE | W, 3–1, RCK | L, 2–3, MIL | — | — |
Players
Current Roster
Updated November 20, 2024.
Team Captains
- Don McSween, 1996–97
- Kerry Huffman, 1997–98
- Danton Cole, 1998–99
- Ed Patterson, 1999–2001
- Travis Richards, 2001–04
- Blake Sloan, 2004–05
- Matt Ellis, 2005–07
- Garrett Stafford, Mark Cullen, Ryan Oulahen, 2007–08
- Darren Haydar, 2008–09
- Jamie Tardif, 2009–11
- Garnet Exelby, 2011–12
- Jeff Hoggan, 2012–16
- Nathan Paetsch, 2016–17
- Matthew Ford, 2017–20
- Brian Lashoff, 2020–23
- Josiah Didier, 2023–present
Retired Numbers
The Griffins have honored some of their most important players by retiring their jersey numbers. This means no other player on the team will ever wear that number again.
| No. | Nat | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace | Contract |
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| No. | Player | Position | Career | No. retirement |
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| 7 | Michel Picard | LW | 1996–2000, 2002–2004 |
February 19, 2022 |
| 10 | Jeff Hoggan | LW | 2012–2016 | April 2, 2022 |
| 24 | Travis Richards | D | 1996–2006 | November 24, 2006 |
Team Records
These are some of the best records set by Griffins players in a single season or throughout their career with the team.
- Single Season Records
- Most goals: Donald MacLean, 56 goals in 2005–06
- Most assists: Jiri Hudler, 60 assists in 2005–06
- Most points: Michel Picard, 101 points in 1996–97
- Most penalty minutes: Darryl Bootland, 390 minutes in 2005–06
- Most wins (goalie): Mike Fountain, 34 wins in 2000–01, and Joey MacDonald, 34 wins in 2004–05
- Best goals against average (goalie): Martin Prusek, 1.83 in 2001–02
- Best save percentage (goalie): Joey MacDonald, .936 in 2003–04
- Career Records
- Most goals: Michel Picard, 158 goals
- Most assists: Michel Picard, 222 assists
- Most points: Michel Picard, 380 points
- Most penalty minutes: Darryl Bootland, 1,164 minutes
- Most wins (goalie): Tom McCollum, 123 wins
- Most shutouts (goalie): Joey MacDonald, 20 shutouts
- Most games played: Travis Richards, 655 games
Images for kids
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Original Griffins logo, used from 1996 until 2015
