Springfield Falcons facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Springfield Falcons |
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| City | Springfield, Massachusetts |
| League | American Hockey League |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Folded | 2016 (now the Tucson Roadrunners) |
| Operated | 1994–2016 |
| Home arena | MassMutual Center |
| Colors | Blue, black, red, gray, white |
| General manager | Bruce Landon |
| Media | The Springfield Republican WHYN NewsRadio 560 WSHM-LD, WWLP WGGB-TV |
| Franchise history | |
| 1994–2016 | Springfield Falcons |
| 2016–present | Tucson Roadrunners |
| Championships | |
| Division Championships | 4 (1995–96, 1997–98, 2012–13, 2013–14) |
The Springfield Falcons were a professional ice hockey team. They played in the American Hockey League (AHL) in Springfield, Massachusetts. Their home arena was the MassMutual Center.
In 2016, the Falcons team was bought by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Arizona Coyotes. The team then moved to Tucson, Arizona. It became the Tucson Roadrunners before the 2016–17 AHL season began.
Contents
Team History
How the Falcons Started
In 1994, the city of Springfield almost lost its hockey team. The old team, the Springfield Indians, was sold and moved to another city. But two former players, Bruce Landon and Wayne LaChance, worked hard to keep hockey in Springfield. They got a new team for the 1994–95 AHL season.
The new team was named the Falcons. This name honored two peregrine falcons, Andy and Amelia, who were popular in the city. The AHL, which is the league the team played in, wanted to keep a team in Springfield. The city had a long history of hockey since 1926.
The Falcons first teamed up with two NHL teams: the Hartford Whalers and the Winnipeg Jets. This helped them get many players from the old Indians team. John Stevens scored the very first goal for the Falcons.
Early Star Players
Many great players played for the Falcons early on. Jean-Guy Trudel scored the most goals and points in the team's history. Daniel Briere later became a star for the Colorado Avalanche. Manny Legace was the team's best goalie and later played for the St. Louis Blues. Nikolai Khabibulin was another goalie who won the Stanley Cup. Rob Murray was a long-time captain and a very important leader for the team.
Falcons players also won special awards. Manny Legace and Scott Langkow won the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award for best goalie. Daniel Briere won the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as the best rookie. Brad Tiley was named the league's best defenseman.
After the Hartford Whalers moved, the Falcons worked only with the Jets. This continued when the Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996. Later, the Falcons teamed up with the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2004 to 2007.
The team had some good seasons, finishing first in their division twice. They made the playoffs six times in their first nine years. But after a few tough seasons, they changed their NHL partner again. In 2007, they joined with the Edmonton Oilers.
Working with the Edmonton Oilers
In 2007, former Oilers player Kelly Buchberger became the Falcons' head coach. He later moved up to coach for the Oilers. Jeff Truitt then took over as head coach in 2008. He was replaced by Rob Daum in 2009. The Falcons had a very tough time during this period. They finished with the worst record in the AHL in both the 2008–09 and 2009–10 seasons.
In 2010, the Edmonton Oilers decided to end their partnership with the Falcons. They moved their AHL team to Oklahoma City.
Working with the Columbus Blue Jackets
On March 25, 2010, the Columbus Blue Jackets became the Falcons' new NHL partner. The team also got a new jersey and logo. The new logo still showed a falcon with a hockey stick. But the colors changed to grey, red, and navy blue.
Rob Riley became the new head coach in 2010. In the 2010–11 AHL season, the Falcons wore special throwback jerseys. They honored the Springfield Indians team from 1936.
In 2010, Charlie Pompea bought the Falcons team. Bruce Landon, who helped start the team, stayed on as a part-owner and general manager.
The 2011–12 AHL season saw the Falcons honor past Springfield teams that won the Calder Cup. They wore special jerseys and celebrated former players. After two seasons of missing the playoffs, Rob Riley was replaced by Brad Larsen as head coach.
The 2012–13 AHL season was a big one for the Falcons. They made the playoffs for the first time in nine years! This was the longest playoff drought in AHL history. NHL players like Matt Calvert and Ryan Johansen helped the team early on. Even after these players went back to the NHL, the Falcons kept winning. Goalie Curtis McElhinney and forward Jonathan Marchessault played great. Team captain Ryan Craig also provided strong leadership.
The Falcons finished first in their division. They beat the Manchester Monarchs in the first round of the playoffs. All their wins came in overtime! But their playoff run ended when the Syracuse Crunch swept them in the second round.
The 2013–14 Falcons had their best season ever, with 47 wins and 100 points. However, they lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Providence Bruins. In 2014, Bruce Landon retired from his role as president and general manager. His daughter, Sarah Pompea, became the new team president.
Coach Brad Larsen was promoted to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jared Bednar became the new head coach for the 2014–15 AHL season. The team had an amazing 11-game winning streak that season. But they still missed the playoffs.
Final Years with the Arizona Coyotes
On April 17, 2015, the Springfield Falcons announced a new three-year partnership with the Arizona Coyotes. This was part of a big change in the AHL. Many NHL teams wanted their AHL teams closer to them.
The Coyotes hired Ron Rolston as the Falcons' head coach for the 2015–16 AHL season. This season was one of the toughest in the team's history. They missed the playoffs for the 11th time in 13 seasons.
On April 19, 2016, the Arizona Coyotes bought the Falcons team. They planned to move the team to Tucson, Arizona. This move was approved in May 2016. The team then became the Tucson Roadrunners.
But Springfield did not lose hockey for long! Another AHL team, the Portland Pirates, moved to Springfield. They became the Springfield Thunderbirds. So, hockey continued in Springfield.
Springfield was previously home to:
- Springfield Indians (1926–1994)
Season-by-Season Results
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | Tied | OTL | SOL | Points | PCT | Goals for |
Goals against |
Standing | Year | Prelims | 1st round |
2nd round |
3rd round |
Finals |
| 1994–95 | 80 | 31 | 37 | 12 | — | — | 74 | .463 | 269 | 289 | 5th, North | 1995 | Out of playoffs | ||||
| 1995–96 | 80 | 42 | 22 | 11 | 5 | — | 100 | .625 | 272 | 215 | 1st, North | 1996 | — | W, 3–1, PRO | L, 2–4, POR | — | — |
| 1996–97 | 80 | 41 | 25 | 12 | 2 | — | 96 | .600 | 268 | 229 | 2nd, New England | 1997 | — | W, 3–2, POR | W, 4–1, PRO | L, 3–4, HER | — |
| 1997–98 | 80 | 45 | 26 | 7 | 2 | — | 99 | .619 | 278 | 248 | 1st, New England | 1998 | — | L, 1–3, WOR | — | — | — |
| 1998–99 | 80 | 35 | 35 | 9 | 1 | — | 80 | .500 | 245 | 232 | 3rd, New England | 1999 | — | L, 0–3, HAR | — | — | — |
| 1999–00 | 80 | 33 | 35 | 11 | 1 | — | 78 | .488 | 272 | 252 | 4th, New England | 2000 | — | L, 2–3, HAR | — | — | — |
| 2000–01 | 80 | 29 | 37 | 8 | 6 | — | 72 | .450 | 253 | 280 | 6th, New England | 2001 | Out of playoffs | ||||
| 2001–02 | 80 | 35 | 41 | 2 | 2 | — | 74 | .463 | 213 | 237 | 5th, North | 2002 | Out of playoffs | ||||
| 2002–03 | 80 | 34 | 38 | 7 | 1 | — | 76 | .475 | 202 | 243 | 4th, East | 2003 | W, 2–0 HAR | L, 1–3, HAM | — | — | — |
| 2003–04 | 80 | 26 | 43 | 9 | 2 | — | 63 | .394 | 179 | 234 | 7th, Atlantic | 2004 | Out of playoffs | ||||
| 2004–05 | 80 | 24 | 47 | — | 3 | 6 | 57 | .356 | 161 | 255 | 7th, Atlantic | 2005 | Out of playoffs | ||||
| 2005–06 | 80 | 28 | 43 | — | 3 | 6 | 65 | .406 | 220 | 312 | 6th, Atlantic | 2006 | Out of playoffs | ||||
| 2006–07 | 80 | 28 | 49 | — | 1 | 2 | 59 | .369 | 181 | 268 | 7th, Atlantic | 2007 | Out of playoffs | ||||
| 2007–08 | 80 | 35 | 35 | — | 5 | 5 | 80 | .500 | 214 | 257 | 5th, Atlantic | 2008 | Out of playoffs | ||||
| 2008–09 | 80 | 24 | 44 | — | 8 | 4 | 60 | .375 | 188 | 258 | 7th, Atlantic | 2009 | Out of playoffs | ||||
| 2009–10 | 80 | 25 | 39 | — | 12 | 4 | 66 | .413 | 207 | 296 | 8th, Atlantic | 2010 | Out of playoffs | ||||
| 2010–11 | 80 | 35 | 40 | — | 2 | 3 | 75 | .469 | 232 | 253 | 6th, Atlantic | 2011 | Out of playoffs | ||||
| 2011–12 | 76 | 36 | 34 | — | 3 | 3 | 78 | .513 | 217 | 231 | 4th, Northeast | 2012 | Out of playoffs | ||||
| 2012–13 | 76 | 45 | 22 | — | 5 | 4 | 99 | .651 | 235 | 186 | 1st, Northeast | 2013 | — | W, 3–1, MAN | L, 0-4, SYR | — | — |
| 2013–14 | 76 | 47 | 23 | — | 1 | 5 | 100 | .651 | 247 | 212 | 1st, Northeast | 2014 | — | L, 2-3, PRO | — | — | — |
| 2014–15 | 76 | 38 | 28 | — | 8 | 2 | 86 | .566 | 192 | 209 | 3rd, Northeast | 2015 | Out of playoffs | ||||
| 2015–16 | 76 | 26 | 42 | — | 3 | 5 | 60 | .395 | 194 | 265 | 8th, Atlantic | 2016 | Out of playoffs | ||||
Team Players
Retired Numbers
The Falcons honored these players by retiring their jersey numbers:
- No. 2: Eddie Shore
- No. 23: Rob Murray
Also, banners were raised for former AHL President Jack Butterfield and Vice-President Gordie Anziano. They were long-time residents of Springfield.
Team Awards
At the end of each season, the Falcons gave out special awards to players:
- The Jim Denver "Good Guy" Award
- The Al Lawrence Best Defensive Player Award
- The Florence Kurdziel "Unsung Hero" Award (for someone who helps the team but doesn't always get noticed)
- The Muriel Strauss Good Sportsmanship Award
- The Dick Casey True Grit Award
- The Ross Lowe Award as team MVP (Most Valuable Player)
Team Captains
- John Stevens, Rob Murray (co-captains) 1994–1996
- Rob Murray 1996–99
- Tavis Hansen 1999–01
- Jean-Guy Trudel 2001–02
- Rob Murray 2002-03
- Shane Willis 2004-05
- Ryan Craig 2005–06
- Norm Milley 2006–07
- Rick Berry 2007–08
- Tim Sestito 2008–09
- Dean Arsene 2009–10
- Ben Guite 2010–11
- Dane Byers 2011–12
- Ryan Craig 2012–15
- Craig Cunningham 2015–2016
Notable NHL Alumni
Many players who played for the Springfield Falcons also played in the National Hockey League (NHL). Here are some who played at least 100 games for the Falcons and 100 or more games in the NHL:
- Ramzi Abid
- Nikita Alexeev
- Frank Banham
- Goran Bezina
- Daniel Briere
- Matt Calvert
- Michael Chaput
- Taylor Chorney
- Martin Cibak
- Sean Collins
- Ryan Craig
- Jeff Daniels
- Devan Dubnyk
- Robert Esche
- Cody Goloubef
- Martin Grenier
- Ravil Gusmanov
- Nick Holden
- Jean-Francois Jacques
- Tomas Kubalik
- Scott Langkow
- Manny Legace
- Francois Leroux
- Trevor Letowski
- Scott Levins
- Marek Malik
- Jonathan Marchessault
- Steve Martins
- Maxim Mayorov
- Colin McDonald
- John Moore
- Rob Murray
- Theo Peckham
- Nolan Pratt
- Dalton Prout
- Liam Reddox
- Jay Rosehill
- Kirill Safronov
- David Savard
- Lukas Sedlak
- Robert Schnabel
- Rob Schremp
- Tim Sestito
- Wyatt Smith
- John Stevens
- Radoslav Suchy
- Nick Tarnasky
- Brent Thompson
- Shane Willis
AHL Hall of Fame Members
Some Springfield Falcons players were later honored in the AHL Hall of Fame:
- Bryan Helmer
- Rob Murray
- Brad Smyth
- John Stevens
The team owner, Bruce Landon, was also inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame.
Team Records
Single Season Records
These are the best performances by a player in one season:
- Goals: John LeBlanc, 39 (1994–95)
- Goals by a rookie: Daniel Briere, 36 (1997–98)
- Assists: Jean-Guy Trudel, 65 (2000–01)
- Points: Jean-Guy Trudel, 99 (2000–01)
- Penalty minutes: Rob Murray, 373 (1994–95)
- Appearances by a goalie: Devan Dubnyk, 62 (2008–09)
- GAA (Goals Against Average): Manny Legace 2.27 (1995–96)
- SV% (Save Percentage): Curtis McElhinney, .923 (2012–13)
- Shutouts: Curtis McElhinney, 9 (2012–13)
Career Records
These are the top ten players with the most points in Falcons history: Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts |
| Jean-Guy Trudel | LW | 228 | 90 | 152 | 242 |
| Rob Murray | RW | 501 | 61 | 157 | 218 |
| Daniel Briere | RW | 169 | 88 | 129 | 217 |
| Jason Jaspers | C | 317 | 86 | 114 | 200 |
| Ryan Craig | LW | 305 | 94 | 86 | 180 |
| Brad Tiley | D | 239 | 33 | 130 | 163 |
| Tavis Hansen | C | 298 | 79 | 79 | 158 |
| Eric Healey | LW | 178 | 57 | 80 | 137 |
| Jason McBain | D | 208 | 35 | 87 | 122 |
| Rob Schremp | F | 147 | 30 | 88 | 118 |
Other career records:
- Career penalty minutes: 1529 Rob Murray
- Career goaltending wins: 64 Manny Legace
- Career shutouts: 9 Curtis McElhinney
- Career games: 501 Rob Murray
- Career goals: 94 Ryan Craig
- Career shorthanded goals: 5 Andrew Joudrey
NHL Team Partners
The Springfield Falcons worked with several NHL teams over the years:
- Hartford Whalers 1994–1997
- Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes/Arizona Coyotes 1994–2004, 2015–2016
- Tampa Bay Lightning 2001–2003, 2004–2007
- Edmonton Oilers 2007–2010
- Columbus Blue Jackets 2010–2015
See also
In Spanish: Springfield Falcons para niños
