History
The Admirals were admitted to the American Hockey League as an expansion franchise for the 2000–01 season. The team name pays homage to the area's long naval history.
Norfolk is one of two franchises in the AHL named the Admirals, sharing the nickname with the Milwaukee Admirals. The Milwaukee franchise transferred from the defunct International Hockey League, and were allowed to keep their previous moniker.
Norfolk's geographically closest rivals are the Hershey Bears, Charlotte Checkers, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Admirals have two mascots, a dog named Salty and a rabbit named Hat Trick.
On March 19, 2007, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that their affiliation with the Admirals would end after the 2006–2007 season. On March 29, 2007, the Tampa Bay Lightning officially announced the Admirals as their new affiliate. On June 14, 2012 Tampa Bay announced their separation from the 2012 Calder Cup champions in favor of the Syracuse Crunch. Later in that month owner Ken Young announced he had closed a five year agreement with the Anaheim Ducks.
The market was previously home to:
- Tidewater Wings (1971–1972 AHL)
- Virginia Wings (1972–1975 AHL)
- Hampton Gulls (1974–1977 SHL, 1977–1978 AHL)
- Hampton Aces (1978–1981 NEHL)
- Hampton Roads Gulls (1982–1983 ACHL)
- Hampton Roads Admirals (1989–2000 ECHL)
On April 15th, 2012, the Admirals set the North American professional hockey win streak record with their 28th straight win.
Read more about this topic: Norfolk Admirals
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