The Canadian–American Hockey League, popularly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional ice hockey league that operated from 1926 to 1936. It was a direct predecessor of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

. For its first ten years the Can-Am's membership varied between five and six teams. However, when the Boston Bruin Cubs dropped out after the 1935–36 season, the league was reduced to just four active teams (Philadelphia, Providence, Springfield, and New Haven). At the same time, the Rust Belt-based International Hockey League had also been cut down to just four teams; Syracuse, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. With both leagues at the bare minimum number of teams to be viable, they decided to form a temporary "circuit of mutual convenience" known as the International-American Hockey League. For the next two years, the two leagues played an interlocking schedule with the Can-Am clubs serving as the IAHL's Eastern Division and the IHL as its Western Division. At a meeting held in New York City on June 28, 1938, the two leagues formally merged into a unified eight-team circuit operating under the IAHL name with the addition of the EAHL's then three-time defending champion

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the c ...

, which was awarded an IAHL franchise that day to replace the defunct Buffalo club. The league changed its name to the current American Hockey League in 1940. Two current AHL franchises have roots in the Can-Am. The

Hartford Wolf Pack The Hartford Wolf Pack are a professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut. A member of the American Hockey League (AHL), they play their home games at the XL Center. The team was established in 1926 as the Providence Reds. After a ...

is descended from the

Providence Reds The Providence Reds were a ice hockey, hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League (CAHL) between 1926 and 1936 and the American Hockey League (AHL) from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Re ...

franchise, which moved to

Binghamton, New York Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...

, in 1977 before moving to Hartford in 1997. The

Abbotsford Canucks The Abbotsford Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, and members of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team began play in the 2021–22 season with home games at Abbotsford Centre as the AHL affilia ...

are descended from the

Springfield Indians The Springfield Indians were a minor professional ice hockey franchise, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The Indians were founding members of the American Hockey League. They were in existen ...

franchise, which moved to

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

, in 1994 before relocating to Peoria in 2005, to Utica in 2013, and to

Abbotsford, British Columbia Abbotsford is a city located in British Columbia, adjacent to the Canada–United States border, Greater Vancouver and the Fraser River. With an estimated population of 153,524 people it is the largest municipality in the province outside metrop ...

, in 2021.

Teams

Boston Tigers Boston Metros were an American soccer club based in Boston, Massachusetts that were a member of the American Soccer League (1933–1983), American Soccer League. In their second season, the Metros joined the Eastern Professional Soccer Conference. ...

(named ''Tigers'' from 1926–1931 and in 1935, ''Cubs'' from 1931–1933, Tiger Cubs in 1933–34 and Bruin Cubs from 1934–1936) *

Bronx Tigers The Bronx Tigers were a minor professional ice hockey team that played in the Canadian American Hockey League (CAHL) in 1931–32. They were also an amateur team that played in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) in 1933–34 and 1937–38 ...

(1931–32) *

New Haven Eagles The New Haven Eagles were a professional ice hockey team that played in New Haven, Connecticut. The Eagles were one of five inaugural franchises in the Canadian American Hockey League, and a founding member of the American Hockey League. History ...

(1926–27 to 1935–36; joins IAHL) *

Newark Bulldogs Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-th ...

(1928–29) *

Philadelphia Arrows The Philadelphia Arrows were a professional ice hockey team that played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1927, the club was Philadelphia's first professional hockey team and played in the Canadian-American Hockey League. The team changed ...

(1927–28 to 1934–35) *

Philadelphia Ramblers The Philadelphia Ramblers were a minor professional ice hockey team based in the Philadelphia Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Ramblers played for six seasons during the infancy of the American Hockey League from 1935 to 1941. History T ...

(1935–36; joins IAHL) *

Quebec Castors The Quebec Castors or Quebec Beavers were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec from 1926 until 1935. They were members of the Canadian–American Hockey League (CAHL). History The team first played in the 1926–27 season. Th ...

(Beavers) (1926–27 to 1927–28; 1932–33 to 1934–35) *

(1926–27 to 1935–36; joins IAHL) *

(1926–27 to 1932–33; 1935–36; joins IAHL)

Champions

The championship trophy was known as the Henri Fontaine Trophy.

Teams

Champions

References

See also