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The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two o ...
team in 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 developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...
(AHL). They play in
Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
, Wisconsin, United States, at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panther Arena. They are affiliated with the NHL's
Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...
. The team has been playing since 1970, originally as an amateur team called the Milwaukee Wings, but were renamed as the Admirals after their first season. They played an independent schedule until joining the semiprofessional
United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictl ...
(USHL) in 1973. In 1977, the Admirals joined the International Hockey League (IHL) when the USHL transitioned to a junior league. When the IHL ceased operations in 2001, the Admirals joined the AHL.


History


Independent era

The Admirals first took to the ice in the winter of 1970 as an amateur club known as the Milwaukee Wings. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Citizens Benefit Association, they lost their first game on January 25 when the Madison All-Stars beat them 17–7. They got their first win five days later when they defeated the Milwaukee Winter Club 10–8. They finished the season with 8 wins and 7 loses. The next year the team was sold by the original owner Reed Fansher to a group of investors. One of the investors, Erwin J. Merar, owned an appliance store and the team was renamed the "Admirals" after a brand of household appliances sold in Merar's store.


United States Hockey League era

Beginning with the
1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...
74 season the Admirals joined the
United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictl ...
. Their first season in a league was not particularly successful as they ended the season in last place in their division. They won only 11 games, lost 35, and tied two games that season. The Admirals won the USHL league championship in 1976, winning seven straight games in the league's playoffs. In the off-season, the team was purchased by former
Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...
announcer Lloyd Pettit and his wife, Jane Bradley Pettit.


International Hockey League era

For the
1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrati ...
78 season the Admirals joined the International Hockey League as the USHL was becoming a strictly amateur league. The Admirals appeared in the IHL's Turner Cup finals only once ( 1983), where they lost to Toledo in six games.


American Hockey League era

The Admirals, along with five other IHL franchises, joined 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 developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...
for the
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...
02 season when the IHL ceased operations. The team was allowed to keep their nickname despite the presence of the Norfolk Admirals in the AHL, as Milwaukee had used the nickname since 1970, well before the Norfolk team was established as the
Hampton Roads Admirals The Hampton Roads Admirals were a professional ice hockey team in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). They played in Norfolk, Virginia at the Norfolk Scope Arena from 1989 until 2000, when the owners purchased an expansion American Hockey Leag ...
in the
ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). Th ...
. In the 2015–16 season, Norfolk moved to the AHL's Pacific Division as the fourth incarnation of the
San Diego Gulls The San Diego Gulls are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that began play in the 2015–16 season. Based in San Diego, California, and affiliated with the National Hockey League's Anaheim Ducks, the Gulls play t ...
. They won their first Calder Cup in 2004 when they defeated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Prior to the finals, Milwaukee needed seven games to defeat the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks in the first round. Then the Admirals defeated the Chicago Wolves in six games to advance to the conference finals. The Admirals then eliminated the
Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, ...
four games to one. Milwaukee went on to sweep the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to win the Calder Cup. The Admirals completed a rare postseason run in which they needed one fewer game to eliminate their opponents in each subsequent series. The Admirals were purchased in June 2005 by a group of investors, led by Harris J. Turer, including
Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...
owner Mark Attanasio, assistant general manager Gord Ash, and pitcher Ben Sheets. The Brewers subsequently became the sole uniform sponsor of the Admirals, and the Admirals wear a Brewers logo patch on their
sweaters A sweater (North American English) or pullover, also called a jumper (British English and Australian English),
. The Admirals won their second division title as a member of the American Hockey League in 2006, clinching the title on the last day of their schedule with a win over the
Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and play home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey Lea ...
. In the 2006 Calder Cup playoffs after narrowly winning a seven-game playoff series over the Iowa Stars, Milwaukee swept both the Houston Aeros and
Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and play home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey Lea ...
to advance to their second Calder Cup final series. To their disappointment, the Admirals would lose in six games to the Hershey Bears. On August 1, 2006, the Admirals unveiled a new logo and a change in color scheme from the traditional red-and-blue to black, white, and light blue. They used this logo until 2015, when the Admirals unveiled another new logo, keeping the Lake Michigan blue from 2006, but replaced black with navy blue. Also, the skeleton motif was kept with the hat that adorns the skeleton's head as a callback to the Admirals logos used from 1976 to 1997. This logo received very positive reviews, resulting in it becoming SportsLogos.net's 2015 Best New Primary Logo of the Year. On March 16, 2016, Milwaukee Admirals owner/CEO Harris Turer along with Wisconsin Center District (WCD) announced that the Admirals signed a 10-year contract, bringing the Admirals to the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panther Arena for the 2016-17 AHL season. This 10-year contract also results in a $6.4 million investment to bring the arena up to AHL standards with the Admirals contributing two million and the rest being supplied by the Wisconsin Center District. The team won its second regular season championship in the 2019–20 season, which was curtailed by the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
. Due to the ongoing restrictions during the pandemic, the Admirals were one of three teams that opted out of the
2020–21 AHL season The 2020–21 AHL season was the 85th season of the American Hockey League. Due to the ongoing restrictions in the COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the regular season was pushed back to February 5, 2021, and the league championship Calder Cup was n ...
. After the Admirals announced their season was cancelled, team ownership also announced that all of their full-time employees would still be paid for the year.


Team information


League membership

* 1970–1973: independent *1973–1977:
United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictl ...
*1977–2001: International Hockey League *2001–present:
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 developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...


NHL affiliation

The Admirals have been the top-level affiliate of the
Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...
since that team's founding in 1998. On February 22, 2010, the clubs signed a new agreement that extended that relationship through the 2011–12 season with a mutual option for 2012–13. Coincidentally, the two cities' baseball franchises share a reverse affiliation, as the Nashville Sounds are the Triple-A affiliate of the
Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...
. During the 2006–07 season, the Admirals were also part of an unusual affiliation agreement with the
Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
, who used five partial affiliates in the AHL for the 2006–07 season. These five affiliates included the Milwaukee Admirals, the
Grand Rapids Griffins The Grand Rapids Griffins are a professional hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and play home games at Van Andel Arena. They are the AHL affiliate to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey Lea ...
, the Iowa Stars, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and the Hamilton Bulldogs. This arrangement lasted one season, as the Oilers announced a three-year affiliation with the Springfield Falcons on March 19, 2007.


Logos

The following primary logos from 1970–Present.


Alternative logos

The following alternative logos from 2006–Present.


Mascot

During the 1998 Admirals rebranding efforts, the Admirals created a new mascot, named Roscoe. Roscoe is a "sea dog"-like animal with bright orange fur, a hockey puck-shaped nose, and wears a bicorne admiral's hat along with an Admirals jersey with the number 98, representing the year Roscoe joined the Admirals organization. At times during breaks and intermission, Roscoe will also ride a zamboni modified to look like a pirate ship. When interacting with fans, Roscoe will sometimes take souvenir hockey pucks from fans and place them on his nose. In 2014, when the Nashville Predators' mascot, Gnash, got injured, Roscoe was "called up" to the Predators and to the NHL, joining with other mascots to entertain fans in Nashville while Gnash recovered.


Season-by-season results

Legend: – round did not exist at the time


Players


Current roster

Updated December 22, 2022.


Team captains

*Neil Meadmore, 1987–88 * Peter Bakovic, 1988–1991 * Gino Cavallini, 1994–1996 * Tony Hrkac, 1996–97 * Jeff Nelson, 1997–1999 * Marc Moro, 1999–2001 *
Andy Berenzweig Andrew David "Bubba" Berenzweig (born August 8, 1977) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He prepped at Loomis Chaffee School and played collegiately at the University of Michigan. He was drafted by the New York Islanders in the ...
, 2002–03 * Ray Schultz, 2003–04 * Tony Hrkac, 2004–05 *
Greg Zanon Gregory M. Zanon (born June 5, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenseman who played almost 500 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Greg Zanon was drafted in the fifth round, 156th overall, in the 2000 ...
, 2005–06 * Sheldon Brookbank, 2006–07 * Alex Henry, 2007–08 * Nolan Yonkman, 2008–2010 *
Brett Palin Brett Palin (born June 23, 1984 in Nanaimo, British Columbia) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Playing career Palin played junior hockey with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL), winning the league cham ...
, 2010–11 * Scott Ford, 2011–12, 2013–14 * Mike Moore, 2012–13 * Joe Piskula, 2014–15 *
Colton Sissons Colton Sissons (born November 5, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Sissons was selected by the Predators in the second round (50th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry ...
, 2015–16 * Trevor Smith, 2016–2018 * Jarred Tinordi, 2018–2020 *
Cole Schneider Cole Schneider (born August 26, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey player who currently plays with the Milwaukee Admirals in the American Hockey League (AHL). After leaving the University of Connecticut in 2012, he began his professiona ...
, 2021–present


Retired numbers


Notable alumni

* Gary Agnew * Shawn Antoski * Sheldon Brookbank * Wade Brookbank * Marc Crawford * Jeff Daniels *
Scott Darling Scott Darling (born December 22, 1988) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes. Darling was selected by the Phoenix C ...
* Peter DeBoer *
Martin Erat Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...
* Kelly Fairchild * Filip Forsberg * Blake Geoffrion * Don Gibson *
Adam Hall Adam John Hall (born August 14, 1980) is an American former professional ice hockey player. A second round selection of the Nashville Predators in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, Hall played in the National Hockey League for the Nashville Predators, ...
* Dan Hamhuis *
Patric Hornqvist Patric may refer to: * PATRIC, the Pathosystems Resource Integration Center, a bacterial infectious disease information system * Patric (singer) (born 1947), full name Patrick Martin, French singer * Patric (footballer, born 1987), full name Anderso ...
* Jim Johannson * Roman Josi * Claude Julien * David Legwand *
Bob Mason Robert Thomas Mason (born April 22, 1961) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. During his career he played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, Quebec Nordiques, and Vancouver C ...
* Chris Mason * Cal O'Reilly * Gino Odjick * Darren Pang * Pete Peeters * Rich Peverley *
Yves Preston Yves Preston (born June 14, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 28 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Philadelphia Flyers during the 1978–79 and 1980–81 seasons. The rest of his career, which ...
*
Alexander Radulov Alexander Valerievich Radulov (russian: Александр Валерьевич Радулов; born 5 July 1986) is a Russian professional ice hockey player for Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He had previously had two ...
* Pekka Rinne *
Ken Sabourin Ken R. Sabourin (born April 28, 1966) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who played 74 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Calgary Flames and Washington Capitals between 1989 and 1992. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1 ...
* Mike Santorelli * Buzz Schneider *
Ronnie Stern Ronald Stern (born January 11, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League for 12 seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and San Jose Sharks. Playing career Stern was born in Sa ...
* Ryan Suter *
Jordin Tootoo Jordin John Kudluk Tootoo (; born February 2, 1983) is a Canadian former professional hockey player, who played for the Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils and Chicago Blackhawks. Of Inuit, Ukrainian and English descen ...
* Kimmo Timonen *
Steve Tuttle Steve Walter Tuttle (born January 5, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played for parts of three seasons (1988–1991) for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League, scoring a total of 28 goals in his career. ...
* Scottie Upshall * Tomas Vokoun * Shea Weber *
Colin Wilson Colin Henry Wilson (26 June 1931 – 5 December 2013) was an English writer, philosopher and novelist. He also wrote widely on true crime, mysticism and the paranormal, eventually writing more than a hundred books. Wilson called his p ...
* Dale Yakiwchuk *
Greg Zanon Gregory M. Zanon (born June 5, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenseman who played almost 500 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Greg Zanon was drafted in the fifth round, 156th overall, in the 2000 ...


Team records


Single season

* Goals:
Danny Lecours Danny Lecours (born October 5, 1955) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player. Born in 1955 in Princeville, Quebec, Lecours played three seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Quebec Remparts and Chicoutimi Saguen� ...
, 75, (1982–83) * Assists: Dale Yakiwchuk, 100, (1982–83) * Points: Dale Yakiwchuk, 138, (1982–83) * Penalty minutes: Don Gibson, 381, (1992–93) * GAA:
Connor Ingram Connor Brent Ingram (born March 31, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the third round, 88th overall, by the Tampa Bay Lightning at the 2016 NHL En ...
, 1.92, (2019–20) * SV%: Connor Ingram, .933, (2019–20)


Career

* Career goals:
Danny Lecours Danny Lecours (born October 5, 1955) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player. Born in 1955 in Princeville, Quebec, Lecours played three seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Quebec Remparts and Chicoutimi Saguen� ...
, 445 * Career assists: Fred Berry, 379 * Career points: Danny Lecours, 814 * Career penalty minutes:
Ken Sabourin Ken R. Sabourin (born April 28, 1966) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who played 74 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Calgary Flames and Washington Capitals between 1989 and 1992. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1 ...
, 1233 * Career goaltending wins:
Rich Sirois Richard Sirois (born March 10, 1957) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. During his first season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Sherbrooke Castors his team won the President's Cup and advanced to the 19 ...
, 119 * Career shutouts: Brian Finley, 11 * Career games: Danny Lecours, 641


References


External links

*
The Internet Hockey Database - Milwaukee Admirals (AHL)

The Internet Hockey Database - Milwaukee Admirals (IHL)

The Internet Hockey Database - Milwaukee Admirals (USHL)

The Internet Hockey Database - Milwaukee Admirals (Independent)
{{Wisconsinsports Boston Bruins minor league affiliates Chicago Blackhawks minor league affiliates Nashville Predators minor league affiliates Vancouver Canucks minor league affiliates Ice hockey teams in Wisconsin Ice hockey clubs established in 1970 1970 establishments in Wisconsin