History of the American Hockey League
Regarded as the top professional hockey league outside of the NHL, the American Hockey League, or AHL, serves as an NHL developmental league -- yet, at the same time, it is also the main event in and of itself.
Fighting it out season after season for the ultimate prize, the Calder Cup trophy, the league of 27 American and Canadian teams traces its history back to 1926 with the formation of the Canadian-American Hockey League. The original teams were located in Springfield, Boston, Quebec City, Providence and New Haven. In 1936, the "Can-Am" League merged with the original International Hockey League (created in 1929) to form the International-American Hockey League. With the withdrawal of its last Canadian teams, the league was renamed the American Hockey League in 1941. The league gained six teams in the 2001-2002 season with the folding of the International Hockey League, making the AHL the exciting league that exists today.
