| Albany River Rats | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Albany,New York |
| League | American Hockey League |
| Operated | 1993–2010 |
| Home arena | MVP Arena |
| Colors | Red, black, white |
| Affiliates | Carolina Hurricanes (2006–2010) Colorado Avalanche (2006–2007) New Jersey Devils (1993–2006) |
| Franchise history | |
| 1990–1993 | Capital District Islanders |
| 1993–2010 | Albany River Rats |
| 2010–present | Charlotte Checkers |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 2 (1994–95,1995–96) |
| Division titles | 3 (1994–95,1995–96,1997–98) |
| Calder Cups | 1 (1994–95) |
TheAlbany River Rats were a minor league professionalice hockey team in theAmerican Hockey League. They played inAlbany,New York at theTimes Union Center.
Without a viable indoor arena with an ice surface, through the end of the 1980s the city of Albany had never had a minor league professional hockey team. Three separate attempts to establish teams in the neighboring cities of Schenectady and Troy had proven unsuccessful.[1]
After this troubled period for hockey in the region, construction of the palatial Knickerbocker Arena in downtown Albany in 1990 changed the face of the sport in the Capital District. The week that the new arena opened, plans were unveiled worldwide for the formation of the fledglingGlobal Hockey League, a challenger to the NHL with teams in North America and Europe that would begin play in November of that year.[2] One of six inaugural franchises announced in the league's initial press conference was the Albany Admirals, which was to be owned by businessman Joseph O'Hara and had signed a lease to play in the Knickerbocker Arena. The Capital hockey community was abuzz with excitement, and commitments for over 3,000 season tickets were received. However, by the end of May, disagreements between O'Hara and the league founders led O'Hara to withdraw his franchise from the new league. In June, the league postponed its opening season by a year, but the venture never materialized and the Global Hockey League never made it to the ice.[3]
On March 22, 2006, the Devils announced that they were cutting ties with the River Rats after the 2005–06 AHL season, as the parent club announced the purchase of theLowell Lock Monsters. Despite the move, the River Rats were not relocated.[4] In April 2006, TheCarolina Hurricanes signed a one-year agreement (with the option to renew for two additional) with the River Rats to be their farm affiliate; the end result was essentially a swap of AHL affiliates as the Lowell franchise had previously been the top affiliate of Carolina.[5] Later on, Carolina was joined by theColorado Avalanche in a one-year partnership agreement. On February 22, 2007, theCarolina Hurricanes and Albany River Rats announced that their affiliation agreement had been extended through the 2008–09 season.[6]
On April 24, 2008, the River Rats lost 3–2 to thePhiladelphia Phantoms in the (until then) longest game played in AHL history. The Phantoms'Ryan Potulny scored 2:58 into the fifth overtime. Albany gave up 101 shots on goal, and goaltenderMichael Leighton made 98 saves.[7]
On February 19, 2009, five people were seriously injured when a bus carrying the team home from a game in Lowell struck a guard rail and rolled on its side on Interstate 90 inBecket,Massachusetts.Nicolas Blanchard,Joe Jensen,Jonathan Paiement,Casey Borer, and the River Rats radio color commentator John Hennessy were taken to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield with serious injuries.[8]
In late January, 2010, word began to leak out of Raleigh that the franchise was about to be sold and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. On February 10, it became official as the Albany River Rats website announced that the sale of the franchise had been completed, and that the team would be moving to Charlotte at the conclusion of the 2009–10 AHL Season. "Capital District Sports, Inc. announced today that its subsidiary, the Albany River Rats, has sold itsAmerican Hockey League franchise to MAK Hockey, LLC located inCharlotte, North Carolina. The sale will not affect the remainder of the 2009-10 season, with regular season games concluding on April 10, 2010 followed by the2010 Calder Cup Playoffs."[9]
Although relocation of the Portland franchise would not come to fruition, Albany did not go long without an AHL franchise. On June 6, it was announced that theLowell Devils would be relocating to Albany, reestablishing the city's connection with the New Jersey Devils. Despite the tradition of the River Rats branding, officials announced that as a separate entity from the previous franchise, the new team would be known as theAlbany Devils.[10] The relationship only lasted through the 2016–17 season, after which the Devils announced they would be relocating their AHL team toBinghamton, New York to replace theOttawa Senators' team after they relocated.[11]
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | Tied | OTL | SOL | Points | Goals for | Goals against | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–94 | 80 | 38 | 34 | 8 | — | — | 84 | 312 | 315 | 3rd, North |
| 1994–95 | 80 | 46 | 17 | 17 | — | — | 109 | 293 | 219 | 1st, North |
| 1995–96 | 80 | 54 | 19 | 7 | — | — | 115 | 322 | 218 | 1st, Central |
| 1996–97 | 80 | 38 | 28 | 9 | 5 | — | 90 | 269 | 231 | 3rd, Empire State |
| 1997–98 | 80 | 43 | 20 | 11 | 6 | — | 103 | 290 | 223 | 1st, Empire State |
| 1998–99 | 80 | 46 | 26 | 6 | 2 | — | 100 | 275 | 230 | 2nd, Empire State |
| 1999–00 | 80 | 30 | 40 | 7 | 3 | — | 70 | 225 | 250 | 4th, Empire State |
| 2000–01 | 80 | 30 | 40 | 6 | 4 | — | 70 | 216 | 262 | 6th, Mid-Atlantic |
| 2001–02 | 80 | 14 | 42 | 12 | 12 | — | 52 | 172 | 271 | 4th, East |
| 2002–03 | 80 | 25 | 37 | 11 | 7 | — | 68 | 197 | 235 | 5th, East |
| 2003–04 | 80 | 21 | 39 | 11 | 9 | — | 62 | 182 | 257 | 7th, East |
| 2004–05 | 80 | 29 | 38 | — | 6 | 7 | 71 | 198 | 248 | 7th, East |
| 2005–06 | 80 | 25 | 48 | — | 4 | 3 | 57 | 206 | 278 | 7th, Atlantic |
| 2006–07 | 80 | 37 | 36 | — | 4 | 3 | 81 | 246 | 258 | 4th, East |
| 2007–08 | 80 | 43 | 30 | — | 3 | 4 | 93 | 213 | 198 | 3rd, East |
| 2008–09 | 80 | 33 | 40 | — | 3 | 4 | 73 | 219 | 258 | 7th, East |
| 2009–10 | 80 | 43 | 29 | — | 3 | 5 | 94 | 244 | 231 | 2nd, East |
| Season | 1st round | 2nd round | 3rd round | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–94 | L, 1-4,POR | — | — | — |
| 1994–95 | W, 4-0,ADK | W, 4-2,PRO | -- | W, 4-0,FRE |
| 1995–96 | L, 1-3,COR | — | — | — |
| 1996–97 | W, 3-1,ADK | W, 4-3,ROC | L, 1-4,HAM | — |
| 1997–98 | W, 3-0,ADK | W, 4-0,HAM | L, 2-4,PHI | — |
| 1998–99 | L, 3-2,HAM | — | — | — |
| 1999–00 | L, 3-2,ROC | — | — | — |
| 2000–01 | Out ofplayoffs | |||
| 2001–02 | Out of playoffs | |||
| 2002–03 | Out of playoffs | |||
| 2003–04 | Out of playoffs | |||
| 2004–05 | Out of playoffs | |||
| 2005–06 | Out of playoffs | |||
| 2006–07 | L, 1-4,HER | — | — | — |
| 2007–08 | L, 3-4PHI | — | — | — |
| 2008–09 | Out of playoffs | |||
| 2009–10 | W, 4-0WBS | L, 0-4HER | — | — |
Jeff Williams (1998–99)
Keith Aucoin (2006–07)Keith Aucoin (2006–07)Matt Ruchty (1994–95)Michael Leighton (2007–08)Michael Leighton (2007–08)Steve BrûléSteve BrûléSteve BrûléRob Skrlac
Peter SidorkiewiczPeter Sidorkiewicz
Jiri Bicek