AHL North

Dallas Eakins is a rising star in the coaching world, one who isn't just on the cusp of being able to coach in the NHL, but one who could command an NHL gig at the present time. Instead of heading for the bright lights of the NHL he elected to ink a three-year contract extension with the Toronto Marlies on Monday. With the stipulation that he won't be permitted to consider any NHL head coaching opportunities until the 2013-14 season, the Toronto Maple Leafs have retained an asset integral to their future success.

Eakins' contributions may not be noticeable at first glance, but rest assured his fingerprints are all over the success the Marlies have enjoyed this season. Under his tutelage, prospects such as Nazem Kadri, Korbinian Holzer and Joe Colborne have become more complete players, and as a result, more NHL-ready. Kadri's development is especially key, as he will be a factor in any success, or lack thereof, the Leafs experience in the coming years. Stuart Percy and Jesse Blacker (a current Marlies rookie) will surely benefit from playing under Eakins' watchful eye next season as well.

Beyond the obvious duty of an AHL coach to prep an organization's top prospects for the NHL, Eakins has been instrumental in developing players that are able to adequately stand-in with the big club when the injury bug bites. Whether that means mentoring Matt Frattin in order to help him regain his confidence in order to be effective at the NHL-level, or providing the parent club with depth options, Eakins has performed admirably.

The true value of Eakins and his contributions will be witnessed in a few short years, when many of the players he's coached, barring any trades, should be ready to play regularly for the Leafs. Players such as the aforementioned Percy and Blacker, as well as Marcel Mueller and Greg McKegg (who will arrive in the AHL next season) are unlikely to turn into stars, but organizational depth is key to any NHL team's success. Without in-house development, an organization becomes devoid of affordable, young talent essential for success in the salary-cap era.

The fact that organizations such as the Detroit Red Wings have achieved success by developing their own talent is evidence that a shared vision at all levels within the organizational hierarchy is needed. An organization needs to run on a vertical integration model of sorts, if you will. With Brian Burke and new head coach Randy Carlyle stressing work ethic and accountability; Eakins has made every effort to instill that organizational mantra deep within the minds of his players. 

The players, and the Leafs organization as a whole will be better for it. The only way to build in today's NHL is from the ground up, and while Brian Burke has eschewed that rebuilding method thus far in Toronto, Eakins is providing the organization with a stable foundation as he mentors the club's heralded and unheralded prospects alike.

After a season that saw the Hamilton Bulldogs win 34 of their 76 games and finish 11 points out of a playoff spot, there is much uncertainty regarding the future of the franchise.

The Bulldogs have only nine players under contract for next season, including Phil Lefebvre (11 points), Joe Stejskal (three points), Alain Berger (seven points), Louis Leblanc (22 points), Gabriel Dumont (24 points), Robert Mayer (2.94 GAA, .909 SV%), Joonas Nattinen (21 points), Ian Schultz (23 points) and Alexander Avtsin (14 points).

That means the future of leading scorers Brian Willsie (18 goals, 26 assists), Andreas Engqvist (20 goals, 23 assists) and Aaron Palushaj (15 goals, 20 assists) are up in the air at this time. Their top offensive defensemen Frederic St-Denis (three goals, 25 assists) and Garrett Stafford (eight goals, 16 assists) are also potential free agents.

Probably the most important free agent will be Captain Alex Henry (one goal, six assists), who has been a rock on defence for Hamilton. Also, the Dogs' top goalie Nathan Lawson may not be back with the team next year (2.57 GAA, .914 SV%).

Although answers to the futures of some of the key players will not likely be apparent until their parent club, the Montreal Canadiens, makes a decision on who will become their next general manager. Currently potential GMs include: Blair Mackasey (Minnesota Wild Director of Player Personnel, Julien BriseBois (Tampa Bay Lightning Assistant GM, former Montreal Canadiens Assistant GM in charge of the Bulldogs from 2007-2010), Marc Bergevin (Chicago Blackhawks Assistant GM), Claude Loiselle (Toronto Maple Leafs Assistant GM) and Patrick Roy (Quebec Remparts Head Coach & GM). 

Let’s take a look at the Montreal Canadiens prospects that may become Hamilton Bulldogs next season.

Player	Position	Acquired	Currently Playing	About his game
Michael Bournival	Centre	Trade with Colorado Avalanche in 2010	QMJHL, Shawinigan Cataractes	“Bournival is best characterized by his tireless work ethic and intense competitive drive. Even while not scoring, he is easily noticed when on the ice. He possesses the ability to play in all three zones and has a no-quit attitude.” (From Hockey’s Future)
Brendan Gallagher	Right Wing	Round 5, 147th overall in 2010	WHL, Vancouver Giants	“A dangerous scorer in the WHL, Gallagher has terrific quickness, as well as a hard and accurate shot. He is always active and never passive on a shift, able to find open space, while entering high-traffic areas as well. Gallagher is an intense, cerebral player with good overall skills. He utilizes his smaller size to his advantage at the WHL level.” (From Hockey’s Future)
Patrick Holland	Right Wing	Trade with Calgary Flames in 2012	WHL, Tri-City Americans	“Holland is one of those players who can sometimes go unnoticed but he can do it all. He sees the ice well, can set up teammates, will score the big goal and can shut down the opposition's best players. He played a big role this season on the team's penalty killing unit and at times produced star games when his team seemed to need it. Holland needs to add more muscle mass to his thin frame while continuing his improvement of his two-way game to play at the professional level.” (From Hockey’s Future)
Jarred Tinordi	Defense	Round 1, 22nd overall in 2010	OHL, London Knights	“Tinordi possesses multiple talents that cannot be learned, such as an NHL pedigree and gargantuan stature. When at his best, he makes a habit of overpowering his opponents. He thrives when protecting the area around his net and in the corners. Tinordi skates well for his size, brings grit and toughness in the mold of a defensive defenseman, as well as leadership capability.” (From Hockey’s Future)
Morgan Ellis	Defense	Round 4, 117th overall in 2010	QMJHL, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles	“A right-handed stay-at-home defender, Ellis is not overly imposing, but is nevertheless strong and smooth on his skates, and sound in his own zone. He brings a great deal of poise and composure on and off the ice, and serves as captain of his QMJHL squad, the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.” (From Hockey’s Future)
Greg Pateryn	Defense	Trade with Toronto, 2008	NCAA, University of Michigan Wolverines	“At 6'3" and 214 pounds, Pateryn has assumed a role as one of the University of Michigan’s toughest and most physical defenders. He utilizes his body very well, both in delivering checks as well as matching up against some of the CCHA's bigger forwards.” (From Hockey’s Future)

Judging by the Montreal Canadiens' current prospect pool, the Bulldogs could potentially have three forwards and three defensemen joining them for the 2012-13 AHL season.

The Canadiens are, however, very thin at the goaltending position and do not have any prospects waiting to make the jump to professional hockey. Regardless, once the Canadiens hire a new GM, there will be much work needed to shape the Hamilton Bulldogs roster for the upcoming season.

This could be a particularly pivotal season for the Hamilton Bulldogs franchise, as their lease agreement with Copps Coliseum as well as their affiliation agreement with the Montreal Canadiens both expire after the 2012-13 AHL season.

There have been rumors in the past that Laval, Quebec could be a city to which the team would move. However, there is no arena there that is currently large enough to house an AHL franchise.

There is also potential that the Bulldogs may stay in Hamilton but be forced to seek a new NHL partner if the Canadiens decide they want to move another existing AHL franchise to Quebec.

These scenarios may become obsolete, though, as Owner Michael Andlauer has begun negotiations with the City of Hamilton to extend the Bulldogs lease on Copps Coliseum for another five years. However, a challenge in these negotiations will be the fact that the City of Hamilton is looking to have Copps Coliseum and HECFI (the company that runs Copps) taken over and operated by a private management company (see this article from the Hamilton Spectator). The city will not likely enter into a long-term agreement prior to a private company taking over the reins.

After looking at the Bulldogs' attendance figures, they show that the franchise is in the middle of the pack in terms of AHL attendance.

For the 2011-12 AHL season, the Bulldogs were 20th out of 30 AHL franchises in average attendance at 4,848, while the league average is 5,638. The top attendance in the AHL this past season was the Hershey Bears at 9,872; the lowest was the Albany Devils at 3,435. 

Over the past seven years, the Hamilton Bulldogs rank 18th out of 30 teams in average attendance at 4,669 fans per game. The highest average attendance in the league during the past seven years is the Hershey Bears at 9,046 per game and the lowest is the Springfield Falcons at 3,607 per game. The AHL average attendance per game during that same seven-year period for the current franchises is 5,352 fans per game.

With all that in mind, the Bulldogs will be in Hamilton for at least next season. Judging by Hamilton Bulldogs owner Michael Andlauer’s sincere desire to keep the team in Hamilton for the long term, I believe we will see the Bulldogs remain in Hamilton past the 2012-13 season. The Montreal Canadiens may not re-affiliate with the club, but I believe there will be another NHL club out there that will pick up the affiliation in that scenario.

After writing this article, it was announced that former Chicago Blackhawks Assistant General Manager Marc Bergevin will be the Montreal Canadiens' new general manager. This can only mean good things for the Hamilton Bulldogs as Bergevin is well respected for his eye for talent. It has also been rumoured and reported by Darren Dreger of TSN.ca that Rick Dudley is in line to become his assistant, which would likely mean that he would also be handling the Bulldogs talent. Any way you spin this, it means brighter days ahead for Bulldog fans in Hamilton.

 Follow Mike on Twitter @mikeburse

When Terry Pegula formally announces the Buffalo Sabres' purchase of the Rochester Americans AHL franchise and officially begins a new era of Amerks hockey, the phones should be ringing off the hook at the Blue Cross Arena box office for the 2011-12 season opener.

Ask any hockey fan in the Rochester area if they've been to an Amerks game lately, and most will reply "I used to go all the time when the Sabres were there." And that makes sense.

The three season partnership with Florida produced one playoff appearance that ended abruptly when the Amerks were ousted in seven games by the first-year Calgary Flames affiliate Abbotsford Heat.

The ouster was a real disappointment to owner Curt Styres and his hockey operations staff that included "Mr. Amerk" Jody Gage and former NHL player and coach Ted Nolan. They worked diligently to stock the Amerks with AHL stars such as Graham Mink, Jeff Taffe, Jamie Johnson, Rory Fitzpatrick and Clay Wilson to help offset the lack of substance provided by the Panthers' brutal drafting through the early 2000s.

Last season, with new hockey management in Florida led by Stanley Cup-winning GM Dale Tallon, their hands were tied, as Florida took the ever-so-tedious approach of using their AHL affiliate to strictly develop prospects rather than win. As a result, Rochester fell right back to the bottom of the Western Conference and attendance plummeted with them.

So in comes Buffalo, coming off back-to-back-to-back seasons featuring Red Garrett award winners (AHL rookie of the year) in Portland (Nathan Gerbe, Tyler Ennis and Luke Adam) as well as playoff appearances in each of the three seasons Sabres' prospects played in Portland.

The recent success has been there, and although none of those Portland teams featured an abundance of AHL veterans, the prospect crop was deep enough to carry the team each year. With the blue chippers ready to move up, Amerks fans have to hope that Pegula is willing to open his wallet at least a little bit to help take the weight off of highly-touted prospects such as Zack Kassian, and reassure the fickle Rochester fans that he's here to win.

But to spend money, the Amerks must make money, and nostalgia and the idea of watching kids develop and then advance to Buffalo will only go so far before attendance dwindles again. So the city of Rochester needs to show their support at the gate.

A lot has changed in the city since the Calder Cup-winning year of 1996 and the runner-up efforts of 1999 and 2000. Kodak is a shell of itself and more jobs have left than been created, but many affordable mini-plans exist and single game tickets remain well below league average.

This is the last chance for the franchise—the second oldest in the league behind Hershey—and there is no reason to fail. The turnout to hear Pegula, Ted Black and Darcy Regier speak at 11 a.m. Wednesday should give an indication as to whether Rochester still is indeed a "hockey town" or if time has passed the Flower City by.

The Sabres have opened their wallet for you Rochester, now it's your chance to do the same.

"I guarantee you people in Winnipeg will have a franchise."

Bold words from a bold man.

It shouldn't matter if you're a Don Cherry fan or not, but the man's rarely been wrong about anything.

The guru of hockey for Hockey Night In Canada boldly stated that Winnipeg would be getting NHL hockey back in the form of the Atlanta Thrashers.

Really?

I'm as skeptical as the next person, as this is about the 156th time I've heard a rumor of the NHL returning to Winnipeg.  But my reason for airing this bit of news is that as the rumors continue to grow in number, the importance is the amount of truth they hold.

Let's take a look at the recent rumours surrounding hockey returning to Winnipeg, or even Canada for that matter.

Once the MTS Centre was built on Portage between Hargrave and Carlton in downtown Winnipeg, many believed the NHL wasn't far behind.  That was in November of 2004, when the Centre opened as the new home of the AHL's Manitoba Moose.

As prized a franchise as the Moose are to the AHL in the records of attendance and success in their fifteen years of existence in the windy city, fans have become less inclined to think that the NHL will return the longer the Moose are here.

The Moose average 8,294 per game, second only to Hershey (9,555) in the entire AHL.  That is 55% capacity for minor pro hockey in a city that used to house the former Winnipeg Jets.

The argument still is: Will Winnipeg respond if the NHL moves back?  Will the corporate market help the team out?

And most importantly: Will the team win?

For fans in Winnipeg, it is about how the team is playing that will draw them out to a game. Take the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers for example. In Canad Inns Stadium (capacity of 29,533) the 4-14 Bombers managed an average attendance of about 26,354, 89.2% capacity—still above the average capacity of the Moose, who are annually fighting for the top spot in the AHL's North Division.

Many forget, however, that the data collected from now-demolished Winnipeg Arena is outdated.

Winnipeg Arena had a capacity of 15,567 for NHL hockey when the building was renovated for the 1979-80 season when the Jets switched from the WHA to the NHL.

The Jets average attendance from the 1979-80 season until their move to Phoenix in the 1995-96 season was 12,993, an average capacity of 83.5%.

Not too shabby, but will the fans who come out to fill 55% of the MTS Centre for AHL hockey fill more if the NHL were to set up shop there instead?

Don Cherry may have his quips and qualms, but mark his words when he says the NHL is coming back to Winnipeg.

This video features Eric Selleck going after 6-foot-5 James DeLory on the first day of Rochester Americans training camp.  It would appear that the former SUNYAC MVP has spent this pre-season trying to establish himself as a physical presence for the Amerks.

The Maple Leafs 6th round selection in 2009, and 2010 World Junior Championship gold medal winner Jerry D'Amigo, collided knee-on-knee with the Amerks' Eric Selleck during the final period. Though helped to the dressing room, D'Amigo would later appear to sign autographs for the 700 fans in attendance with no visible signs of pain. Selleck received a five minute major penalty for kneeing, along with a second 5 minute major for fighting due to the scrap that ensued when Marlies' defenseman Josh Engel came to the aid of his fallen teammate. 

Selleck is also trying to show that the scoring knack he exhibited in Division III can translate to the professional level.

Rochester answered back with a pair of goals 2:35 apart from newly acquired Triston Grant and SUNY Oswego’s Eric Selleck, each converting on rebounds to put the Amerks back on top 3-2.

Rochester has yet to release their opening night roster, but Selleck remains on their current one.  Derrell Levy, a former teammate of Selleck's at Oswego State, was released by the Syracuse Crunch earlier this week.  The Amerks' season begins Saturday night in Toronto.

Rochester, N.Y. isn’t exactly the first city that comes to mind when thinking about big market professional sport teams.

The closest city, to Rochester, with big market teams is an hour southwest in Buffalo, N.Y., home to the NHL Sabres and NFL Bills, and the next closest city across Lake Ontario, in Toronto.

Although, Rochester is home territory to the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills, Rochester has more professional sports teams, of its own, than any other single city in the country, while also producing more professional hockey players than any single U.S. city in the country.

Their tie to the Sabres and Bills lie with Sabres’ owner and Rochester billionaire, Tom Golisano, and the Bills training camp is held at St. John Fisher College, home of the Cardinals, in Rochester. Rochester is also home to the NHL Americans that are affiliated with the Sabres.

Rochester was named as the top sports market in the country, by Street & Smith’s Sport Business Journal; the No. 10 “best golf city” in America, by Golf Magazine and the best sports town in the country, by Scarborough Research.

The city holds one of six franchises in the history of North American professional sports that have been played in the same city, uninterrupted since the 1800s. This team is the Triple-A baseball, Rochester Red Wings. The other five cities’ teams include the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Among North American cities with, at least, seven professional teams, Rochester was the only city whose teams all have cumulative winning, regular season records.

Rochester doesn’t limit itself to major sport teams, thought, but also extreme snow sports.

The area has a dozen ski resorts that are open year-round.

Bristol Mountain is home to the steepest vertical slope in the county.

There are also 19 colleges and universities in Rochester that, mostly, compete at the Division II and III level.

Monroe Community College (MCC), which should compete in the NJCAA, is a dominant force in Division II athletics capturing several National Championships in men’s ice hockey and women’s soccer. MCC is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, much like Division I universities, Buffalo and Albany.

The Division I exceptions in Rochester is Hobart College that compete D-I in men’s lacrosse and RIT men’s hockey.

RIT hockey consistently ranks in NCAA polls’ Top 25, while walking away with two consecutive conference championships in the last three-years. Recently, senior, Steve Pinizzotto, was called up with the NHL Washington Capitals.

Despite ice hockey reigning as the dominant sport in Rochester, the city has deemed the titles of Baseball City, USA and Soccer Town, USA, instead.

 Rapper and songwriter, Beneficial, raps:

“We got sports of all sorts, the Roc has it all, whether it’s soccer, hockey, foot, base or basketball. You can check the record books for the Royals and the Amerks, and we got the Rhinos, Redwings and the Rattlers.”

According to the Rochester Sports Project, since 1877, 29 teams in eight professional sports have represented the city:

ICE HOCKEY

Rochester Americans “Amerks” (American Hockey League (AHL): 1935-present)

Also known as the Hornets (1936-1956) and were part of the original International Hockey League (IHL) in 1935-1936.

The Amerks are one of the oldest franchises in the AHL as they celebrated their 50^th consecutive season in 2005-2006. Their years of unbroken league membership ranks second to the Hershey Bears.

They play at the almost 12,000 seated Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial in downtown Rochester and have won six Calder Cups in their 16 championship appearances: 1957, 1960, 1965-1968, 1977, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999 and 2000.

In addition, the Amerks have won six regular season titles, 14 division champions and three conference champions.

The Americans were the farm team to both the NHL Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers, until last year, when the team halted their affiliation with the Sabres and stayed solely with the Panthers, while the Sabres took their team northeast to Portland, Maine’s AHL Pirates.

LACROSSE

Rochester Knighthawks “K-Hawks” (National Lacrosse League (NLL): 1995-present)

The K-Hawks are one of the leagues most successful franchises as they set a league record in 2006 for reaching the playoffs in each of their first 13 seasons and won two championships in 1997 and 2007.

Each season, the Knighthawks have ranked at the top of the league standings—their worst, coming in third place, next to the Boston Blazers and Philadelphia Wings in 1995.

Every year, since 1997, the ‘Hawks have managed to plug out player awards. In 1997, goaltender, Steve Dietrich was championship game MVP.

Other awards include John Grant, Jr. (2000 – Rookie of the Year), Pat O’Toole (2003 – Goaltender of the Year), Paul Day (2004 – Les Bartley Award), Andrew Turner (2005 – Defensive Player of the Year) and 2007 reigned supreme for the team in the league by awarding four players: John Grant, Jr. (Most Valuable Player and Champion’s Cup MVP), Ed Comeau (Les Bartley Award) and Steve Toll (Transition Player of the Year).

Rochester Rattlers (Major League Lacrosse (MLL): 2001-1008)

As part of the National Division in the Eastern Conference, they made the playoffs in 2001 and 2005, and in 2007 made history by being involved in the highest scoring game in MLL history in their overtime victory against the Denver Outlaws.

In 2008, the Rattlers won their first and only MLL championship in a 16-15 OT win against the Philadelphia Barrage.

Unfortunately, that same year, Rochester sold their franchise to their Canadian neighbours in Toronto.

Rochester Greywolves “The Pack” (Canadian-American League (CanAm): 2008-present)

Also known as the Rochester Iroquois from 1930-1970.

Coming back as a team, more than, 20-years later, in 2008, the Pack, previously named the Iroquois until the 1970s, became a part of the only Canadian box lacrosse league that contains teams in the United States. The CanAm League is comprised of teams, mostly, from western New York and Ontario.

The Greywolves, in their first year back since 1984, made a President’s Cup appearance, but ended with a record of 7-11 and hope for a winning season in 2009 as they see their first home opener of the year on May 1, at 8 p.m. at the ESL centre in Rochester against Buffalo.

The team serves as a talent pool for the Knighthawks. 

Rochester Iroquois (North American Amateur Lacrosse Association: 1930-1984)

The Iroquois were an American box lacrosse team dating back to the 1930s as part of the North American Amateur Lacrosse Association. In 1970 the team switched leagues to CanAm and changed their name to the Greywolves.

Their franchise ended in 1984 when the team made it to the President’s Cup, but came back to Rochester more than 20-years later.

MEN’S SOCCER 

Rochester Rhinos (United Soccer League First Division (USL): 1996-present)

Also known as the Raging Rhinos, in 13-year history, have never failed to make the playoffs and appeared in the championship game six times: 1996, 1998-2001 and 2006. They have been league champions three times: 1998, 2000 and 2001.

The team has also beat three Major League Soccer (MLS) teams en route to winning the U.S. Open Cup in 1999, becoming the only non-MLS team to win the cup.

From 1996-2004, the club was a league leader in attendance and named one of the top five minor league sport franchises by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal.

Their home field is at the, almost, 14,000-seated Rochester Rhinos Stadium at PAETEC Park in downtown Rochester.

Rochester Lancers (North American Soccer League (NASL): 1967-1980)

Part of the American Soccer League in 1967-1969.

After three-years competing in the American Soccer League, the Lancers were bumped up a level and won the league championship in their first year with the North American Soccer League.

A year later, in 1971, they won the division title and it wasn’t until five-years later that the team won their second division title.

The Lancers made it to the playoffs six times in their 13-year history and ended with a 135-146-13 record.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Western New York Football Club Pride (United Soccer League Women’s League (USL W-League): 2008-present)

Also known as Rochester Rhinos Women (2005-2008) and Rochester Ravens (1996-2005).

The team is the successor to the Rochester Rhinos Women and was originally founded as the Ravens in 1996, but was later sold and re-launched with a new name.

WNY FC rosters two of the worlds best soccer players with Adjoa Bayor (Ghana) and Natalie Martineau (Canada).

Bayor is the “skipper of the Black Queens,” also known as the Captain of the Ghana Women’s National Team. In April 2007, she was a member of the World All-Star’s team and won the African American Play of the Year award in 2003.

Rochester Rhinos Women (United Soccer League Women’s League (USL W-League): 2005-2008)

After switching owners from the Ravens in 2005, the Rhino’s Women saw their best year in 2004 when they ended third in the league and in 2007, despite coming in fourth place, they made it to the National Semifinals in the playoffs for the first time.

Rochester Ravens (United Soccer League Women’s League (USL W-League): 1996-2005)

As part of the W-League, the Ravens started their first few years as a juggernaut in the league, playing host to the championship in 1997. In that summer, the team played the U.S. Women’s National Team in Rochester, losing, 8-0.

BASEBALL

Rochester Red Wings (International League (Triple-A): 1899-present)

Also known as the Rochester Bronchos (1899-1907), Rochester Hustlers (1908-1920), Rochester Colts (1921) and Rochester Tribe (1922-1928).

The Red Wings are the oldest and longest running minor league franchise in the history of professional sports.

In addition, sport historian, Douglas Brei, reported that the Wings are only one of two franchises in North America to have captured a league championship in every decade of the 20^th century.

Currently, the team is the Triple-A affiliate to the Minnesota Twins that produced players like Hall of Famer, Cal Ripkin, Jr. (Baltimore Orioles) and 2006 American League MVP, Justin Morneau (Minnesota Twins).

From 1929-1960, the Wings were the farm team for the MLB St. Louis Cardinals and in 1961 began the 42-year stint to the Baltimore Orioles.

On April 18, 1981, the Red Wings, along with the Pawtucket Red Sox made baseball history when they held the record for the longest professional baseball game, lasting a total of 33 innings and eight-hours, 25-minutes over the course of three days.

The team has captured 20 league championships: 1899, 1901, 1909-1911, 1928-1931, 1939, 1940, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1964, 1971, 1974, 1988, 1990, 1997.

Rochester Tribe (International League (IL Double-A): 1922-1928)

In their six-year career, the Tribe went 534-457, making two second place rankings in the league.

Fan favourites and Hall of Famers, Rabbit Maranville and Jocko Conlan (center field), spent the 1927 season with the Tribe. Rochester native and professional golfer, Walter Hagen, owned the team.

Rochester Colts (International League (IL): 1922)

In their only season in the league, the Colts, under management of IL Hall of Famer, George Stallings, ended with a record of 100-68 and were 20 games behind the Baltimore Orioles that were in the peak of their IL dynasty.

Rochester Hustlers (International League: 1908-1920)

The Hustlers ended their career with a losing record, 642-671. Their best record came in 1913 when hey finished 92-62 and lost by four-points in the league championship game to the Newark Indians.

The next year, the team finished in third place and after that, began their downfall after switching managers from, John Ganzel.

Rochester Bronchos (Eastern League American Association: 1899-1907)

The Bronchos first season was impressive as they ended up winning the league championship and ended their career with three titles: 1899, 1910 and 1911.

The team saw their worst season in 1903, when the finished last in the league with a 34-97 record, but jumped back up in the standings the next year.

Despite their career, so-so, record, the Bronchos finished with the third best ERA in the league and produced six of the top baseball player in the country with Bob Barr, Henry Blauvelt, Sandy Griffin, Jimmy Knowles, Harry Lyons and Ted Scheffler.

(In the NY-Penn league is Rochester rural, Batavia baseball, which is included as part of Rochester sports history).

Batavia Muckdogs (New York-Penn Minor League (NY-Penn): 1939-present)

Also known as the Batavia Indians (1957-1959), Batavia Pirates (1961-1965), Batavia Trojans (1966-1987) and Batavia Clippers (1988-1997).

The Muckdogs are an affiliate, NY-Penn minor league baseball team to the MLB St. Louis Cardinals since 2007.

In the past, the team was a branch of other Major League Baseball teams: Cleveland Indians (1957-1959, 1976-1986), Pittsburgh Pirates (1961-1965), Philadelphia Phillies (1967, 1988-2006), Detroit Tigers (1968-1971) and New York Mets (1972-1974).

In 2008, they swept the NY-Penn League championship against Jamestown.

Batavia Clippers (New York-Pennsylvania League: 1988-1997)

Part of the Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York League from 1939-1953.

As the Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies affiliation minor league team, the Clippers were a huge success before changing their name to the Muckdogs in ’97.

The team, made it to the finals 10 times, walking away as back-to-back league champions in 1945 and 1946. They were never ranked less than seventh place.

Batavia Trojans (New York-Pennsylvania League (NY-Penn): 1966-1987)

The Trojans had a semi-decent career, coming second in the league in 1967 and 1969. The only time they made it to the playoffs was in 1977 when they lost to the Jamestown Expos under manager, Gene Dusan and ended third in the league.

They produced notable players like Mike Jeffcoat, Andy Allanson, Dave Gallagher and Kelly Gruber for Major League Baseball’s Phillies, Tigers, Mets and Indians.

Batavia Pirates (New York-Pennsylvania League (NY-Penn): 1961-1965)

As the only MLB affiliation to Pittsburgh, the team made it to the playoffs twice in their career going, 1-1. The first year, they lost, but captured their only winning record and finished in third place.

Their final four-year record was, 259-365.

Batavia Indians (New York-Pennsylvania League (NY-Penn): 1957-1959)

The Indians best year came in 1957 when they finished in fourth place, but lost in the league finals. The team failed to have a winning season in the three-years they were in the league.

As the affiliation minor league team to the Cleveland Indians, they produced a handful of superstars picked by managers’, Don Richmond and Paul O’Dea.

FOOTBALL

Rochester Raiders (Indoor Football League (IFL): 2006-present)

Was formerly part of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (2006), Continental Indoor Football League (2007-08), American Indoor Football Association (2008).

In the Raiders three-year history, thus far, they have already won two league championships in 2007 and 2008, both times against the Port Huron/Michigan Pirates.

In 2008, they finished the regular season undefeated and are owned by former Buffalo Bill and NFL Hall of Famer, Thurman Thomas.

Rochester Brigade (Arena Football League: 2001-2003) 

The short-lived, Brigade, was one of 13 expansion teams to the league, but ceased operations in 2003, after the Buffalo Destroyers moved their team to Columbus, Ohio.

Owner, Mark Hamister said he felt no need to continue Arena Football in western New York.

The team finished with a losing career record of, 14-35. 

Rochester Jeffersons “Jeffs” (National Football League (NFL): 1908-1925)

Previously part of the Independent League from 1908-1919.

The Jeffs were Rochester’s first and only NFL team.

The first 10-years of the team’s existence was at the amateur level playing other Rochester football teams like the Scalpers and the Oxfords, but by the 1917 season, started to look on to play other teams from outside of upstate N.Y.

In the last five-years of the team’s unsuccessful run in the NFL with an, 8-27-4, record and a failed attempt to recruit Red Grange, who instead signed with the Chicago Bears, the Jeffersons folded.

Rochester Oxfords (New York Professional Football League: 1908-1926)

The Oxfords were one of many of Rochester’s pro football teams, based on a strong sandlot football circuit, but served as a professional team in western New York after the Rochester Scalpers ceased operations in 1920.

Rochester Scalpers (New York Professional Football League: 1908-1920)

For the first decade of their existence, the Scalpers played semi-professional teams, primarily from upstate New York and Ohio. Their biggest threat and competition were rivals, Rochester Royals, whom the team had tough success against.

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL

Empire State Roar (Women’s Football Alliance: 2005-present)

Were part of the Women’s Professional Football League from 2005-2008.

The first year the Roar struggled during the season with a 2-4 record, but only lost by a total of 11-points and have been consistently improving, each year.

In 2006, the team went 5-3 and missed the playoffs by one game.

The 2007 season was the most successful for the Roar as they ended with an 8-1 record, went to the American Conference Northern Championships, only to lose to the Houston Energy. 

BASKETBALL

Rochester Razorsharks “Sharks” (Premiere Basketball League (PBL): 2005-present)

Was formerly part of the American Basketball Association (2005-2007).

The Sharks had much success in their first season as they were ranked No. 1 and won the ABA Championship. In 2005, the team was ranked in the Top 10 minor league teams by probasketballnews.com.

In their next season, the Razorsharks went undefeated and captured their second consecutive championship and made history, setting the record of winning 24 home games in a row, since 1979.

In the 2007-2008 season, they ended, again, as the No. 1 team in league with an 18-2 record and winning their third championship game, defeating the Arkansas Impact.

Jan. 19, 2009 marked the first home game loss to the Sharks in three seasons when they played Vermont.

Rochester Royals (National Basketball Association (NBA): 1945-1957)

Also known as the Rochester Pros (1943-1946) and Rochester Seagrams (1931-1942), and currently the Sacramento Kings since 1985, and formerly part of the National Basketball League (NBL) from 1945-1948 and Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1948.

In the Royals first year, they had immediate success winning the NBL championship. A year later, they won their second consecutive championship, ending the 1946-1947 season, 31-13. 

In 1948, the team made it to the NBA championship, losing to the Minneapolis Lakers, but still finished with the best record in the league.

By 1951, the Royals beat the New York Knicks in the NBA finals by one game and to date, it is the team’s only NBA championship title.

The team’s 12-year history in Rochester features 12 NBA Hall of Fame members (including an NFL Hall of Famer and Hollywood Walk of Famer): Al Cervi, Bob Davies, Alex Hannum, Les Harrison, Red Holzman, Arnie Risen, Maurice Stokes, Jack Twyman, Bobby Wanzer, Otto Graham and Chuck Connors.

Rochester Pros (Independent League: 1943-1946)

Part of the National Basketball League during the 1945-1946 season.

The Pros were one of the top professional teams in the country owned by NBA Hall of Famer, Less Harrison. 

Rochester Seagrams (Independent League: 1931-1942)

Formerly part of the District Basketball Association in 1932-1933 and the District Basketball League from 1933-1945.

The Seagrams held basketball star, Al “Digger” Cervi, 92, known as one of the great sandlot basketball players in the country. He was a five-time first-team All-Pro player.

Rochester Zeniths “Zs” (Continental Basketball Association (CBA): 1977-1983)

Part of the All-American Basketball Alliance (AABA) in 1978. 

Of the Z’s six-season history, they won four division titles (1978-1979, 1979-1980, 1980-1981, 1982-1983) and two league championships (1978-1979, 1980-1981).

The team’s success amounted to having the winningest record in league history.

In 1978-1981, the team produced the leagues Most Valuable Players and Rookies of the year in Andre McCarter, Glen Hagan, Larry Fogle, Larry Spriggs, Larry McNeil and Lee Johnson.

Rochester Colonels (Eastern Professional League: 1958-1959)

The Colonels lost all eight games they played before folding on December 7, 1958 and decided to erase all game and individual statistics from the official league records, unitl founded by sports historian, Doublas Brei.

GOLF (PGA/LPGA)

The 1995 Ryder Cup, 2003 PGA Championship and U.S. Open (1956 – Winner: Cary Middlecoff, 1968 – Winner: Lee Trevino, 1989 – Winner: Curtis Strange) was held in Rochester at the Oak Hill Country Club.

Every August the Xerox Classic tournament on the Nationwide Tour is held at the Locus Hill Country Club, along with the Wegmans LPGA tournament in June.

USA CYCLING

Rochester Omnium (USA Cycling: 2004-present)

The Omnium, as part of the USA Cycling association, which has a stop every year in Rochester during its race on the Tour de New York, expanded as a three-day event in 2008. 

In 2009, the professional bike racing team, will bike for three more days, extending to a total of six-days on Aug. 8-13.

MEN’S RUGBY

Rochester Aardvarks (Allegany Rugby Union: 1966-present)

Also known as Rochester Rugby Football Club (1966-2001)

The Aardvarks are one a few Rugby teams in the country to own it’s own field and travel all around the U.S. and Canada, and England, Ireland and the Bahamas to compete.

The team participates in the annual Empire State Games and in 2001, they won their first National Sevens competition.

All throughout the 1970s, the Aardvarks were the best rugby club in the country. 

Rochester Colonials (New York State Rugby Conference: 1977-present)

In the team’s 28-year history, the have won many championships, the most recent coming in 2007 with the USA Rugby National All-Star Championship. The Colonials are known for hosting more local and statewide tournaments than any other Rugby team in their league.

WOMEN’S RUGBY

Rochester Renegade (New York State Rugby Women’s Division: 1987-present)

The 20-women Renegade roster, uses their size to their advantage against their opponents, but only lay in the middle of the standings since the team was created. In addition to playing other professional teams, they compete (during off-season) against Division I collegiate teams such as Penn State.

WRESTLING

Pier 6 Wrestling “P6W” (Independent Professional Wrestling: 2005-present)

P6W is a promotion based wrestling team in Rochester. Their season starts every April since 2005 and participates in Shakedown events, somewhat like the WWE Smackdown.

In 2008, Preston Wyatt Parks and Sik Rik Martix won the P6W Title Tournament Finals and Parks walked away with the Championship.

Next Era Wrestling “NEW” (Premiere Wrestling Federation: 2004-present)

In autumn of 2005, the federation held it first shows and winner, LAX, was crowed as the NEW World Champion.

Since then, superstars in the wrestling industry have been created at NEW in Rochester: Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, Honky Tonk Man, Al Snow, Jerry Lynn, Matt Bentley, Koko B. Ware, Too Cool, Heart Throbs, etc. to name a few.

NWA Upstate (National Wrestling Alliance: 1848-present)

NWA is the largest governing wrestling body in the country and located in Rochester.

The most popular wrestler coming out of NWA Upstate is Rochester native, Colin Delaney, who is best known for his wrestling with the WWE.

Roc City Wrestling “RCW” (Executive Wrestling: 2001-2006)

RCW was successful in its five-year history. The team’s major tournament, Samurai Slam 6, was one of the largest in western New York and was sponsored by local media in Rochester. 

PAINTBALL

Rochester Rhythm (American Extreme Paintball League (AXBL): 2006-present)

Also known as the Rochester N’Vasion (2006) 

The Rhythm is three-time league Champions and currently ranks second in the league for average points per game next to Rockland (Ill.).

Rochester N’Vasion (American Extreme Paintball League (AXBL): 2006)

In N’Vasion’s first year as a team, they won the league’s Championship games and were ranked No. 1 for the majority of the year.

Posts on skyscrapercity.com, say that Rochester produces the most professional athletes and sport figures from a single city than any other city in the country; some people even argue “in the world” with, more than, 200 athletes who turned professional.

Britney Milazzo is a Contributor for Bleacher Report. 

An American Hockey League official and his family had tickets for Continental Airline Flight 3407 that crashed in Buffalo on Feb. 12.

Jeff Smith, AHL's senior referee, drove right past Buffalo-Niagara International Airport on Feb. 20 and saw planes either sitting on the runway or descending from the sky.

Then he drove past Clarence Centre, N.Y., on the New York State Thruway, I-90, as he made his way to Rochester, where he refereed that night’s AHL game between the Amerks and Hershey Bears.

As he passed each landmark, he wondered, "Why am I still here?"

Why did fate, luck, an angel—whatever the case—intervene and keep him and his family off Continental Flight 3407 eight days earlier?

Smith, 39, is still asking why he, wife Kathleen, and sons Paddon, 7, and Tanner, 4, are the lucky ones, and why 50 others perished when the plane crashed onto a house in Clarence Centre, a suburb of Buffalo, shortly after 10 p.m. on Feb. 12.

"Why would they protect me and not 50 others?" Smith asked when reached by phone from his native Port Elgin, Ontario, cottage, where he was spending a week-long working vacation with his family.

"I actually feel quite uncomfortable,” he said. “If it was a miracle for me, why not a miracle for the other 50 people?"

He knows he may never learn the answer, no matter how many times he stares at the boarding passes—seats 5A, 5B, 6A and 6B.

"We still have them," Smith said. "I don't know what we'll do with them."

The Smiths never used those boarding passes, because a Continental gate agent was sympathetic to his children.

Smith's family was coming along "so the kids could enjoy winter" while he officiated AHL games in Rochester; Toronto, and Hamilton, Ontario.

The Smith family was booked on the Continental flight from their home near Palm Beach, Fla., to Newark, N.J., and then to Buffalo.

They were in the gate area in Palm Beach, boarding passes in hand and their luggage was already checked onto the plane.

"We did everything we could to get on that flight," Smith said.

Both flights were scheduled to buck strong winds and when the gate agent, Jackie Papa, saw Smith's two kids, she told him he should consider an alternate route. The turbulence, she said, would be far too unsettling.

"If it was any other week, if my kids were not with me, I'd have been on that flight," Smith said. "I'd have said, 'What's a little turbulence?' It's probably the first flight I didn't get on in a thousand flights that I was supposed to be on."

The day of Feb. 12 was already chaotic for the airlines. The strong winds in the Great Lakes region of western New York were causing delays and passengers were restless.

While Smith has yet to speak with Papa—they'd been playing phone tag—he heard she had decided to be nice to him, because he had understood about the weather-related flight backups.

Smith can surely relate to the customer unrest she was dealing with at the counter. As a referee, his calls on the ice can anger players and coaches, so a voice of reason and diplomacy is key.

He took Papa's advice and flew U.S. Airways through Charlotte, N.C. and then to Buffalo, instead.

They learned of the Flight 3407 disaster, moments after arriving in the Buffalo-Niagara terminal and realized how lucky they were.

"It was just a fortunate chain of events," Smith said.

He's quite sure his entire family knew they were on the flight manifest, based on the plethora of questions he faced when he phoned Continental around 1 a.m. just to make sure they knew he wasn't on board.

"You don't necessarily think about it all the time, but it's amazing how many little things make you think about it," he said.

On Sunday there was a knock at his cottage door in Canada—a Continental baggage employee was delivering their luggage, which had been taken off Continental Flight 3407, but didn't get transferred to their U.S. Airways flight in enough time.

"He didn't really explain anything," Smith said. "But it still had the Flight 3407 bag tags."

On Monday his family flew back to Florida. "Ironically they’re on the same Continental flights," he said.

His oldest son, Paddon, is in first grade. A condition of missing school to go on a winter getaway was to write a daily journal.

Last Friday, he drew a picture of a crashed plane.

"Above it said, 'My plane crashed today, dad said.' Underneath it said, 'I wasn't on it'."

A week later Jeff Smith can't fully explain why, either.

"I look at the flight manifest," he said. "And realize there could have been 53 names.

Sources: Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, Kevin Oklobzija

Britney Milazzo is a Contributor for Bleacher Report. 

The Rochester Americans used to be the only team in the American Hockey League to produce talent for two NHL franchises: The Buffalo Sabres and the Florida Panthers.

However, that changed last season. The Buffalo Sabres gave up their affiliation with Rochester and the “Amerks” are now connected solely with the Panthers.

Why?

Amerks owner, Steve Donner, who has fallen behind in payments to the franchise for player and arena use still wants to regain control, despite mismanagement of team finances.

Donner cut corners by refusing to sign players he would have to pay for exclusively and that put a damper on player development.

It was also reported that Rochester wanted to get out of the dual-affiliation agreement after the first year, but Donner refused, since the agreements in place saved him money.

Also, Rochester billionaire and native, Tom Golisano, wanted to buy the team, but Donner refused to sell to him.

The Sabres' decision not to put money into fielding a highly competitive team since the end of the lockout was also a major factor.

The Rochester market demands a very competitive team and the Sabres were not provided that over the past three seasons.

Moving forward, there are doubts they will provide more, as they have hinted that they will bring in prospects from other organizations. Among those other franchises are Dallas, whom they hope to draw from to fill out their AHL roster, as opposed to signing veterans.

Some say it just doesn’t make sense for Buffalo to lose their affiliation with a team only 50 miles away.

It was an easy transfer for an Amerk to head to Buffalo in a short car ride and now a three hour flight to Florida seems almost insane.

Buffalo now looks for their talent in Portland, Maine with the AHL Pirates.

Britney Milazzo is a Contributor for Bleacher Report.