Springfield Thunderbirds

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Springfield Thunderbirds
founding 2016
history Erie Blades
1975- 1982
Baltimore Skipjacks
1982 - 1993
Portland Pirates
1993 - 2016
Springfield Thunderbirds
since 2016
Stadion MassMutual Center
Location Springfield , Massachusetts
Team colors Navy Blue Sky Blue Red Gold White




league American Hockey League
Conference Eastern Conference
division Atlantic Division
Head coach CanadaCanada Geordie Kinnear
General manager United StatesUnited States Eric Joyce
owner Springfield Hockey, LLC
Cooperations St. Louis Blues ( NHL )
Calder cups no

The Springfield Thunderbirds are an American ice hockey franchise based in Springfield , Massachusetts . The team has played in the American Hockey League (AHL) since the 2016/17 season and acts as the farm team for the St. Louis Blues from the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1975 under the name Erie Blades and last played as Portland Pirates in the AHL between 1993 and 2016 .

history

In April 2016 it became known that the Springfield Falcons had been sold to the Arizona Coyotes . The team left the city after 22 years to compete as Tucson Roadrunners in the 2016/17 season . Just a month later, a group of investors from Springfield bought the Portland Pirates franchise with the intention of moving it to the city for the 2016/17 season and maintaining the city's great ice hockey tradition.

The history of the franchise dates back to 1975 when it began operating as Erie Blades . In 1982 the team moved for the first time and played as Baltimore Skipjacks until 1993 . From 1993 it had been based in Portland for 23 playing years.

Soon after the acquisition by the investor group, the Florida Panthers from the National Hockey League were presented as a new cooperation partner. Also followed on June 15, 2016, the publication of the nickname "Thunderbirds" in reference to the mythological thunderbird and the large presence of the United States Air Force in the region around Springfield.

In March 2020, the St. Louis Blues were announced as a new cooperation partner.

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