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hile the hockey community remains fixated on the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs this spring, plenty of fan bases across the nation have pas- sionately been keeping close tabs on the American Hockey League postseason. Just as only one team can win the Stanley Cup, only one franchise will take home the presti- gious Calder Cup. The AHL, which is the top development league for the NHL, is amidst its 88th sea- son after first forming in 1936 when the Canadian-American Hockey League joined with the International Hockey League. Hockey has a rich tradition of naming annual trophies after celebrated founders and notable people in the sport, and the Calder Cup is no exception. Frank Calder, the NHL's founding pres- ident, was extremely influential in the formation of the AHL and, therefore, the trophy awarded to the champions of the AHL was named in his honor. The NHL's Calder Memorial Trophy is also named in Calder's honor. The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition." Calder's path to the NHL came following seven years in the newspaper business. He was elected secretary treasurer of the National Hockey Association. Three years later, in 1917, owners of the newly formed National Hockey League met at the Montreal Windsor Hotel and voted Calder the league's first president. Under Calder's watchful eye, the burgeoning professional league survived its growing pains and expanded to include what is today known as the "Original Six"—the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings. Meanwhile, the AHL's first season (1937) featured eight teams —the Buffalo Bisons, Cleveland Falcons, Pittsburgh Hornets, New Haven Eagles, Providence Reds, Springfield Indians, Philadelphia Ramblers and Syracuse Stars. In 1938, the Calder Cup tro- phy itself was first award- ed to the Providence Reds. In 1996, George Parsons of the Syracuse Stars was pre- sented the Calder Cup in a ceremony in Syracuse as it was believed Syracuse never received a trophy for their 1937 championship. In 2001, the trophy's base was changed to include two tiers of plaques, which feature the rosters of each of the last 20 Calder Cup champions. Meanwhile, plaques from all previous champi- ons are on display in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. The entire Calder Cup trophy W The Rich History of The Calder Cup PHOTOS COURTESY OF AHL; JustSportsPhotography; Graig Abel/AHL 12 // MAY 2024 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM I N T H E CO R N E R S H E R O E S & H I S T O R Y 12 Hershey 10 Cleveland 7 Springfield 6 Rochester 5 Providence 3 Chicago 2 Grand Rapids (MULITPLE CUP WINNERS BY CITY) Calder Cup the John Carlson Tyler Johnson g By Tom and Jerry Caraccioli