Providence Bruins
AHL affiliate of the Boston Bruins, based in Providence.
The Providence Bruins are a professional ice hockey team that plays in Providence, Rhode Island. They are the American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL’s Boston Bruins and host their home games at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.
The franchise began play in the 1992–93 AHL season after Providence mayor Buddy Cianci brokered a deal with Maine Mariners owners Frank DuRoss and Ed Anderson to relocate the club. This move brought AHL hockey back to Providence for the first time since the Providence Reds, a founding AHL team, left in 1977. The new team kept the Mariners’ existing affiliation with the NHL Bruins, which remains in place today. This arrangement predated the later trend of AHL teams moving closer to their NHL parent clubs to ease player movement.
The Bruins won their first Calder Cup in 1999. After a regular season in which they led the league with 56 wins, the team—guided by rookie head coach Peter Laviolette and led by Les Cunningham Award winner Randy Robitaille—improved from just 19 victories the previous year to defeat the Rochester Americans four games to one in the championship series.
During the 2001–02 season, the team hired 13-year-old musician Ben Schwartz as its official organist for all home games. Schwartz served in that role for seven seasons, through 2007–08, making him the youngest organist ever to work for a professional North American sports franchise.
In August 2006, DuRoss sold his majority stake in the club to Massachusetts businessman H. Larue Renfroe.
After the 2019–20 season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bruins temporarily relocated to the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Massachusetts, because the Dunkin’ Donuts Center was being used by the state of Rhode Island for pandemic operations. The New England Sports Center is also owned by Renfroe. The team returned to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center for the 2021–22 season. In September 2022, the arena was renamed the Amica Mutual Pavilion.
The Providence market was previously served by the Providence Reds from 1926 to 1977.
The team’s mascot is “Samboni,” an anthropomorphic bear similar to the Boston Bruins’ mascot, “Blades the Bruin.”
Quick Facts
- Text Color
- #231f20
- Team
- Providence Bruins
- City
- Providence, Rhode Island
- League
- American Hockey League
- Conference
- Eastern
- Division
- Atlantic
- Founded
- 1987
- Arena
- Amica Mutual Pavilion
- Owner
- H. Larue Renfroe
- Coach
- Trent Whitfield
- Gm
- Vacant
- Media
- NESN / The Providence Journal / AHL.TV (Internet)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Providence Bruins began operation for the 1992–93 AHL season after Providence mayor Buddy Cianci negotiated a deal with the owners of the Maine Mariners franchise to relocate their club. This move saw AHL hockey return to Providence for the first time since the Providence Reds, a founding member of the AHL, left town in 1977. The team inherited the Mariners' affiliation with the NHL Bruins, which continues today, predating the recent trend for AHL teams to be based closer to their NHL parents.
The Bruins captured their first AHL Calder Cup in the 1999 playoffs after a regular season in which they dominated the league with 56 wins. Led by rookie head coach Peter Laviolette and paced by Les Cunningham Award winner Randy Robitaille, the team went from only 19 victories the previous season to dropping the Rochester Americans four games to one for the championship. In the 2001–02 season, the team contracted then-13-year-old musician Ben Schwartz as official organist, making him the youngest organist to ever work for a professional North American sports franchise; he served until the 2007–08 season.
In August 2006, majority owner Frank DuRoss sold his interest to Massachusetts businessman H. Larue Renfroe. After the 2019–20 season was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bruins moved temporarily to the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Massachusetts, as the Dunkin' Donuts Center was used by Rhode Island for pandemic operations. The team returned to the Dunkin' Donuts Center for the 2021–22 season, and in September 2022 the arena was renamed Amica Mutual Pavilion.
Reader's Guide
The Providence Bruins represent a significant chapter in AHL history, particularly for their role in restoring professional hockey to Providence after the departure of the Providence Reds in 1977. Their 1999 Calder Cup championship is a standout achievement, as the team transformed from a 19-win season to a 56-win regular season and a playoff title under rookie head coach Peter Laviolette. The franchise also holds a unique distinction in sports entertainment: from 2001 to 2008, their organist was Ben Schwartz, who began the job at age 13, making him the youngest organist ever for a North American professional sports team. The team's ownership history includes a sale from Frank DuRoss to H. Larue Renfroe in 2006, and the franchise demonstrated adaptability during the COVID-19 pandemic by relocating to a temporary venue owned by Renfroe. The Providence Bruins continue to serve as the primary developmental affiliate for the Boston Bruins, a relationship that has endured since the team's inception.
Did You Know?
- The Providence Bruins began play in 1992–93 after the Maine Mariners relocated to Providence.
- They won the Calder Cup in 1999, going from 19 wins the prior season to 56 wins and the championship.
- Ben Schwartz became the youngest organist in North American professional sports when he started working for the team at age 13 in 2001.
- The team temporarily moved to the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Massachusetts, for the 2020–21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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