Springfield Thunderbirds

Lore & Background

The Thunderbirds were established in May 2016 after the Springfield Falcons relocated to Tucson, Arizona, and the Portland Pirates were sold to a Springfield-based group and moved to Springfield for the 2016–17 season. The new owners included local business interests such as Paul Picknelly, owner of the Springfield Sheraton and member of the family owning Peter Pan Bus Lines, along with several local hotel owners. The team name was announced on June 15, 2016, invoking both the mythological Thunderbird and the United States Air Force presence in the region, including Barnes and Westover Air Reserve Bases.

The Thunderbirds inherited the Florida Panthers' affiliation from the Pirates, with Eric Joyce as general manager and Geordie Kinnear as head coach. Their inaugural season saw average attendance rise from 3,108 in the Falcons' last season to 4,618, including three sellouts. On February 17, 2018, it was announced that the team would host the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic, the first in Springfield since 1959. On March 6, 2020, the Thunderbirds announced a five-year affiliation deal with the St. Louis Blues starting in 2020–21, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, they opted out of the 2020–21 season.

In the 2021–22 season, the Thunderbirds led the Atlantic Division with a 43-26-4-3 record and made the playoffs for the first time, sweeping the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Charlotte Checkers, then defeating the Laval Rocket in seven games. They reached the Calder Cup Finals but lost to the Chicago Wolves in five games. On October 4, 2024, the team renewed its affiliation with the St. Louis Blues through the 2030–31 season.

Reader's Guide

The Springfield Thunderbirds represent a continuation of a century-old hockey tradition in Springfield, Massachusetts, where a team has taken the ice in the AHL or its predecessors for all but seven years since 1926. The franchise was created through the relocation of the Portland Pirates in 2016, following the departure of the Springfield Falcons, and was owned by a consortium of local business interests seeking to keep hockey in the city. The team's name honors both the mythological Thunderbird and the region's U.S. Air Force bases. The Thunderbirds' significance lies in their role as a developmental affiliate, first for the Florida Panthers and then for the St. Louis Blues. Under the Blues' affiliation, the team achieved its greatest success, making the playoffs for the first time in 2021–22 and reaching the Calder Cup Finals. The team has also hosted the AHL All-Star Classic in 2019, the first such event in Springfield since 1959. Attendance has risen in each of its first four seasons, and the team has retired numbers honoring Eddie Shore (Springfield Indians) and Rob Murray (Springfield Falcons), as well as banners for former AHL president Jack Butterfield, vice president Gordie Anziano, former Indians' general manager Bruce Landon, and Willie O'Ree.

Did You Know?

• The Thunderbirds' first game was a 4–2 loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on October 15, 2016.
• The team's name was announced on June 15, 2016, and invokes both the mythological Thunderbird and U.S. Air Force bases in the region.