2005 Calder Cup Tour starts Tuesday

The American Hockey League announced today the launch of the 2005 Calder Cup Tour, with the first stop coming Tuesday in Binghamton, N.Y.

Making its ninth annual excursion around the American Hockey League, the coveted Calder Cup will cover more than 12,000 miles as it travels to 19 cities, making appearances at games, schools, area sponsors, local TV and radio stations and various other community events. The 47-day tour leads up to the start of the 2005 Calder Cup Playoffs in mid-April.

The 2005 Calder Cup Tour offers fans the opportunity to view up close one of the oldest trophies in North American sports. The Calder Cup, which has been competed for since the 1936-37 season, features the names of players, coaches and support staff from the last 20 American Hockey League champions (the other 48 champions’ plaques are on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto), and is accompanied by a special display highlighting the intensity and excitement of the Calder Cup Playoffs.

In conjunction with the tour, the AHL has unveiled a redesigned logo for the 2005 Calder Cup Playoffs. Additionally, all AHL arenas will display specially-designed 2005 Calder Cup Playoffs posters displaying the rich tradition and history surrounding the quest for the Calder Cup. The complete tour schedule follows this release.

The AHL’s championship trophy is named after Hockey Hall of Famer Frank Calder, who served as the first president of the National Hockey League from 1917-43. During the 1920s, Calder was instrumental in guiding professional hockey into the mainstream of the United States’ major cities, including New York, Boston, Chicago and Detroit, while also helping in the formation of the American Hockey League.

Twenty-six members of the Hockey Hall of Fame are among the more than 1,200 different players, coaches and managers who have won the Calder Cup, including Terry Sawchuk, Emile Francis, Gerry Cheevers, Larry Robinson, Frank Mathers, Bill Barber, Tim Horton and Johnny Bower.