The Springfield Thunderbirds are currently finding their own success thanks to the presence of two battle-tested veterans.

For over a decade, Geordie Kinnear has been taking notes, preparing for his shot to be a head coach.

The Carolina Hurricanes have acquired forward Connor Brickley from the Florida Panthers in exchange for forward Brody Sutter.

The Springfield Thunderbirds have made a point of reaching out to the community as they lay the foundations for their first season.

The Montreal Canadiens have acquired defenseman Jonathan Racine from the Florida Panthers in return for forward Tim Bozon.

It is within the fabric of the city of Springfield’s long, rich history that some of hockey’s earliest and strongest roots can be found.

What to do on a sweltering summer day? Well, how about talking hockey for four hours?

Springfield’s new American Hockey League franchise will take the ice for the upcoming 2016-17 season as the Springfield Thunderbirds. With hockey fans and local dignitaries looking on from center ice seats at the MassMutual Center, team officials announced the new name through a pulsating two-minute video on the arena’s state of the art LED scoreboard.