© 2010 The Admirals Crew www.admirals-crew.com
The Admirals had humble beginnings as the Milwaukee Wings formed at the beginning of 1970. The name would be changed to the "Admirals" later in the year. The story goes that the Admirals owner at the time owned an appliance store and named the team after his best selling line, the "Admiral". The team competed as an independent regional team in it's first years.
In 1973 the Admirals became part of the USHL (United States Hockey League). In 1976 the team was on the verge of folding when the Admirals swept the playoffs and won the USHL championship.
Jane and Lloyd Pettit bought the team soon after and the franchise moved to the IHL (International Hockey League) in 1977. The Admirals were affiliated with many NHL teams in their early days in the IHL. Including Philadelphia, Buffalo, Quebec, Toronto, Edmonton, St. Louis, Chicago, Boston, and Hartford. Vancouver became the Ads affiliate in 1988, a partnership that lasted 4 years and kicked off the franchise’s most successful era. The Admirals then became an unaffiliated independent team until 1998 when the Admirals became the top affiliate for the new expansion NHL franchise the Nashville Predators. An event that might have helped save the team when the IHL went under 3 years later. The Admirals made it to the Turner Cup finals only once in their 24 IHL seasons. In 1983 the Admirals lost to Toledo 4 games to 2.
The Admirals and 5 other teams from the defunct IHL moved to the AHL (American Hockey League) in 2001. The AHL became the top developmental league of the NHL. In their 3rd AHL season the Admirals had one of the best teams in the league, had the best record at the end of the regular season and was one of the highest scoring teams. They marched through the 2004 Calder Cup playoffs beating tough rivals like Cincinnati and Chicago to make it to the Calder Cup finals where they swept the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins in decisive fashion to capture the franchise's first professional championship. They would reach the finals again two seasons later in 2006 but lost to the Hershey Bears.
Like the 1976 championship team the 2004 Admirals helped save the team by their victory. Waning attendance over the years and the passing of owner Jane Pettit left the team in dire straits. In 2006 a group of investors led by Harris Turer purchased the team and injected new life into the franchise.
The relationship between Milwaukee and Nashville is now in it's 11th year and you can find Admirals alumni on almost every NHL team. The team is in their 9th AHL season and continues to grow under the ownership of Harris Turer.
Retired Numbers
#9 Phil Whitliff- Former Admirals player, coach, and GM. Was a member of the 1976 Championship team. Number retired in 1977.
#27 Danny Lecours- Admirals all-time leader in most seasons played, most games played, goals and points. Number retired in 1987
#14 Fred Berry/Mike McNeil- Berry played 7 seasons as a center for the Ads. McNeill played 6 seasons as an Admiral. Number retired in 2003 Berry still resides in Milwaukee.
#44 Gino Cavallini/Kevin Willison- Cavallini was only an Admiral for three seasons but was a popular high scorer. Willison was voted the IHL's best defensemen two years in a row while with the Admials and was a member of the 1983 team that made it to the Turner Cup Finals. Number retired in 2004.
#26 Tony Hrkac- Hobey Baker award winner played 3 seasons with the Admirals before continuing onto the NHL where he won a Stanley Cup with Dallas in 1999. He returned to the Admirals at the end of his career where he helped the team win the 2004 Calder Cup. Number retired in 2008. Hrkac also remains in Milwaukee. *Hrkac came out of retirement in 2009 with the Houston Aeros. He returned to place that hung his number in the rafters and was an important part of the Aeros 7 game defeat of the Admirals in the 2009 Calder Cup playoffs.
The Bradley Center
The Bradley Center in downtown Milwaukee has been the home of the Admirals since 1988. It seats nearly 18,000 for hockey. www.bradleycenter.com