Around The AHL: Champions in Chocolatetown

In an AHL season in which so much was different, the Hershey Bears contributed some normalcy by doing what they so often do – win.

“We want to win,” Hershey head coach Spencer Carbery said. “We expect to win, and everybody needs to get on board with that. It's not going to be 10 [players]. It's not going to be eight guys. It's going to be 20.”

The AHL’s flagship franchise captured its 20th division championship, with six of those titles coming during their current affiliation with the Washington Capitals that began in 2005-06. 

The wildly successful affiliation has produced a parade of players sent to Washington, including 14 members of the Capitals’ 2018 Stanley Cup championship team. In Hershey, the Bears have taken three Calder Cup championships, finished as a runner-up twice more, and have only missed the Calder Cup Playoffs twice, a remarkable feat in a league with ever-changing rosters. 

The two sides inked a new four-year affiliation extension before this season. For the Capitals, Hershey offers an AHL affiliation that is run like an NHL operation, plays out of the well-appointed 10,500-seat Giant Center just two hours from Washington, and boasts a passionate fan base with an 84-season history.