Norfolk Admirals [Hockey] (1989 - Present)

Kevin Geisert, SMC Reference Librarian, January 2024

The Norfolk Admirals are a professional ice hockey team that plays in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), which operates as a minor league system for the National Hockey League (NHL).  They play in downtown Norfolk at Scope Arena.  Beginning in August 2023, the Admirals began their minor league affiliation with the Winnipeg Jets.  For the previous two years, they were affiliated with the Carolina Hurricanes.  Since returning to the ECHL in 2015, Norfolk has also played as a farm team for the Edmonton Oilers and Nashville Predators.[1]   


Unlike baseball, professional ice hockey is relatively new to Norfolk, but local sports fans have supported the Admirals at Scope Arena.  Blake Cullen, a former Major League Baseball (MLB) executive, was its first owner.[2]  Following a highly attended minor league exhibition game in Norfolk, the ECHL granted him a new franchise for the 1989-1990 season.  A naming contest was held and the “Admirals” moniker, in homage to the city’s naval history, won the fan vote.  At this time, they became known as the Hampton Roads Admirals to include the entire region.[3]          

Executives tapped John Brophy, who had previously led the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL, to coach the squad in 1989.  For their inaugural season, they began an NHL affiliation with the Washington Capitals.[4]  They opened their season on Friday, October 27, 1989 at Scope against the Virginia Lancers (based in Vinton, Virginia).  It was a successful debut for the Admirals who recorded their first ever win on the ice by a score of 6-3.  Steve Greenberg thrilled the large crowd by scoring a hat trick.  The 5,602 new Admirals fans went home happy following a fun night at Scope.[5]  Success came quickly for the new franchise.  In just their second season, Hampton Roads defeated the Greensboro Monarchs for the Riley Cup (ECHL Championship).  In a best of seven series, the Admirals won 4-1.  They successfully defended their Riley Cup the following season in 1992 to win another championship.  The Admirals breezed through the playoffs by posting a 12-2 record, which culminated in a 4-0 sweep of the Louisville Icehawks.  Six years later, Hampton Roads defeated the Pensacola Ice Pilots to capture a third ECHL Championship (now known as the Kelly Cup), which proved to be their unlikeliest title run of all.  The local team won despite being the lowest seeded team when playoff hockey began. Brophy coached the Admirals for their entire run in the ECHL from 1989-2000.[6] 

In 2000, the team rebranded as the Norfolk Admirals.  That same year they joined the American Hockey League (AHL) as an expansion franchise.  The AHL is comparable to Triple A Baseball.  As professional hockey’s advanced developmental league, the AHL is just one step below the NHL.[7]  In June 2000, the Admirals named Trent Yawney as their new coach.[8]  They lost their AHL debut to the Hershey Bears at Scope by a score of 3-1.[9]  Prior to their first game, Norfolk reached a deal to serve as an affiliate of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks.  This agreement lasted for seven seasons until 2007 when the Admirals changed their affiliation to the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Norfolk then played in the Tampa Bay farm system for the next five years, which ended with the 2011-2012 season.[10] 


In their final season as a Tampa Bay affiliate during the 2011-2012 season, the Norfolk Admirals received national and international attention when they went on a winning streak that captivated an entire city.[11]  Beginning with a 2-0 win over the Adirondack Phantoms on Friday February 12, they went on a 29-game winning streak that lasted into the Calder Cup Playoffs.[12]  The streak ended when they lost 5-2 to the Manchester Monarchs at Scope in Game 2 of their first round best-of-five playoff series.[13]  Norfolk finished the regular season with a 55-18 record, which far outpaced all other AHL competitors.  Their superior play earned them the top seed in the 2012 Calder Cup Playoffs.  Entering postseason play as heavy favorites, the Admirals steamrolled to a 15-3 postseason record.  It was their first and only Calder Cup Championship.  Although Manchester ended Norfolk’s record winning streak, the Admirals still took command and won the quarterfinal series 3-1.  They faced their toughest challenge in the second round but outlasted the Connecticut Whale 4-2 in a best-of-seven series.  Following this matchup, they easily swept their next two opponents 4-0 to claim the Calder Cup.  In the Eastern Conference Finals, Norfolk defeated the St. John’s IceCaps.  Then this historic season reached a triumphant conclusion by defeating the Toronto Marlies in the championship round.[14]  It was also the last time this version of the Norfolk Admirals took the ice.  Before the 2012-2013 season, Norfolk switched its affiliation to the Anaheim Ducks, which meant that local hockey fans would need to become familiar with an entirely new group of players at Scope.  During the same time, Tampa Bay relocated its affiliate and reigning AHL champs to Syracuse, New York where would play as the Syracuse Crunch.[15] 


In 2015, Norfolk ended its run in the AHL when the Admirals relocated to San Diego and they have henceforth been known as the Gulls.[16]  Meanwhile, the Bakersfield (CA) Condors arrived in Norfolk to resume the Admirals name.  This new team continues to play in front of passionate hockey fans at Scope.  Moving back to the ECHL was a demotion from the AHL, but fan support has never wavered.  Their affiliation with the Winnipeg Jets just secured, the Norfolk Admirals appear set to make more memories now and in the future.[17] 

Sources: 


Name (Original):   Hampton Roads Admirals (1989-2000)

Name (Also Known As):   Norfolk Admirals (2000-Present)


Address: Norfolk's Scope Arena


Name of Founder(s): Blake Cullen

Date Founded: Spring 1989

Type of Entity: Professional Sports Organization


Major Keywords/Search Terms: 

Norfolk Admirals| Hampton Roads Admirals| Cullen, Blake|  Edmonton Oilers| Nashville Predators| East Coast Hockey League (ECHL)| Carolina Hurricanes| Winnipeg Jets| Scope Arena| National Hockey League (NHL)|Major League Baseball (MLB)| Greenberg, Steve| Washington Capitals| Virginia Lancers| Toronto Maple Leafs| Brophy, John| Louisville Icehawks| Greensboro Monarchs| Pensacola Ice Pilots| Riley Cup| Kelly Cup| American Hockey League (AHL)| San Diego Gulls| Anaheim Ducks| Tampa Bay Lightning| Chicago Blackhawks| Triple-A Baseball| Syracuse Crunch| St. John’s IceCaps| Toronto Marlies| Manchester Monarchs| Calder Cup| Adirondack Phantoms| Connecticut Whale|

Yawney, Trent| Bakersfield Condors| Hershey Bears|  


Sources:

 

1.    Primary Sources:

 

A.    Books and Pamphlets:

 

City Directories:

 

B.    Documents/Collections:


Norfolk Admirals Hockey Collection, 1991-2014, MSS 0000-381. 

http://smcarchives.libraryhost.com/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=231&q=norfolk+admirals.

  

C.    Newspapers/Magazines/Journals (Selected Articles):

 

1989


2000

 

2001

 

2012

 

2015


E. Photographs/Images:


 


2.    Secondary Sources:

 

A.    Websites:


https://norfolkadmirals.com/team/about#:~:text=February