Grand Rapids, home to the Calder sculpture La Grande Vitesse, would welcome a return of the AHL’s Calder Cup.

Story by Mark Newman / Photo by Bob Kaser

It stands 24 inches tall and weighs 35 pounds. Its hardwood base is made of Brazilian mahogany. Its bowl, made of sterling silver, is 12 inches high and eight inches in diameter. It features two tiers of plaques, which include the rosters of each of the last 20 championship teams.

Coveted by every American Hockey League team, the Calder Cup has been the mark of excellence and one of the motivational forces for players throughout the circuit’s 80-year history. Being able to hoist the trophy at the completion of a long and arduous season remains one of hockey’s greatest challenges and ultimate honors.

The trophy is named for Frank Calder, who served as the National Hockey League’s first president from 1917 to 1943. During the 1920s, Calder was instrumental in guiding hockey into the mainstream of major American cities like Boston, New York, Detroit and Chicago, while also helping in the formation of the American League.

Although the AHL began play in 1936-37, the Calder Cup was first awarded in 1938 to the Providence Reds for winning the second International-American Hockey League championship. The Syracuse Stars had won the first but didn’t receive the trophy for the feat. It took 60 years, but the league corrected this oversight in 1996 when George Parsons, a member of that Syracuse team, was presented the Calder Cup in a ceremony at the Onondaga County War Memorial.

Including Grand Rapids in 2013, a total of 31 different cities have had their AHL club win the Calder Cup, led by Hershey with 11. The other active cities with more than one title are Cleveland (nine), Springfield (seven), Rochester (six), Providence (five), Portland (four) and Chicago (two).

A total of 29 members of the Hockey Hall of Fame have won the Calder Cup in their careers, including Johnny Bower, Terry Sawchuk, Emile Francis, Gerry Cheevers, Al Arbour, Andy Bathgate, Larry Robinson, Doug Harvey, Patrick Roy and 2013 inductee Fred Shero.

Two former Griffins rank among the AHL’s best in Calder Cup playoff achievements.

Two-time Calder Cup champion Darren Haydar, who played the 2008-09 season in Grand Rapids, is the AHL’s all-time leader in playoff goals (63), assists (80) and points (143). Three-time Cup winner Bryan Helmer, who played for the Griffins in 2004-05 and 2005-06, has played in more Calder Cup Playoff games (159) than anyone else.

In addition to the many great players who have hoisted the Calder Cup, many outstanding coaches have also captured the AHL’s championship trophy. Besides Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill, who guided the Griffins to the 2013 title, other current NHL head coaches with the Calder Cup on their resumes include Barry Trotz (Portland, 1994), Bob Hartley (Hershey, 1997), Peter Laviolette (Providence, 1999), Todd McLellan (Houston, 2003), Bruce Boudreau (Hershey, 2006), Jon Cooper (Norfolk, 2012) and Willie Desjardins (Texas, 2014).

Grand Rapids hockey fans know that their home team has fared well in the playoffs the past three seasons, reaching the Western Conference Finals last season, two years after winning the Calder Cup. The Griffins have played 50 postseason games since 2013, the most by any AHL team over a three-year span in league history.

During the first round of the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs against Toronto, the Griffins became just the 11th team in AHL history to win a best-of-five series after trailing two games to none. (Only three teams have come back from 0-3 down to win a best-of-7 series.)

The Griffins have enjoyed success in the postseason thanks to tenacious teamwork and some incredible individual accomplishments. Most notably, Tomas Tatar scored 16 goals and 21 points during the 2013 Calder Cup drive to be recognized as the AHL’s Playoff MVP.

Veterans Jeff Hoggan and Nathan Paetsch played in all 50 postseason games during the past three seasons, as did Brennan Evans, who is now playing for the Texas Stars. Hoggan, incidentally, ranks third in points among Griffins during the Calder Cup Playoffs. His 26 points are just two behind Jiri Hudler, who is second only to Teemu Pulkkinen, whose 22 goals and 12 assists make him Grand Rapids’ all-time Calder Cup points leader.

Pulkkinen is also the last Grand Rapids player to register a postseason hat trick. His three goals against Rockford on May 6, 2015, made him the fourth Griffin to record the trifecta in the AHL playoffs, following Tomas Jurco, Matt Ellis and Kevin Miller. Hudler, meanwhile, notably tallied five assists against Manitoba on May 16, 2006.

Between the pipes, Petr Mrazek holds the mark for most wins by a Griffins goaltender in one playoff, securing 15 victories during his rookie season when he backstopped the Griffins to the Calder Cup title. Mrazek also holds the Griffins’ record for most shutouts in one playoff year with four.