Mayor Domenic Sarno discusses the Thunderbirds’ economic and community impact.
Reminder Publishing photo by Chris Maza
SPRINGFIELD — Oct. 4 was a good day for hockey in Springfield.
The Springfield Thunderbirds and the NHL’s St. Louis Blues gathered employees, team and public officials, and local luminaries to the MassMutual Center to announce a new agreement that will extend the two franchise’s affiliation through 2031.
With the extended accord, Springfield will remain the primary minor league talent development partner for the Blues, an arrangement that representatives on both sides described as prosperous since the initial agreement began in 2020.
That agreement, coupled with a recently announced new five-year agreement that maintains MGM Springfield as the franchise’s presenting sponsor, have solidified the notion that hockey in Springfield is and will continue to be a staple in downtown Springfield. It’s a sense of confidence that had been long desired as Springfield has lost a a hockey franchise twice in the past 40 years.
“With this seven-year extension, we’re not just continuing a partnership, we’re building a future,” said Thunderbirds President Nate Costa. “We’re doubling down on our shared belief that great hockey is built on a foundation of teamwork, trust and community.”
Addressing the fans, he added, “This partnership extension is for you. It’s a promise that the great hockey will continue to thrive in Springfield and that we will continue to deliver an experience that makes you proud to call the Thunderbirds your team.”
Mayor Domenic Sarno and others noted, Springfield’s average attendance has skyrocketed from one of the league’s worst at just over 3,100 to 6,321. Paul Picknelly, leader of the ownership group that bought an AHL franchise from Portland, Maine, and maintained hockey in Springfield after the Springfield Falcons left town in 2016, noted the team had sold out 77 games since its inception, including 20 and 14 straight during the 2023-24, both Springfield AHL records.
Sarno lauded the work of the Thunderbirds organization, led by Costa, a Springfield native, and emphasized the franchise’s community involvement and the positive “spin off” experienced by the local economy on Thunderbirds game nights. To that point, Picknelly made reference to a previous presenatation at which the franchise celebrated its estimated $126 million in economic impact, adding that by the end of this season, he anticipated that number would exceed $200 million.
On the hockey side of things, officials for both franchises described the relationship as healthy and collaborative. A total of 26 players who have suited up for the Thunderbirds have also played NHL games with the Blues and former Springfield head coach Drew Bannister was promoted to head coach of the Blues in May. Blue prospects on the ice have produced two playoff appearances in Springfield, including a run to the Calder Cup finals during the 2021-22 season.
Picknelly said a representative of the Blues is present at every home game. St. Louis Assistant General Manager Ryan Miller said the Thunderbirds and the community offer an environment in which players “not only develop on the ice but develop off of it.”
Scott Howson, president of the American Hockey League, added, “I can tell you, at the league office, I don’t spend one minute worrying about this relationship. It’s been seamless and it’s been smooth.”
Howson also announced the league’s Board of Governors had recently voted to keep its headquarters in Springfield “for the foreseeable future.” Springfield has been the league’s base of operations since 1936, however, with the league’s expansion, Howson said it had been exploring a move to a more central location.
The Springfield Indians were one of the founding AHL franchises in 1936 and Springfield has had an active AHL franchise every season since 1954, with the exception of the 2020-21 season, which the organization opted out of due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Indians, who spent a few seasons in Syracuse in the early 1950s, returned in 1954 and continued until owner Peter R. Cooney sold the team in 1994 and it was moved to Worcester. Local hockey legends Bruce Landon and Wayne Lachance saved hockey that time around, facilitating the purchase of an expansion franchise that become known as the Springfield Falcons. Landon headed that organization through some tumultuous years but was able to keep the franchise afloat until 2016 when its NHL affiliate, the Phoenix Coyotes, purchased the team and moved it to Tucson.
Picknelly and the assembled ownership group purchased the Portland Pirates and its affiliation with the Florida Panthers, which continued through the 2019-20 season.
The Thunderbirds kick off the 2024-25 season at the MassMutual Center on Saturday, Oct. 12, against the Laval Rocket. The anticipated sellout would mark the 15th in a row dating back to last season.
