GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS, SYRACUSE CRUNCH TO MEET IN 2017 CALDER CUP FINALS

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Grand Rapids Griffins and Syracuse Crunch will meet in the 2017 Calder Cup Finals beginning Friday night, June 2, in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The Griffins and Crunch closed out their respective conference championship series with Game 5 victories on Saturday night. Grand Rapids eliminated San Jose, while Syracuse knocked off Providence.

It will be the second head-to-head meeting in the AHL's championship series in the last five years for the clubs. The Griffins defeated the Crunch, four games to two, to win the Calder Cup in 2013.

As Western Conference champions, the Griffins, top development affiliate of the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings, have won the Robert W. Clarke Trophy in their second season under head coach Todd Nelson. The Griffins were 47-23-1-5 (100 points, .658) and finished second in the Central Division during the regular season before defeating the Milwaukee Admirals (3-0), the Chicago Wolves (4-1) and the San Jose Barracuda (4-1) en route to the Finals.

Top development team of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning, the Crunch are the winners of the Richard F. Canning Trophy as the AHL’s Eastern Conference champions. Under first-year head coach Benoit Groulx, the Crunch won the North Division with a record of 38-24-7-7 (90 points, .592) and eliminated the St. John's IceCaps (3-1), Toronto Marlies (4-3) and Providence Bruins (4-1) in the playoffs.

Established in 1990, the AHL’s Western Conference championship trophy honors Robert W. Clarke, who served as the Chairman of the AHL’s Board of Governors from 1967-94. In 1956, Mr. Clarke played an instrumental role in the formation of the Rochester Americans, one of the most successful franchises in AHL history and themselves a seven-time recipient of the Clarke Trophy.

Established in 1990, the AHL’s Eastern Conference championship trophy honors Richard F. Canning, who served the AHL for more than 50 years during his career, including a term as league president from 1958-61. Mr. Canning is recognized as the author of the AHL’s constitution, by-laws and regulations.

As a thanks to the AHL’s loyal and dedicated fans, the American Hockey League and NeuLion, Inc., are making video streaming of all seven games of the 2017 Calder Cup Finals available for viewing at no charge from AHL Live via desktop, laptop, mobile device or tablet.

To watch free, simply visit ahllive.com from any desktop computer, log in with your AHL Live account (or create a new one), select the Finals All-Access Pass and enter the promo code FINALS17 to access all of the action of the AHL’s championship series featuring the calls of the Griffins’ Bob Kaser and the Crunch’s Dan D’Uva. You can watch on your desktop or laptop through ahllive.com, or download the official AHL Live app from iTunes or Google Play to watch on your mobile device or tablet.

Satellite radio subscribers can also listen to the 2017 Calder Cup Finals on NHL Network Radio (SiriusXM 91), which will carry Game 1 and Games 3-7 of the series.

In addition, the American Hockey League will be providing behind-the-scenes coverage of the Finals via theahl.com and its social media channels on Twitter (@TheAHL), Facebook (/theahl), Instagram (@TheAHL) and Periscope (@TheAHL).

2017 Calder Cup Finals (best-of-seven)
Grand Rapids Griffins vs. Syracuse Crunch
Game 1 – Fri., June 2 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7 ET (AHL Live, SiriusXM 91)
Game 2 – Sat., June 3 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7 ET (AHL Live)
Game 3 – Wed., June 7 – Grand Rapids at Syracuse, 7 ET (AHL Live, SiriusXM 91)
Game 4 – Fri., June 9 – Grand Rapids at Syracuse, 7 ET (AHL Live, SiriusXM 91)
*Game 5 – Sat., June 10 – Grand Rapids at Syracuse, 7 ET (AHL Live, SiriusXM 91)
*Game 6 – Tue., June 13 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7 ET (AHL Live, SiriusXM 91)
*Game 7 – Wed., June 14 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7 ET (AHL Live, ^SiriusXM 91)
*if necessary… ^if no NHL game

Season Tickets for 2017-18 on Sale Now: Don’t miss a moment of the action by reserving your seats for the IceHogs 19th season of professional hockey and 11th as the top AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks. Opening night is Oct. 14 and ticket packages begin as low as $105 for a seven-game mini pack. Please contact us at (815) 847-6399 or by visiting icehogs.com to claim your spots for this upcoming season.