The second-year AHL franchise is one of the biggest success stories in hockey right now, packing the building and generating millions of dollars in revenues.
Coachella Valley Firebirds and their fansThe Coachella Valley Firebirds came one agonizing overtime goal away from winning the Calder Cup last season, their first in the AHL. Talk about an impressive debut.
The farm team of the Seattle Kraken plays in a pretty unlikely place, Palm Desert in California, but they've been a smashing success, both in the standings and on the business side of the game. And while the NHL's Arizona Coyotes are capturing all the headlines as the team is likely to relocate to Utah, here's more proof that hockey works in the desert, especially when a team keeps winning.
The Firebirds have the second-best record in the AHL and are fifth in attendance. As they prepare to chase the Calder Cup for the second time, Ken Campbell caught a late-season game and filed this report: