The Coachella Valley Firebirds and Hershey Bears need a Game 7 to determine the 2023 AHL champion.
Slowly but surely the Montreal Canadiens have begun making headlines, like today's news that the organization signed forward Sean Monahan to a one-year contract extension. But after a quick round of three contracts signed at the AHL level for Laval last week, all has been quiet on the American League front.
Except, of course, when it comes to the Calder Cup Final. This year's series pits the oldest team in the league, the Hershey Bears, against the new kids on the block, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Initially it looked as if Seattle's affiliate would run away with the series, after the blanked the Bears in games one and two in the Firebirds' barn. But Hershey, the AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals, turned the tide when the series shifted to the east coast, taking the next three games and putting themselves up 3-2 in the series.
Game 6 took the teams back to California, where the Bears got out to an early lead. But home ice has proved to be a true advantage in this series, and the Firebirds finished the job at home to force a seventh, and final, game to determine a champion.
To explore this exciting series further, we invite you to listen to the latest edition of The Press Zone podcast, hosted by Amy Johnson. This weekly show provides Habs fans with the latest news, analysis, and commentary regarding the Laval Rocket, Canadiens prospects, and American Hockey League news.
This Week’s Show: TPZ ep 311 | Who Will Be Crowned Calder Cup Champion?
Segment 1 | Rocket Sports Media Update
- Introducing the podcast to a new audience of listeners and filling in long-time listeners with some exciting news about Rocket Sports team members joining the Canadiens coverage on The Hockey News!
Segment 2 | Around the AHL
- Patrick Williams (@pwilliamsAHL) joins the show (direct from California!) to provide first-hand insight of the Calder Cup Final series, with a look back at a wild few games in Hershey, a raucous game six, and a preview of the final game of the 2022-23 season for professional hockey.
Listen to the Latest Episode
You can listen to the latest episode of The Press Zone podcast here: Who Will Be Crowned Calder Cup Champion? | Press Zone podcast ep 311