Rochester Americans History: Top 10 Players
As the Rochester Americans prepare to celebrate their 60th anniversary this coming Friday, it’s a great time to look back on the history of the franchise and some of the top players in it.
While most of us are familiar with some of the current roster, such as Buffalo Sabres prospects Philip Varone, Tim Schaller, Andrey Makarov and Nathan Lieuwen, this is a fantastic week to look back at the past sixty years.
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The Rochester Americans are celebrating their 60th anniversary this Friday, January 8 against the Hershey Bears. The team will wear special commemorative jerseys to honor their history, with ticket & t-shirt packages available for just $25.
Before we continue on with the top 10 players in Rochester Americans history, here are some fun facts:
For instance, did you know that Gordie Hannigan was the first-ever captain in Rochester Americans history? He served as captain in the 1956-57 season, before Benny Woit took over the next season.
The famed Don Cherry would eventually serve as captain of the Rochester Americans, holding that position between 1965 and 1969.
Those first three seasons – from 1956 until 1959 – the Rochester Americans were affiliated with both the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Historically, the Amerks have also been affiliated with Vancouver, Boston and Florida, as well as the Buffalo Sabres.
The first-ever game in Rochester Americans history came on October 14, 1956 against the Cleveland Barons. It was a 2-2 tie at the Rochester War Memorial, with Mike Nykoluk scoring the first-ever goal in team history at 11:03 of the first period, on a power-play.
Bronco Horvath scored the first hat trick in Rochester Americans history on December 9, 1956 – exactly one month after Charlie Hodge backstopped the first-ever shutout in team history, a 5-0 win over Providence.
There’s certainly a lot of interesting history with the Rochester Americans over the past 60 years; now, here are your top 10 players in franchise history.