Milwaukee Admirals The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League . They play in Milwaukee , Wisconsin , USA at the Bradley Center . History . The Admirals first took to the ice in the winter of 1970 as an amateur club known as the Milwaukee Wings . They lost their first game on January 25 when the Madison All - Stars beat them 17 – 7 . They got their first win five days later when they defeated the Milwaukee Winter Club 10 – 8 . The next year the team was sold by the original owner Reed Fansher to a group of investors . One of the investors , Erwin J . Merar , owned an appliance store . The team was renamed the " Admirals " after a brand of refrigerators sold in Merar ' s store . Beginning with the 1973 - 74 season the Admirals joined the newly formed United States Hockey League . Their first season in a league was not particularly successful as they ended the season in last place in their division . They won only 11 games , lost 35 games , and tied 2 games that season . The Admirals won the USHL league championship in 1976 , winning seven straight games in the league ' s playoffs . In the off - season , the team was purchased by former Chicago Blackhawks announcer Lloyd Pettit and his wife , Jane Bradley - Pettit . For the 1977 - 78 season the Admirals joined the International Hockey League as the USHL was becoming a strictly amateur league . The Admirals appeared in the IHL ' s Turner Cup finals only once ( 1983 ) , where they lost to Toledo in six games . They stayed a part of the IHL until it joined the American Hockey League for the 2001 - 02 season when the IHL ceased operations . Five other IHL franchises also joined the AHL that season . They won their first Calder Cup in 2004 when they defeated the Wilkes - Barre / Scranton Penguins . Prior to the Finals , Milwaukee needed seven games to defeat the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks in the first round . Then the Admirals defeated the Chicago Wolves in six games to advance to the Conference Finals . The Admirals then eliminated the Rochester Americans four games to one . Milwaukee then swept the Wilkes - Barre / Scranton Penguins to win the Calder Cup . The Admirals completed a rare postseason run in which they needed one fewer game to eliminate their opponents in each subsequent series . The Admirals were purchased in June 2005 by a group of investors , led by Harris J . Turer , including Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio , assistant general manager Gord Ash and pitcher Ben Sheets . The Brewers subsequently became the sole uniform sponsor of the Admirals , and the Admirals wear a Brewers logo patch on their sweaters . The Admirals won their second division title as a member of the American Hockey League in 2006 , clinching the title on the last day of their schedule with a win over the Grand Rapids Griffins . After narrowly winning a seven - game playoff series over the Iowa Stars , Milwaukee swept both the Houston Aeros and Grand Rapids Griffins to advance to their second Calder Cup final series . To their disappointment , the Admirals would lose 4 – 2 to the Hershey Bears . On August 1 , 2006 , the Admirals unveiled their newest logo to the public at the Henry Maier Festival Park ( also known as the Summerfest grounds ) . The logo came with a radical color change for the team , away from red and blue hues to one of black , white and light blue . They also unveiled their new slogan , " " Never Say Die " " . NHL affiliation . The Admirals have been the top - level affiliate of the Nashville Predators since that team ' s founding in 1998 . On February 22 , 2010 , the clubs signed a new agreement that extended that relationship through the 2011 – 12 season with a mutual option for 2012 – 13 . During the 2006 – 2007 season , the Admirals were also part of an unusual affiliation agreement with the Edmonton Oilers , who used five partial affiliates in the AHL for the 2006 – 07 season . These five affiliates included the Milwaukee Admirals , the Grand Rapids Griffins , the Iowa Stars , the Wilkes - Barre / Scranton Penguins , and the Hamilton Bulldogs . This arrangement lasted one season , as the Oilers announced a three - year affiliation with the Springfield Falcons on March 19 , 2007 . The Oilers are now affiliated with the Bakersfield Condors . Team records . Career