All-American Hockey League

The All-American Hockey League was a hockey league that existed as the AAHL for three seasons, 1986-87, 1987-88 and 1988-89. The league was semi-professional, except for its second season, where it was minor pro.
==History==
===Inaugural season===
The All-American Hockey League originated from the Continental Hockey League that was formed in 1972. When the league folded in 1986, three of its members, the Danville Fighting Saints, Dayton Jets and Troy Sabres, went to form a new league to replace the folded one - the AAHL was born. Two other teams joined the upstart league; they were the Jackson All-Americans and the Downriver Stars. Danville won the regular season championship for that inaugural season, with their center Troy Nelson dominating the league with 67 goals and 69 assists (136 points).
===Second season===
In 1987, the AAHL and the Atlantic Coast Hockey League merged. The resulting league kept the name All-American Hockey League, but, as a result of the minor-pro status of the ACHL, the expanded league went from semi-pro to minor pro. The Virginia Lancers, the Carolina Thunderbirds, the Port Huron Clippers and the Johnstown Chiefs joined the league. Meanwhile, the Downriver Stars became the Michigan Stars for 14 games before folding and the Miami Valley Sabres appeared out of a merger between Troy and Dayton. Led by John Tortorella, the Lancers won the regular season title with 37 wins in 43 contests. However, it was Pierre Hamel's Thunderbirds who won the playoffs.
===Third season===
In its third and last season, the league was back to five teams and to its original semi-pro status. The Virginia Lancers, Carolina Thunderbirds and Johnstown Chiefs were gone; they had left to form a new minor professional league, the East Coast Hockey League. The Port Huron Clippers were gone too; the team had folded after the last season. The Lincoln Park Patriots and Springfield Capitols joined the last three survivors. The Sabres won the regular season. Following the season, the league ceased its activities and the five teams left disappeared.
==Teams==
Team 	Location 	Arena 	Tenure 	Notes
Danville Fighting Saints	Danville, Illinois 	David S. Palmer Arena 	1986-1989	folded
Dayton Jets 	Dayton, Ohio 	Hara Arena 	1986-1987	merged with Troy Sabres to form Miami Valley Sabres
Downriver Stars 	Southgate, MichiganTrenton, Michigan	Southgate Civic ArenaKennedy Recreation Center	1986-1987	become Brownstown Township, Michigan based Michigan Stars
Jackson All-Americans 	Jackson, Michigan 	Jackson Optimist Ice Arena 	1986-1989	folded
Troy Sabres 	Troy, Ohio 	Hobart Arena 	1986-1987	merged with Dayton Jets to form Miami Valley Sabres
Carolina Thunderbirds 	Winston-Salem, North Carolina 	LJVM Coliseum Annex 	1987-1988	join East Coast Hockey League
Johnstown Chiefs 	Johnstown, Pennsylvania 	Cambria County War Memorial Arena 	1987-1988	join East Coast Hockey League
Miami Valley Sabres 	Troy, Ohio 	Hobart Arena 	1987-1989	folded
Michigan Stars 	Brownstown Township, Michigan 	Ice Box 	1987-1987	folded November 30, 1987
Port Huron Clippers 	Port Huron, Michigan 	McMorran Arena 	1987-1988	folded
Virginia Lancers 	Vinton, Virginia 	LancerLot 	1987-1988	join East Coast Hockey League
Lincoln Park Patriots 	Lincoln Park, Michigan 	Lincoln Park Civic Arena 	1988-1989	folded
Springfield Capitols 	Springfield, Illinois 	Nelson Center 	1988-1989	folded
==Sources and References==
* http://www.azhockey.com/Al.htm#All-American%20Hockey%20League
* http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/aahl19881988.html
* www.azhockey.com for the fate of the teams involved
Category:Ice hockey leagues
Category:Defunct ice hockey leagues
Category:All-American Hockey League
Category:Established in 1986
Category:Disestablished in 1989