The Vancouver Canucks have made it official. They will end their partnership with the Utica Comets at the end of this season and will be moving their American Hockey League franchise to Abbotsford, British Columbia.
With all the talk of the Calgary Flames moving their AHL team the Abbotsford Heat to Utica next season, it gets you thinking about Utica Hockey. How long has it been since a AHL team has been in Utica? It’s been 20 years (1993) since the Utica Devils geared up and hit the ice at the Utica Aud. Do you remember the Devils?
Once upon a time there was a different sort of hockey that glided on the ice at the Utica Aud long before the UC Pioneers took up residence. In this AHL team's short 6-year stint here, there was a legacy begun that still echoes beyond our town, even today... They were known as the Utica Devils.