Coachella Valley Firebirds

 


Growing up in Southern California, the sports most kids played were baseball, football, basketball, golf, volleyball, or soccer. Having professional sports franchises in baseball, football, and basketball drove the interest to play these sports. Hockey was not an option. Sure, there was the Los Angeles Kings, but they were a novelty act for north-east transplants. Hockey was a sport played by kids in the north or north east where winter brings snow. For me, snow was something you can see up on the mountains and visit it for a day if you like. All this change in August 1988, when Wayne Gretzky was trading to the Los Angeles Kings. It was also the year cable television was made available in my neighborhood. Once a novelty act, the Kings became a hot ticket, and in 1993 the Kings made it to the Stanley Cup finals. They lost to the Montreal Canadiens, which is the last time a team from Canada won the Stanley Cup. Almost 3 decades since the trade, Southern California now has 2 NHL teams, 3 AHL teams, several ice rinks setup by the Kings and Anaheim Ducks, and now there is high school hockey.

Over those 3 decades, new franchises and some franchise relocations have brought hockey out west. The new Seattle Kraken played their first season in 2021. The new franchise needed a minor league team for player development. They chose to put their AHL team in Coachella Valley. Putting a hockey team in the desert surrounded by golf courses might have appeared as an odd choice, but Coachella Valley is an ideal location for all the snow birds that come to visit. The Coachella Valley Firebirds have been a hit as they have reached the AHL Calder Cup finals in their first two seasons of existence. In 2023, I started covering the Firebirds’ home games for Genius Sports. Starting the 2024-2025 season, I will post home game reports and some stats.

For more information on the Firebirds, please visit the website: https://cvfirebirds.com/

For more information on the AHL, please visit the website: https://theahl.com/


 



Game Report: TEX Stars vs CV Firebirds December 5, 2024
Game Report: HSK Silver Knights vs CV Firebirds December 3, 2024
Game Report: TEX Stars vs CV Firebirds November 30, 2024
Game Report: SD Gulls vs CV Firebirds November 22, 2024
Game Report: COL Eagles vs CV Firebirds November 20, 2024
Game Report: ONT Reign vs CV Firebirds November 10, 2024
Game Report: ONT Reign vs CV Firebirds October 25, 2024
Game Report: CGY Wranglers vs CV Firebirds October 16, 2024

Game Report: BAK Condors vs CV Firebirds October 11, 2024


Coachella Valley Firebirds 2024-2025 Season Preview


There were many changes to the Firebirds roster this season compared to the previous two seasons. The article on the Veteran rule explains the purpose of the changes: "Understanding the AHL veteran rule and its impact on the Coachella Valley Firebirds" by Blaiz Grubic, Soundofhockey.com