Formation of the Franchise
Back in the early 1950s, Montreal Canadiens manager Frank Selke promised that the city of Rochester, known for its cold and frigid weather, would eventually be home to an American Hockey League franchise.
That dream would soon become a reality through a collaborative effort between he, Conn Smythe of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the local ownership group of Sam Toth and Ed House. The AHL granted the group a conditional franchise in June of 1956 to begin play that season and the team, later dubbed the “Rochester Americans”, would go onto become one of the most successful and storied franchises in league history.
The Amerks remain the second-oldest franchise in the AHL behind only the Hershey Bears.