Springfield’s new American Hockey League franchise will take the ice for the upcoming 2016-2017 season as the Springfield Thunderbirds. With hockey fans and local dignitaries looking on from center ice seats at the MassMutual Center Arena, team officials announced the new name through a pulsating two-minute video on the arena’s state of the art LED scoreboard.
“The Springfield Thunderbirds’ name represents the strength and pride of western Massachusetts. It is a nod to our hockey past, a tribute to the men and woman of the Air Force who are so vital to this region, and a symbol of the new energy and spirit that is palpable in Springfield,” said Nathan Costa, the Thunderbirds Executive Vice-President.