About the Team

FOUNDED 1989
ARENA:  NORFOLK SCOPE
ECHL:  1989-2000, 2015-PRESENT
AHL: 2001-2015

CHAMPIONSHIPS:  ECHL – 1991, 1992, 1998 | AHL – 2012 

Spring of 1989: Blake Cullen purchased an ECHL franchise to be located to Norfolk, Virginia and would be named the Hampton Roads Admirals The team would compete at the Norfolk Scope Arena.  The Name the Team Contest was won by Betty Decker who names the team the “Admirals” to honor the large Navy and military presence in the region. In the Spring of 1989, the Washington Capitals (NHL) entered into an affiliation agreement with the Admirals.  Former Toronto Maple Leafs coach John Brophy was named the team’s head coach. 

October 28, 1989: The Admirals defeated the Virginia Lancers 6-3 in the first game in team history.  Steve Greenberg recorded a hat trick in the victory. 

April 11, 1991: The Admirals won their first ECHL championship and the Jack Riley Cup with a 6-3 victory over Greensboro at the Norfolk Scope to take the series 4-1.  The Admirals went 11-3 during the lengthy playoff run. Dave Gagnon and Dave Flanagan were both named playoff MVPs. 

April 17, 1992: The Admirals claimed their second consecutive ECHL championship with a decisive 8-3 victory over Louisville.  Hampton Roads went 12-2 during the playoffs, while goaltender Mark Bernard was named playoff MVP. 

1993: The Admirals claimed a third ECHL title, claiming the Kelly Cup with a 4-1 win over Pensacola after entering the playoffs as the eighth seed in the conference and 16th overall in the entire playoff field.  The Admirals improbable playoff run began when the team had to win its final three games of the regular season, while needing the Columbus Chill to drop its final games in order to clinch a playoff berth.  The stars aligned and the Admirals knocked off the top-seeded Peoria Rivermen in the first round, and rallied from a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five series against Roanoke in the second round before dispatching the Wheeling Nailers in the conference finals.  Sebastien Charpentier was named MVP of the playoffs as the Admirals earned their third ECHL Championship.  

2000: The Admirals’ first stint in the ECHL ended when the team was granted admission to the American Hockey League (AHL) as an expansion franchise and would become the primary affiliate for the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks.  The team would be renamed the Norfolk Admirals.

As the team made the jump to the AHL, Head Coach John Brophy retired from the Admirals after 11 seasons at the helm.  Brophy brought three ECHL titles to Hampton Roads. Brophy’s 1,027 career coaching wins are second most in all of professional hockey behind Scotty Bowman.  Years later, the ECHL would name its Coach of the Year Award in Brophy’s honor.  

April 2006: The Admirals qualified for the playoffs for the 18th consecutive season (ECHL & AHL).

March 2007: Norfolk entered into an affiliation agreement with the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning. 

February 10, 2012: The Admirals began their North American Hockey record, 28-game winning streak.  The record was culminated with an AHL Calder Cup Championship on June 9, 2012 as the Admirals defeated the Toronto Marlies 6-1.  Alexandre Picard was named playoff MVP, while Cory Conacher was named regular season MVP. 

The following summer, the Admirals entered in an affiliation agreement with the Anaheim Ducks. 

April 17, 2015: The Admirals played their final game as a member of the American Hockey League and the Bakersfield Condors of the ECHL relocated to Norfolk and took on the Admirals name.  

October 2015: The Admirals made their official return to the ECHL as an affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers. The Admirals became the ECHL affiliate of the Nashville Predators in July of 2017. 

February 2018: The City of Norfolk and Admirals agreed to a three-year lease agreement to keep the team at the Scope. 

Summer 2019: This marked a new milestone for the team when local business owner and former Admirals player Patrick Cavanagh purchased the team. Along with the purchase of the team from Cavanagh, the Admirals hired a whole new coaching staff. ECHL and Admirals Hall of Famer Rod Taylor was hired as the Head Coach.

October 2020: The team opted out of the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Admirals front office staff came back to full-time work in January 2021 and underwent preparations for the 2021-22 season.

August 2021: As the 2021-22 season approached, the Admirals signed an affiliation agreement with the Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Wolves. This was the seventh affiliation in Admirals team history.

November 2021: The Admirals hired Billy Johnson as Team President. Johnson received two 40-Under-40 awards in his career: The inaugural New Hampshire 40-Under-40 in 2002 and 2005 in Las Vegas. As President and Chief Operating Officer for the Las Vegas Wranglers, Johnson was nominated four times for the ECHL’s Executive of the Year Award.  

January 2022: The ECHL and Norfolk Admirals announced they would be hosting the 2022-23 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic at Norfolk Scope. The game was played on Monday, January 16, 2023, and was broadcasted nationally on NHL Network. This marked the second time Norfolk has been selected to host the event.

August 2022: The Admirals announced Jeff Carr as the club's new assistant coach on August 11, 2022. 

August 2022: The Admirals extended their affiliation agreement with the Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Wolves.

November 2022: The Admirals announced that Rod Taylor would be leaving his position and Jeff Carr was named the club's new head coach.

December 2022: Joel Rumpel, who played seven seasons as a professional goaltender, was hired as the team's new assistant coach. 

April 2023: The team announced Jeff Carr would be returning for his first full season as head coach.