Ottawa Senators Comes To Terms On Affiliates In Evansville, Binghamton
By Jeff Ulmer
The Ottawa Senators tidied up a few loose ends earlier today with the announcement of their new secondary affiliate, the Evansville IceMen of the ECHL, and the extension in their primary one in Binghamton of the AHL.
VP of Operations for the #BSens Tom Mitchell announces the affiliation extension w/ @Senators through 2018-19 season pic.twitter.com/0lCwlNkqPF
— Binghamton Devils (@BingDevils) September 9, 2014
The extension in Binghamton calls for four attentional years on top of their current one in 2014-’15, keeping the two as partners through the next five seasons expiring in 2019. The working agreement has been in order since the Sens relocated from Grand Rapids after three seasons in 2002, to form the B-Sens to help the city celebrate the return to the AHL for the first time in five years. The running length of time is the longest in the history of hockey in Binghamton. The club have won three division titles and a Calder Cup Championship in 2011.
We are very excited to be associated with @Senators and @BSens_Hockey for the next two years pic.twitter.com/nG5yQWoCNX
— Evansville IceMen (@EvvIceMen) September 9, 2014
The deal in Evansville, Indiana calls for two years as replacing the Elmira Jackals, as the two parted ways during the off-season after spending the last six years together. The IceMen, a member of the IHL before combining with the CHL in 2010, was accepted in the ECHL in 2012 and previously served as an affiliate with the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Springfield Falcons. The club failed to make the playoffs in both seasons and play their home games at the Ford Center. Perhaps a little Senator magic will turn that around real quickly!