The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum has unveiled an officially licensed, limited-edition vintage Rochester Americans bobblehead. The bobblehead is part of the American Hockey League Vintage Bobbleheads collection that the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum is releasing in conjunction with the start of the 2022-23 AHL season. This marks the first vintage bobblehead series featuring every AHL team, and each bobblehead is officially licensed by the AHL.
The collection includes all 32 AHL teams: the Abbotsford Canucks, Bakersfield Condors, Belleville Senators, Bridgeport Islanders, Calgary Wranglers, Charlotte Checkers, Chicago Wolves, Cleveland Monsters, Coachella Valley Firebirds, Colorado Eagles, Grand Rapids Griffins, Hartford Wolf Pack, Henderson Silver Knights, Hershey Bears, Iowa Wild, Laval Rocket, Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Manitoba Moose, Milwaukee Admirals, Ontario Reign, Providence Bruins, Rochester Americans, Rockford IceHogs, San Diego Gulls, San Jose Barracuda, Springfield Thunderbirds, Syracuse Crunch, Texas Stars, Toronto Marlies, Tucson Roadrunners, Utica Comets, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. A bobblehead featuring the AHL colors and logo is also available.
Standing on a circular ice-like base bearing the team’s name, the smiling Rochester Americans bobblehead is suited up in a blue, red and white jersey featuring the team logo and holding a hockey stick. Each bobblehead is individually numbered to 500, and they are only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store (https://bit.ly/3yHamMj). The bobbleheads, which are expected to ship in November, are $30 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order. A set featuring all 32 bobbleheads is $900.
The Rochester Americans are an affiliate of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. Founded in 1956, the Americans have been in Rochester for their entire tenure. They’re the fourth-oldest franchise in the AHL and have the second-longest continuous tenure in one location among AHL teams, next to only the Hershey Bears. The Americans were a joint affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens when they joined the AHL for the 1956-57 season and were also affiliated with the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins before beginning their affiliation with the Sabres starting with the 1979-80 season. The original Sabres-Americans affiliation lasted through the 2007-08 season, at 29 years the longest such continuous affiliation between AHL and NHL franchises. After a brief interruption, the affiliation was resumed in the 2010-11 season. The Americans have claimed six Calder Cup titles, the last in the 1995-96 season, and have lost in the Calder Cup Finals another 10 times. In 2021-22, the Americans finished fifth in the North Division and lost in the third round of the playoffs.
“We’re excited to be working with the AHL to release the first collection of vintage bobbleheads featuring every American Hockey League team,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “One of the oldest AHL franchises, the Americans are coming off a successful season and they are looking to generate some more excitement for the hockey-loving fans in Rochester in the 2022-23 season.”
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