Hershey Bears

Hershey Bears
City	Hershey, Pennsylvania
League	American Hockey League
Conference	Eastern
Division	Atlantic
Founded	1932 (T-SHL/EAHL); 1938 (IAHL/AHL)
Home arena	Giant Center (2002–present)
Colors	Chocolate, tan, cocoa, white
Owner(s)	Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company
General manager	Bryan Helmer (de facto - VP of Hockey Operations)
Head coach	Todd Nelson
Captain	Dylan McIlrath
Media	The Patriot-News WFVY WHTM-TV (ABC27) WHP-TV (CBS21) WGAL-TV (NBC8) WPMT-TV (FOX43) AHL.TV (Internet)
Affiliates	Washington Capitals (NHL) South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL)
Franchise history
1932–1933†	Hershey B'ars (T-SHL)
1933–1934†	Hershey Chocolate B'ars (EAHL)
1934–1936†	Hershey B'ars (EAHL)
1936–1938†	Hershey Bears (EAHL)
1938–1939†	Hershey Cubs (EAHL)
† —Non-AHL franchises operated by the Hershey Hockey Club
1938–present	Hershey Bears (IAHL, AHL)
Championships
Regular season titles	9 (1942–43, 1957–58, 1980–81, 1985–86, 1987–88, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2020–21, 2023–24)
Division titles	19 (1938–39, 1943–44, 1946–47, 1951–52, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1975–76, 1980–81, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1993–94, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2020–21, 2023–24)
Conference titles	24 (1940–41, 1941–42, 1944–45, 1946–47, 1948–49, 1953–54, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1964–65, 1968–69, 1973–74, 1975–76, 1979–80, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1996–97, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2015–16, 2022–23)
Calder Cups	12 (1946–47, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1968–69, 1973–74, 1979–80, 1987–88, 1996–97, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2022–23)
Current season

The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg. The current Bears club has played in the American Hockey League since the 1938–39 season, making it the longest continuously operating member club of the league still playing in its original city.^[1][2][3]

The Bears organization has served as the primary development club for the NHL's Washington Capitals since 2005-06. Since 2002–03, the hockey club's home games have been played at Giant Center, located less than half a mile west of Hersheypark Arena, the AHL club's previous home from 1938 to 2002. (The arena was also the home to the EAHL Hershey Bears from 1936 to 1938.) The Bears have won 12 Calder Cups, more than any other AHL team. They won their most recent title in 2023.

Chocolate manufacturer Milton S. Hershey first established the "Hershey Hockey Club" in 1932 to manage professional hockey teams based in Hershey. Now in its ninth decade, it has operated four teams in three pro leagues, including the AHL Bears. Now called the Hershey Bears Hockey Club, it is a subsidiary of the Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company (originally called "Hershey Estates" and later "HERCO"), the entertainment and hospitality division of the Hershey Trust Company.^[1][4]

Gordie Howe, who was selected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972 and was known as "Mr. Hockey", once remarked, "Everybody who is anybody in hockey has played in Hershey," although he himself did not play there.^[5]