Балтимор Бандитс: Американдық хоккей лигасының тарихы

Defunct ice hockey team in the American Hockey League

The Baltimore Bandits were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League in the 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons. They played in Baltimore, Maryland, at the Baltimore Arena. The Bandits were an affiliate of the National Hockey League's Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. After two years of minimal on ice success, the franchise was moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, as the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks.

The Bandits were the third minor league hockey team to play in Baltimore. Their practice facility was in the suburban Columbia Ice Rink in Columbia, Maryland. The Bandits started play in 1995 with their first game against the Carolina Monarchs, on October 6, 1995. The Bandits lost 3 1 at the Baltimore Arena with 7,293 in attendance. The team's first owners were Bob Teck and Alan Gertner. During the first season, the team was plagued with rumors about the team being sold or folding. The AHL approved the purchase of the Bandits by Caggiano on March 13, 1996. The Bandits finished the 1995 96 season with a 33 36 record. The team won their first AHL playoff series against the Hershey Bears, three games to two, with the final game a 4 3 overtime victory in Hershey. The second round ended in defeat for the Bandits to the Syracuse Crunch, four games to three, ending in a 4–3 loss in Baltimore. The average home attendance for the season was 3,601. During the off season, head coach Walt Kyle left the team to become an assistant coach with the Mighty Ducks. He was replaced by Moe Mantha, with the Baltimore Bandits making the announcement on July 24, 1996.

The Bandits started the 1996 97 season with a 5–3 loss to the Hershey Bears. By the sixth game, they were playing .500 hockey at 2 2 2, but the off ice news of the previous season continued. Later that week, Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke announced plans for a $100 to $200 million arena near Camden Yards in the hopes of also attracting a National Basketball Association franchise. Given the possibility of this proposed arena, Baltimore County Executive Dutch Ruppersberger declined Caggiano's request to help finance the County Coliseum. While Caggiano continued to try to find financing the Coliseum, attendance for Bandits games dropped to second to last in the AHL. Additionally, the team was in debt $3.7 million. As the season ended, a group led by Cincinnati businessman Jerry Robinson purchased the team for $2 million. Caggiano estimates the Bandits lost $1 million during its time in Baltimore. He blames the failure of the team to take root on the lack of good infrastructure. Upon arrival in its new location, the Baltimore Bandits were renamed the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks. The Bandits completed the season with a losing record of 30 37.

The logo of the Baltimore Bandits was a stylized raccoon developed by Disney Sports Enterprises. The Bandit was intended to resemble the Disney character, Meeko the Raccoon from Pocohontas. The Bandit uniforms were purple, black, and silver.