Why Griffins Are Playing Like a Team for the Ages (+)

America was still recovering from the Great Depression when the American Hockey League was founded in 1936-37. Gas sold for 19 cents per gallon. A pound of hamburger was 12 cents and a loaf of bread cost eight cents. You could drive a new Studebaker out of a showroom for $665 all-in.

The country was experiencing significant economic growth for the first time in several years, but unemployment was still at 16.9%. You can bet many in the business community were skeptical about the viability of a new hockey league. But remarkably, 90 years later the AHL is a thriving business operation.

And maybe more remarkably, this season Grand Rapids Griffins are enjoying the third-best start in the league’s lengthy history. The Griffins’ 3-2 win against the Toronto Marlies on Saturday gave them a record of 18-1-0-1. The only teams in the AHL to launch a season with a better 20-game record were the 2004-05 Manchester Monarchs (19-1-0-0, 38 points, .950) and the 2005-06 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (18-0-2-0, 38 points, .950).

And the Griffins just keep winning. On Sunday, the Griffins downed the Marlies again, this time by a 4-2 count, to raise their record to 19-1-0-1. Detroit Red Wings 2024 first-round pick Michael Brandsegg-Nygard scored the game-winning goal in the third period.

Here are five reasons why the Griffins’ level of play is off the charts this season: