Albany Choppers
Founded	1990
Home ice	Knickerbocker Arena
Based in	Albany, New York Albany, New York Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
Colors	Blue, red and white
League	International Hockey League
Captain	Dale Henry Dale Henry Dale "Hank" Henry is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played 132 games in the National Hockey League for the New York Islanders.-External links:...

The Albany Choppers was an independent professional ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 team competing in the International Hockey League during the 1990–1991 season. The franchise originally existed as the Fort Wayne Komets

Fort Wayne Komets

The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey franchise currently a member of the Central Hockey League in the Northern Conference. The team was previously a member of the International Hockey League before it merged into the CHL in 2010...

, whose owner, David Welker, opted to move his franchise to Albany, New York

Albany, New York

Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...

 and its brand-new Knickerbocker Arena, a major league caliber facility, during the IHL's period of nationwide expansion. It had the regional Price Chopper

Price Chopper

Price Chopper Supermarkets is a chain of supermarkets headquartered in Schenectady, New York. The chain began operating as Central Markets in Schenectady, New York in 1933 and changed its name to Price Chopper in 1973. It is presently owned by the Golub Corporation and run by Neil and Jerel Golub...

 supermarket chain as a major investor—hence the name and colors of red, white and blue in Price Chopper's corporate hues.

Among players for the Choppers were goaltenders Rick Knickle

Rick Knickle

Rick Knickle is a former ice hockey goaltender. He was drafted in the sixth round, 116th overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft...

, former St. Louis Blue Bruce Racine

Bruce Racine

Bruce Maurice Racine is a retired professional hockey goaltender who played in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues.Racine was drafted in the third round, 58th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins...

 and former Boston Bruin

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...

 John Blue

John Blue (ice hockey)

John T. Blue is a former ice hockey goaltender. He was drafted in the tenth round, 197th overall, by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. He played in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres...

; former New York Islander

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

 and team captain Dale Henry

Dale Henry

Dale "Hank" Henry is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played 132 games in the National Hockey League for the New York Islanders.-External links:...

, former Minnesota North Star

Minnesota North Stars

The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...

 Dave Richter

Dave Richter

David Richter is a retired professional ice hockey player. He played 365 NHL games with the Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, and St. Louis Blues.-External links:...

, and Mario Lemieux

Mario Lemieux

Mario Lemieux, OC, CQ is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He is acknowledged to be one of the best players of all time. He played 17 seasons as a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League between 1984 and 2006...

's brother, center Alain Lemieux

Alain Lemieux

Alain Lemieux is a retired ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League with the St. Louis Blues, Quebec Nordiques, and Pittsburgh Penguins.- Career :In 1986 he also played in Switzerland for EHC Olten...

, who was the team's leading scorer until he was traded for cash. A large number of players were ex-Springfield Indians

Springfield Indians

The Springfield Indians were a minor professional ice hockey franchise, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The Indians were founding members of the American Hockey League. They were in existence for a total of 60 seasons from 1926 to 1994, with...

, including Henry, Lemieux, forwards Stuart Burnie, Bob Bodak

Bob Bodak

Robert Peter Bodak is a retired professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League for the Calgary Flames and Hartford Whalers. A career minor-leaguer, Bodak played only three games with the Flames in 1987–88 and one more with the Whalers in 1989–90...

 and Jim McGeough

Jim McGeough

James McGeough is a retired Canadian ice hockey player. He is the brother of former NHL referee Mick McGeough.Drafted in 1981 by the Washington Capitals, McGeough also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins....

, and defensemen Vern Smith

Vern Smith (ice hockey)

Vernon Smith is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played in one National Hockey League game for the New York Islanders during the 1984–85 NHL season.-External links:...

, Manny Vivieros

Emanuel Viveiros

Emanuel "Manny" Viveiros is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 29 games in the National Hockey League for the Minnesota North Stars.-External links:...

 and Gord Paddock.

The team began play in the 1990–91 season, but ran into a major roadblock. It was the IHL's first foray east of its traditional Great Lakes stronghold, and fearing the competition, the entrenched American Hockey League

American Hockey League

The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

 rushed an expansion team just across the Hudson in neighboring Troy

Troy, New York

Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...

, the Capital District Islanders

Capital District Islanders

The Capital District Islanders were a team in the American Hockey League based in Troy, New York, which is located within a region popularly called the Capital District...

. Not in recent history have so many minor league teams been crammed into such a small market—the established Adirondack Red Wings

Adirondack Red Wings

The Adirondack Red Wings were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Glens Falls, New York, USA at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The team was affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League...

 were less than fifty miles north in Glens Falls

Glens Falls, New York

Glens Falls is a city in Warren County, New York, United States. Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,700 at the 2010 census...

, and the perennial college hockey powerhouse Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...

 played in Troy—and all suffered at the gate through the subsequent price wars.

As an expansion team without an NHL affiliation, the Choppers suffered worst, and as they became a last place team, attendance plummeted; for numerous games attendance in the cavernous 'Knick' was no more than a few hundred fans. After local media reported attendance figures at odds with the ones management was reporting (by physically counting heads), the team ceased to report attendance altogether, while giving season tickets away outright.

As it was, the team hemorrhaged funds, held back by the costliest travel budget in the IHL, payrolls were not met, and supplies became dear. One notorious incident came during an overtime game against the new Fort Wayne Komets

Fort Wayne Komets

The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey franchise currently a member of the Central Hockey League in the Northern Conference. The team was previously a member of the International Hockey League before it merged into the CHL in 2010...

 (Welker's franchise had been replaced by the relocated Flint Spirits

Flint Spirits

The Flint Spirits were a professional hockey team in Flint, Michigan from 1985–1990, and played their home games at the IMA Sports Arena. They were a part of the International Hockey League, and replaced the recently departed Flint Generals team. They compiled an overall record of 162–220–28...

 team), when Jim McGeough

Jim McGeough

James McGeough is a retired Canadian ice hockey player. He is the brother of former NHL referee Mick McGeough.Drafted in 1981 by the Washington Capitals, McGeough also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins....

 was sent out for the final shot in a shootout because he had the only sound hockey stick remaining on the bench.

The Choppers folded due to lack of funds on February 15, 1991; the Capital District Islanders

Capital District Islanders

The Capital District Islanders were a team in the American Hockey League based in Troy, New York, which is located within a region popularly called the Capital District...

 promptly honored all Choppers season tickets in an attempt to boost their own attendance. Somewhat ironically, Henry, Knickle and Vivieros finished the season back in Springfield, where they helped the Indians to their final Calder Cup

Calder Cup

The Calder Cup is awarded annually to the playoff champion of the American Hockey League. The trophy is the world's second oldest continuous professional ice hockey championship, having first been awarded in 1937 following the 1936-37 AHL season, and continuously being awarded every year.The cup...

 championship, while leading goal scorer Yves Héroux

Yves Heroux

Yves Héroux is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played in one National Hockey League game for the Quebec Nordiques during the 1986–87 NHL season.-Career statistics:-External links:...

 would move to the Peoria Rivermen

Peoria Rivermen (IHL)

The Peoria Rivermen were an ice hockey team in the International Hockey League. They played in Peoria, Illinois, USA at the Carver Arena....

 and prove key in their own Turner Cup championship in that same season. Lemieux, Burnie and Richter retired after the season. Defenseman Scott Drevitch

Scott Drevitch

Scott Drevitch is a retired American professional ice hockey and roller hockey defenseman.-Ice hockey:...

 was the final Chopper active in professional hockey, playing for the Elmira Jackals

Elmira Jackals

The Elmira Jackals are an ice hockey team that play in the ECHL. Their home games are played in First Arena in Elmira, New York and they refer to themselves as "the beasts of the east"...

 of the United Hockey League

United Hockey League

The United Hockey League was a low-level professional ice hockey league , with teams in the United States...

in the 2006–2007 season.