Speculation Becomes Official: Syracuse Affiliates With Anaheim Ducks

The speculation became official Wednesday morning as the Anaheim Ducks officially affiliated with the AHL's Syracuse Crunch, according to The Post-Standard of Syracuse. Of course, the suits from each side told the media how happy they are with the agreement. 

From the Crunch:

"This is an honor and thrill for our organization, to partner with the Anaheim Ducks - - one of the truly elite franchises in the National Hockey League," said Crunch President and CEO Howard Dolgon. "They are a team with a proven winning track record on both the NHL and AHL levels and have highly experienced and very well-respected hockey people running their operation. We look forward to a long and successful relationship and can't wait to get started."

"We are thrilled to be affiliating with the Syracuse Crunch in such a great hockey market," said Ducks Executive Vice President/General Manager Bob Murray. "Syracuse is steeped in hockey tradition and we are excited to partner with an ownership and management team that shares the same commitment to winning and player development as we do."

"The Syracuse Crunch franchise has passionate ownership and a very strong management team, and the Anaheim Ducks have an excellent competitive history and proven track record of player development in the American Hockey League," said Dave Andrews, AHL President and CEO. "This partnership should prove to be successful for everyone involved."