So Close to History: A Season Recap of the Hershey Bears’ Near Three-Peat

By Gavin Sweeney

Sweeney is local high school student just finishing his freshman year. He has a passion for sports and is an aspiring journalist.

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The “What If?” Hershey Bears Three-Peat

The Hershey Bears came close to pulling off a Calder Cup three-peat but fell short this past season, losing in the Atlantic Division Finals to the Charlotte Checkers. Although they couldn’t finish the job, they still made the postseason and ended the regular season with an impressive 44-20-6-1 record, earning a first-round bye in the playoffs followed by a five-game series win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Defenseman Ethan Bear led the team in scoring with 46 points (10 goals and 36 assists) in 62 games. “Bear”—what a fitting coincidence!

The Three-Peat: A Tough Feat

Repeating as champions is extremely difficult in any sport or league—but winning three in a row is even more rare. The Bears were fortunate enough to win back-to-back Calder Cups, and they were knocking on the door for a third. Statistically, the chances of repeating a championship sit between 11–15%, and pulling off a three-peat is even less likely. In fact, there have only been 14 instances across professional hockey where a team has won three straight championships. The last and only AHL team to accomplish this was the Springfield Indians in 1960, 1961, and 1962.

The fact that the Bears were even in contention puts them in elite company.

The Bears

The Hershey Bears—originally founded as the Hershey B’ars in 1932—changed their name to the Bears in 1936. They’ve been affiliated with the Washington Capitals since 2005, and before that, were affiliated with the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, and Colorado Avalanche.

The Bears have a storied legacy, including:

• 13 Calder Cup championships (AHL record)
• 72 playoff appearances (AHL record)
• 20 regular-season division titles
• 25 conference titles
• 9 regular-season titles

Since the 1938–39 season, the Bears have held the distinction of being the longest continuously operating team in its original city.

They’ve developed numerous NHL players, including Mike Nykoluk (Flyers), Arnie Kullman (Bruins), Lou Franceschetti (Capitals), Bruce Cline (Rangers), Braden Holtby (Capitals), Philipp Grubauer (Kraken), Pheonix Copley (Capitals), Vitek Vanecek (Panthers), and many more.

Affiliation Matters

As the AHL affiliate of the Capitals, the Bears face a unique challenge: player movement. It’s extremely difficult to repeat as champions in the minors because your top talent can be called up at any moment. Teams that win a championship often lose key players to the NHL the following season. Despite this, the Bears still managed to win two championships in a row—an impressive feat considering the turnover.

Never Say Never

Even though the Bears didn’t win it all this year, they still had an outstanding season—and expectations are high for the next one. The Bears are arguably the most successful franchise in AHL history and are poised for many more exciting seasons.

Let’s cherish the championships and success they’ve already brought home, and look forward to witnessing history again. After all, they say “history repeats itself.”

For now, the three-peat remains a “what if,” and we’re left to wonder. Sports are unpredictable, full of surprises and magic.

For one last time this season …

B-E-A-R-S BEARS BEARS BEARS!

B-E-A-R-S BEARS BEARS BEARS! WOOOOO!