Inaugural season (2008–09) The All American Hockey League was formed in 2008 as the
All American Hockey Association when the
Battle Creek Revolution and
South Shore Shooters (later the
Chi-Town Shooters) of the
Mid-Atlantic Hockey League banded together with the
Evansville IceMen and
Motor City Gamblers (later the
Detroit Dragons) of the Midwest Hockey League. The Detroit Dragons folded mid-season, with the
Chicago Blaze joining weeks later to fill the void. (The Blaze were originally going to be an expansion franchise for the 2009–10 season.) On April 5, 2009, the Chi-Town Shooters became the first team to win the
Champions Cup by defeating the Battle Creek Revolution in the best-of-five championship series. On April 14, 2009, the AAHA Board of Directors announced a reorganization from an association format to a league format. This resulted in the All American Hockey Association being renamed the
All American Hockey League.
Second season (2009–10) On August 10, 2009, the AAHL announced a merger with the still-unlaunched Midwest Hockey League, absorbing the MWHL's
Madison Ice Muskies as well as key MWHL personnel. The merged leagues continued under the AAHL name. During the season, the Madison Ice Muskies and Chicago Blaze ceased operations due to financial problems. Also, the expansion
Detroit Hitmen moved west to
Muskegon, Michigan mid-season, and were re-christened the
West Michigan Blizzard. On April 15, 2010, the
Evansville IceMen won the AAHL's
Rod Davidson Cup (originally "Champions Cup" during the inaugural AAHA season) by beating the West Michigan Blizzard four games to one.
Third season (2010–11) In June 2010, the IceMen AAHL franchise suspended operations when Evansville acquired a
franchise in the CHL. In August 2010, it was announced that the
Madison Ice Muskies would be reinstated in the AAHL. In August 2010, it was also announced that the
Queen City Storm were approved for membership in the AAHL as an expansion team. The
Chi-Town Shooters left the league in August 2010 with plans to join a junior hockey league for the 2011–12 season. In August 2010, the AAHL granted an expansion team to
Lapeer, Michigan. A contest decided that Lapeer's team would be named the
Lapeer Loggers. On August 31, 2010, the
Troy Bruins were officially announced as the sixth expansion team in the 2010–11 season. In September 2010, the West Michigan Blizzard relocated to
Dyer, Indiana, and were renamed the
Indiana Blizzard. On October 27, 2010, the Madison Ice Muskies moved to
Wooster, Ohio, and became the
Wooster Korn Kings. On November 17, 2010, the Korn Kings were taken over by the league and ceased operations. On December 29, 2010, it was announced that the Indiana Blizzard were ceasing operations and the Chi-Town Shooters were returning for the remainder of the season, taking over all the Blizzard's players, as well as their current record. Despite keeping the "Chi-Town" moniker, they were based in Dyer, Indiana, instead of Chicago. On January 3, 2011, the Lapeer Loggers were taken over by the league. Within days, the Bruins and Storm both ceased operations. Players from these three teams were brought together under the name Michigan Moose. The Moose, coached by AAHL commissioner Rod Davidson, were based in Battle Creek and played their home games in Revolution Arena, the same arena as the rival Battle Creek Revolution. In February 2011, the Moose ceased operations. In March 2011, the Battle Creek Revolution won their first Rod Davidson Cup. ==Affiliations==