End of An Era: Dave Andrews Set to Retire After 26 Years As AHL President/CEO
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To properly set the stage for how significant Dave Andrews' final day as the American Hockey League's (AHL) President and CEO is, know that the AHL's President/CEO tag will be changing hands for just the second time since 1966 on July 1st when Scott Howson replaces Andrews in that role.
Previously serving as the Director of AHL Operations for the Edmonton Oilers' affiliates (1987-94), Andrews assumed the role of league president in the 1994-95 season from longtime former AHL president Jack Butterfield (1966-94) , who later served as a Chairman on the AHL’s board overseeing the annual creation of the league’s schedule until his death in October of 2010.
“The American Hockey League would not exist today were it not for the efforts of Jack Butterfield during his tenure as president. He is a hockey legend and his contributions will forever be honored by the AHL,” Andrews said in an AHL press release in 2010 shortly after Butterfield’s death.
At the time Andrews began his 1st season as the league's president, the AHL only had a total of 16 teams - all located in northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada. There was also stiff competition from a competing minor league hockey - the Internation Hockey League (IHL) - which threatened the continued success and prosperity.
Among Andrews' biggest accomplishments over the past 26 years as the AHL's President/CEO is the major eight-team expansion in 2001, including the addition of six teams from the now defunct IHL. It worked two-fold in that Andrews was able to continue to grow and expand the AHL into already established minor league markets while also being the beneficiary of eliminating its most direct competition.
That wasn’t the only major expansion during Andrews’ current tenure as the league’s president.
After roughly three years of what Andrews called ‘a pretty complicated process of negotiation’, the AHL expanded westward into California in time for the 2015-16 season, moving six teams to the Pacific time zone amidst heavy pressure from the western-based NHL teams to move their affiliates closer geographically.
“Had we not found a way to satisfy them, I don’t think we would be the 30-team league we are today,” Andrews explained (in an interview with Grand Rapids Griffins broadcaster Bob Kaser during the 2015 Calder Cup Finals) of the heavy pressure the AHL was under by those western NHL teams to make expansion a reality.
Andrews also noted the annual AHL All-Star Classic event as something he’s particularly proud of, something he brought back in 1995 after a 35-year absence.
“We built a really great All-Star Classic event that has stood the test of time, and has given us great exposure as a branding platform,” Andrews said.
The Nova Scotia native also explained that many of hockey’s rule changes over the past 26 years – the new overtime format, hybrid icing, etc – were pioneered and first experienced in the AHL before becoming accepted in the NHL.
“I think we’ve made a real impact on the game in terms of rule changes and development of the way the game is played now,” Andrews added. “I think from a player safety point of view, we have been leaders in that respect.”
At the end of the day, Andrews says he loves what he’s doing. His love for the game has clearly been shown over the past 26 years, and while he might be retiring as the league’s president his plans for the future will be similar to Butterfield’s in that he will serve as a chairman on the AHL’s board for a few years after stepping down as the league’s president.
The coronavirus pandemic and the cancellation of the 2019-20 AHL season will also have Andrews keeping busy past his retirement. He will head the AHL's Return To Play Committee, a recently announced crew of top hockey people - NHL GM's, AHL GM's and owners, front office personnel etc. - tasked with getting the league ready to return to play in the 2020-21 season.
