Report: Albany Devils Relocating to Binghamton

Literally the closest I can come to finding a picture of the Albany Devils. Luke Gazdic, a former Star, now plays in the Devils organization. (Credit: Steven Christy)
As has been rumored for a while, it is expected that the AHL will vote this weekend to approve to relocation of the Albany Devils to Binghamton, NY. The Senators, Binghamton's current tenant, will be moving to Belleville, Ontario next season. The Times Union broke the story of Albany's move.

With this move, we are looking at 3 total relocations in the AHL next year:
St. John's IceCaps become Laval Rocket.
Binghamton Senators become Belleville Senators.
Albany Devils become Binghamton "Devils".
I'm guessing that the team will retain the Devils moniker. The Binghamton market has a penchant to take on whatever name their NHL club has. Binghamton has hosted the AHL's Rangers, Whalers, and now Senators.

The Devils have had the worst attendance in the AHL this season and have fallen in the bottom five of attendance for several years running. The Daily Gazette out of Albany notes that this move is certainly not the team's fault, placing blame squarely on the fans. Executive Sports Editor Mark McGuire compares it to the loss of their AA baseball team and notes, "Too many empty seats means filled moving vans."

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