The Syracuse Crunch are the American Hockey League affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning. They were established in 1994 when the Hamilton Canucks relocated to upstate New York, and the name Crunch was the most popular of a vote by the fledgling fanbase and has stuck ever since.
In 2012, the Crunch began their current affiliation with the Tampa Bay Lightning. They went to the Calder Cup Finals twice under this affiliation in 2013 and 2017, losing both times to the Grand Rapids Griffins, and have won three division titles. The Crunch supplied plenty of talent that went into a lengthy stretch of success for the Lightning as they won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and 2021.
The Crunch have the distinction of hosting the first outdoor game in AHL history, playing the Binghamton Senators in the Mirabito Outdoor Classic at the Grandstand in the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse on February 20, 2010. A crowd of over 20,000 was on-hand to witness the festivities.
In the 2022-23 season, the Crunch had a record of 35-26-7-4 and finished second in the North Division as a result. They were eliminated in a decisive Game Five in overtime.
Their current head coach is Joel Bouchard, their GM is Stacy Roest, and they play out of the Upstate Medical University Arena.
Notable former Barracuda include Tyler Johnson, Carter Verhaeghe, Jonathan Marchessault, and Yanni Gourde.