The Hershey Bears hosted the 1996 AHL All-Star Classic and showed off the team's heritage, as well, by honoring the 1958-59 Calder Cup champions.
The Bears had a good reason to do so, according to then-reporter John Curtis.
Prior to 1996, Hershey last hosted the league's all-star game in 1959. The Bears reportedly topped a team of league All-Stars, 5-2. Following that game, the event was not held again until current league president and CEO David Andrews revived it 35 years later, according to the American Hockey League.
The 1958-59 Hershey club also captured the Calder Cup, despite finishing fourth in the regular season with a 32-32-6 record. It was Hershey's second-straight AHL title.
"They keep thanking us for inviting them," said Jay Feaster, the general manager of the Bears and Hersheypark Arena/Stadium in 1996. "And I told them, they deserve all the thanks.
"It's our job to keep that legacy going."
