American Hockey League

===Formal consolidation of the I-AHL===
[[File:"Hershey in Hockey League" (from The Philadelphia Record, 6-29-1938).jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|A June 29, 1938 [[Associated Press]] article in ''[[The Philadelphia Record]]'' announcing the formation of the [[Hershey Bears]] in [[Hershey, Pennsylvania]]]]
After two seasons of interlocking play, the governors of the two leagues' seven active teams met in New York City on June 28, 1938, and agreed that it was time to formally consolidate. [[Maurice Podoloff]] of New Haven, the former head of the Can-Am League, was elected the I-AHL's first president. The former IHL president, [[John D. Chick]] of [[Windsor, Ontario]], became vice-president in charge of officials.

The new I-AHL also added an eighth franchise at the 1938 meeting to fill the void in its membership left by the loss of Buffalo two years earlier with the admission of the then two-time defending [[Eastern Hockey League|Eastern Amateur Hockey League]] (EAHL) champion [[Hershey Bears]].<ref>[http://hockeyscoop.net/hpa/#clip "Hershey In Hockey League: Admitted to Circuit as American-International Loops Unite"] The Philadelphia ''Record'', June 29, 1938</ref> The Bears remain the only one of these eight original I-AHL/AHL franchises to have been represented in the league without interruption since the 1938–39 season. The newly merged circuit also increased its regular-season schedule for each team by six games from 48 to 54.