Washington Lions

The Washington Lions were one of The District's earliest teams, debuting in the AHL in 1941 at Uline Arena. They played two seasons in the A before being moved to the EHL. There were several incarnations of the franchise, but there was always a Lions squad in DC until 1957, when they became the Presidents. They would move to New Jersey to become the Larks in 1960. The Lions struggled for most of their existence, only finishing above .500 once, in 1955-56. Emilie Francis, who coached the New York Rangers for many years in the 1960s and 1970s, is probably their most known alum. Al Arbour, the current coach of the New York Islanders, had a four-game stay in Washington in the early 1950s.