The Hershey Bears didn’t used to be the Hershey Bears. When the team was founded in 1932 by chocolate giant Milton Hershey, they were called “Hershey B’ars” and, briefly, “Chocolate B’ars”, as in “chocolate bars”. In 1936, the team changed its name to its current name after people complained that the original name sounded like an advertisement for Hershey’s chocolate.

The Hershey Bears didn’t always play on such a giant track. The Bears currently play at the GIANT Center. Before that, it was the Hersheypark Arena. But a long time ago, when the team was first formed, they played in the Ice Palace. The runway was only about 60 feet by 180 feet. But Milton Hershey wanted more. He then he built the Hershey Sports Arena. The Bears played their first game there in 1936 and continued to play there until Hersheypark Arena was built decades later.

The Hershey Bears were not always affiliated with the Washington Capitals. The Bears certainly seem to get around: They’ve previously been affiliated with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Colorado Avalanche, Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabers.

The Bears are one of two teams that share the record for most consecutive wins in the Calder Cup playoff series. In 2007, the Hershey Bears tied for consecutive series wins with the Springfield Indians. But the Hamilton Bulldogs took the cup that year, preventing the Bears from breaking the record.

Once upon a time there was a hockey team called the Canadian-American Hockey League. Only there were no Canadians in it. The Hershey Bears belonged to the CAHL, which was renamed the American International Hockey League in 1938, although it still had no member teams from outside the United States.