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Featuring 28 teams stretching from Alaska to Florida and from California to New Jersey,
the ECHL is one of a select group of professional sports leagues with a national presence.
As the largest developmental league in professional sports, the ECHL's relationship
with the National Hockey League continues to grow. To date, over 250 ECHL alumni have
advanced to the NHL, and 21 of the 28 teams were affiliated with NHL clubs in 2004.
Every NHL and AHL team featured an ECHL alum during the 2003-04 season.
The ECHL has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a five-team, three-state circuit in
1988. The league's westward expansion in 2003 reinforced the league as North America's
premier "AA" hockey league.
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