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Some Milwaukee things come and go, while some become icons. Mandatory Milwaukee is all about the latter. This week: the Milwaukee Admirals!

When was the last time you went to a Milwaukee Admirals game?

For diehard fans (and there are plenty of them), the answer is likely “last week” or even “last night.” But for the majority of Milwaukeeans, I suspect, the answer is likely “Oh, it’s been years” or even “Um, never?”

Until this past weekend, I, too, was in the “Oh, it’s been years” camp. But approximately 30 seconds into the game I attended—in which the Ads ultimately defeated the Rockford IceHogs 2-1—I was also in the “Good grief, what’s wrong with me? WHY haven’t I been to an Admirals game in years? This is great!” camp.

Fast, physical, hard-hitting hockey. Delightful and ridiculous intermission games and entertainment. A zany mascot and a whole lotta cowbell. What’s not to love?

The Admirals were initially an amateur team known as the Milwaukee Wings, and were founded by Warren Reid Fansher and Paul Doud in 1970. The following year the team was sold to a group of investors that included Erwin J. Merar, who owned a local Admiral household appliance distributorship. Thus, the newly minted Admirals. (The team paid tribute to their appliance-related name in 2019 with a refrigerator logo.)

More changes followed. The team joined the United States Hockey League in 1973, and won the league championship in 1976. Nineteen-seventy-seven found the Admirals under new ownership—Jane Bradley Pettit and husband Lloyd—and in a new league—the International Hockey League. It wasn’t until 2001 that the team joined the professional American Hockey League, a league they remain in today. The current ownership group, led by Harris Turer, bought the team in 2005.

Oh, and don’t forget that 19-game winning streak during the 2023-24 season!

And don’t forget the old Uecker commercials, either!

The Admirals played for many years in the Bradley Center; these days, their home is the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. Milwaukeeans of a certain age will remember the 12,700-capacity complex as the Milwaukee Arena (1950-1973), the MECCA (1974-1999), or the U.S. Cellular Arena (2000-2013). It sits smack dab in the middle of downtown’s theater district, and also hosts the Milwaukee Wave, the UW-Milwaukee Panthers, and the occasional professional wrestling events. (Also, my UW-Milwaukee graduation ceremony was held there forever ago, and Dr. Robert “I discovered the wreck of the Titanic” Ballard gave the commencement address.)


Inside, the arena is old but more than adequate, and filled with familiar Milwaukee concessions. (Note: The combo platter appears to be up $.50 from its 2024 Summerfest price. And yes, I’ve been keeping track since 2019, when the thing was only $8.50.)


But the real action is on the ice. In addition to the actual game—again, fast and physical and hard-hitting—Admirals fans are treated to dramatic light shows, scoreboard shenanigans, mascot hijinks (courtesy of Roscoe the sea dog), random fan games, and the delightful “human hockey puck.” Damn, that looks fun.

And it’s all fun. And relatively affordable, too: Section 100 tickets are around $55 a pop, while Section 400 tickets are around $27. That’s a steal for a three-hour game that also features an ice cream eating competition.


As of this writing, the Ads are in first place in the Central Division, and have 12 regular season games remaining (only four of them at home). Will the team be good enough to win the AHL’s coveted Calder Cup? They’ve won it only once, in 2004. If it’s roughly been that long since you last went to an Admirals game, break the streak and see the team for yourself. It’ll be a blast.


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