TEAMS

HISTORY

The Crawford County Flames entered the PAHL in 1997, playing out of the Meadville Area Recreation Complex in Meadville.

The Crawford County Youth Hockey Association was founded in the 1970s before eventually joining the PAHL in 1997.  The PAHL had expanded to its north in 1995 with the addition of member associations in Lawrence County and Erie, paving the way for a growing Crawford County organization to join the league as an organization covering an area between those two locations.

While most organizations that entered PAHL in the 1990s were born as a direct result of the Penguins winning the Stanley Cup, the Flames were bolstered at least as much by the success of their local scholastic team.  The Meadville Bulldogs, behind legendary high school coach Jamie Plunkett, won 5-straight PA State championships from 1992 to 1996, adding to their previous state titles in 1987 and 1989.  Hockey in Crawford County had reached its peak during that run, positioning the Flames youth teams for a seamless entry into the PAHL.

The Crawford County organization had been using the Calgary Flames logo since its inception with written permission from the NHL team.  A copy of the written letter of approval was eventually lost, prompting the team to update its branding.  The organization first changed its team colors from orange and yellow to black and red in 2019.  It then modernized its "burning C" logo in 2021 to create its own new look.

For all of its existence, the Flames have called the Meadville Area Recreation Complex its home rink, located on the eastern edge of the City of Meadville.  The ice rink within the complex is formally named the George DeArment Ice Arena, though the venue is more commonly referred to as "the MARC."