Through its first 18 seasons, the Syracuse Crunch is still looking for its first Calder Cup.



Thursday, the team aligned itself with the organization that has the overpowering, fresh smell of that ultimate AHL success on its breath.



In one of the most striking moves in franchise history, the Crunch has confirmed a multi-season affiliation with the Tampa Bay Lightning starting in the 2012-13 season. The deal partners the Crunch with one of the greatest players in NHL history and a braintrust that just helped produce one of the most historic seasons in the annals of the AHL.



The Lightning has been affiliated with Norfolk for the past five seasons, and in 2011-12 the Admirals capped a run for the record books with the Calder Cup. The Admirals won 28 straight during the regular season and finished with 70 wins in 94 games overall, including a 43-3 mark in its last 46 contests.



The Admirals won 74.5 percent of their regular-season and playoff games, second in league history only to the 2009-10 Hershey Bears (75.2 percent).



"Year-in, year-out, we want to ice a competitive team," said Lightning assistant general manager Julien BriseBois, who will be in charge of Syracuse's on-ice product. "That pipeline is our life at the NHL level. We want to be a winning team (in the minors). After that, you need so many bounces. What you do control is the culture and environment you put into place."



BriseBois' boss is Lightning GM Steve Yzerman, the former Detroit Red Wings legend. Yzerman, in his second year in that position, has received early praise in rebuilding that organization and loading up on young talent.



In his first year as general manger, Yzerman led the Lightning to the Eastern Conference Finals and was named a finalist for 2010 NHL Executive of the Year. In two seasons under Yzerman and BriseBois, Norfolk had a regular season record of 94-44-10-8 and made the playoffs each year.



"We are delighted to be partnering with a first-class organization run by an outstanding management team in Steve Yzerman and Julien BriseBois," Crunch owner Howard Dolgon said in a statement.



Although player turnover makes year-to-year AHL success difficult to predict, BriseBois said he expects most of the players on the Admirals' roster to remain in the organization.



This season Norfolk fielded the MVP and rookie of the year, forward Cory Conacher (39-41); defenseman of the year, Mark Barbiero (13-48); an all-rookie team member, forward Tyler Johnson (31-37) and arguably the best young goalie tandem in the AHL, Dustin Tokarski and Jaroslav Janus.



The real prize of the system, however, might be head coach Jon Cooper. Cooper was named the AHL's coach of the year and Norfolk's combination of success and development has made him at least a topic of conversation in NHL job search circles.



"I expect him to be our head coach next year," BriseBois said, referring to Syracuse. "He deserves to be hot. We deserve to have a good coach in the organization."



BriseBois previously spent three years as the general manager of Montreal's AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs. During his tenure the Bulldogs went 137-78-25 and made the playoffs in 2008-09 and 2009-10.



BriseBois said one of the factors in the affiliation move was the desire to relocate to an AHL city that is more centrally located in a grouping of other teams.



"At the start our move was tipped by our desire to move up north so our players would benefit from more quality nights sleeping in their own beds, and more quality practice time," BriseBois said.



BriseBois said the Lightning considered a handful of possible other affiliates, but was swayed by Dolgon's pitch and the passion of Syracuse fans. The Crunch has also agreed to spring for several building improvements, such as a new gym and improved coaching offices.



The Crunch joins Tampa Bay after working with Anaheim for two seasons. Syracuse has also been aligned with Vancouver (six years) and Columbus (10 seasons).



The Lightning deal allows Syracuse to rebrand its look, starting with a new logo and colors it will unveil on July 2.