AMERKS MOURN THE LOSS OF HALL OF FAMER LES DUFF
Duff was a five-time Calder Cup winner who appeared in 399 games across seven seasons in Rochester
Nov 5, 2025The Rochester Americans are deeply saddened by the loss of Amerks Hall of Famer and five-time Calder Cup winner Les Duff, who passed away earlier this year at the age 91.
Duff was with the Amerks during their heyday from 1963 until 1970, forging a dynasty that went on to win three Calder Cups in four years. The rugged forward played a total of seven seasons in Rochester, totaling 48 goals and 91 assists for 139 points over 399 career games in the red, white and blue.
He currently ranks 11th on the Amerks’ career games played list and is 56th on the all-time scoring list, although his contributions to the team went beyond the score sheet.
Under former head coach and fellow Hall of Famer Joe Crozier, Duff was a member of the three Calder Cup teams in the mid-60s. His best season as an Amerk was in 1964-65 when he had 11 goals and 30 assists, along with a team-leading 128 penalty minutes to lead Rochester to its first Calder Cup championship. Perhaps his biggest goal was in the 1967-68 finals against the Quebec Aces when he scored the game-winner in overtime to send the series back to Quebec the next night and clinch the Calder Cup championship that year.
A native of Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Duff also played seven seasons for the Hershey Bears, winning his first two Calder Cups in 1958 and 1959, as well as one year for Pittsburgh prior to coming to the Amerks. The 5-10, 175-pound winger was best known for his defensive ability and corner work. He teamed with Wally Boyer, forming one of the best penalty-killing tandems in the AHL.
He shares the league record for most Calder Cups won along with Bob Solinger, Fred Glover and Mike Busniuk.
The Amerks organization joins the American Hockey League, Hershey Bears and the rest of hockey community in extending its deepest condolences to the Duff family during this difficult time.