Hershey Bears charter New England Patriots’ plane to Coachella Valley for Calder Cup Finals away games
\The Hershey Bears had a big surprise waiting for them at Harrisburg International Airport after their 5-2 victory in Game 2 of the 2024 Calder Cup Finals.
The New England Patriots’ charter plane flew the Bears out to Coachella Valley for Games 3, 4, and 5 at Acrisure Arena, and it suited the 12-time Calder Cup champions. The Boeing 767 featured the the New England Patriots’ wordmark on the side; the NFL team’s red, white, and blue colors; and six Lombardi Trophies painted on the tail.
Many of the players seemed impressed and excited by their ride. Garrett Roe, who was unable to play in Game 2 due to injury, took a selfie of himself as he boarded. Massachusetts native Mike Vecchione did the ROAR for cameras as he walked up the steps.
“Air Belichick,” Ethen Frank wrote on his Instagram Story. “Is that good?”
So how did they end up with the NFL team’s plane, which is being operated by Omni Air International?
When we won Game 7, the plan to charter to Palm Desert came together quickly,” a Bears representative told RMNB. “Charter plane availability can be limited, but the entire Hershey Entertainment and Resorts team is ‘All In’ and thanks to some quick logistical work, we were able to find a plane of the size we needed. We were fortunate enough that the plane was the New England Patriots’ plane, which is providing our team a first-class experience on the club’s trip to California.”
Game 2 ended at 7:41 pm. Three hours and 13 minutes later, the Bears took off at 10:54 pm and are expected to land at Palm Springs International at 12:31 AM Pacific Time after completing a 4 hour and 37 minute flight.
While the Bears are on their way to California tonight, the Coachella Valley Firebirds will stay overnight in Hershey before flying home Tuesday morning.
The final night in Central Pennsylvania caps a full two weeks where the Firebirds were not home. After playing Games 3, 4, and 5 in Milwaukee where they became Western Conference champions, the Firebirds immediately flew to Hershey to remain acclimated with the time zone. Milwaukee is on Central Time, only one hour behind Eastern Time.
