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Grand Rapids Griffins

Joey MacDonald named to Canadian AHL All-Star Team

January 26, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The American Hockey League on Wednesday announced that Grand Rapids Griffins goaltender Joey MacDonald has been selected to play for the Canadian AHL All-Star Team at the 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic, which will be held Feb. 13-14 at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H.

AHL fans determined the starting lineup via online balloting at theahl.com, while MacDonald and the other reserves were selected by a committee of AHL coaches.

MacDonald, a 24-year-old native of Pictou, Nova Scotia, has been the centerpiece of a stingy Griffins defense that has allowed only 2.38 goals per game this season, the fifth-lowest mark in the AHL. In his third season with Grand Rapids and his first as its number-one goalie, he currently ranks among the league’s best backstops with 16 wins (9th), four shutouts (T4th), a 2.20 goals against average (T10th) and a 0.927 save percentage (T9th).

During a spectacular start to the season, MacDonald equaled a franchise record for an individual goalie with a 5-0 mark and notched four shutouts in his first 17 appearances. He established a Griffins record with his 11th career shutout Nov. 12 against Houston and has since added two others, giving him three more shutouts than any other netminder in Grand Rapids history. Other MacDonald highlights include a pair of 46-save road victories and a 3-1 record in shootouts, during which he has denied 14 of 18 attempts (0.778).

In addition to his shutout supremacy, MacDonald ranks second on the franchise’s all-time lists with 95 games played (tied), 5383:53 minutes played, 2,468 saves and a 0.929 save percentage, while placing third with 52 wins and a 2.11 GAA (tied). He needs eight games played, 588:49 minutes played and 62 saves to tie Marc Lamothe’s franchise records, and three wins to equal Mike Fountain’s team standard.

MacDonald, signed as a free agent by the Detroit Red Wings in December 2001, becomes the seventh Griffins goalie in nine seasons and the fifth in the last six years to be chosen to play in an all-star game. He joins previous AHL selections Lamothe (2003) and Martin Prusek (2002), along with IHL picks Fountain (2001), Jani Hurme (2000), Ian Gordon (1998) and Pokey Reddick (1997).

Other familiar names selected for the Canadian All-Stars include former Griffins forward Jason Spezza (Binghamton) and former University of Michigan forward Mike Cammalleri (Manchester). The PlanetUSA All-Star roster will be announced on Thursday.

The 2005 AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, Feb. 13 can be watched live throughout Michigan on Comcast Local at 7 p.m., while the All-Star Game on Monday, Feb. 14 will be televised live nationwide on ESPN2 at 7 p.m.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 26, 2005


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