Thank You Fans - A message from Doug Yingst
May 9, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release
Dear HERSHEY BEARS Fans:
On behalf of the BEARS and our front office, I want to thank you for another outstanding season here at GIANT Center.With your support, our attendance for the season reached over 350,000 for the first time in team history!We simply could not exist without your strong support, and we are grateful.
It was an up-and-down season on the ice, but was certainly memorable!After back-to-back Eastern Conference Championships and the 2006 Calder Cup, the BEARS took to the ice October 3 in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to face the Penguins in the AHL's season opener.After starting out 0-3, the BEARS righted the ship by mid-November, climbing over the .500 mark for the first time.On November 21, the BEARS defeated the Bridgeport Sound Tigers 2-1 to improve to 8-7-0-0.Although the game gave HERSHEY more wins than losses for the first time all season, the game was much more significant for a different reason.
That same night, The Washington Capitals lost at home to Atlanta 5-0.HERSHEY'S parent club, after winning its first three games of the season, had fallen to last place in the Southeast Division, with the worst overall record in the NHL.Washington looked to Chocolatetown for the answer and summoned Head Coach Bruce Boudreau to Washington to serve as interim head coach.Boudreau won 103 games in just over two seasons behind the bench in HERSHEY, winning the 2006 Calder Cup and a spot in the 2007 Calder Cup Finals. Boudreau's departure left gigantic shoes to fill.The BEARS did not stray from the family to find his replacement.
Capping off a whirlwind 24 hours, HERSHEY named assistant coach Bob Woods as interim Head Coach.Woods earned his first AHL head coaching job as Boudreau departed for Washington.He won his AHL debut in Philadelphia and proceeded to win a total of 34 regular season games in an abbreviated first season. As the calendar turned over to 2008, the BEARS brought in assistance for the bench.Mark French was named assistant coach relieving much of the burden of breaking down video and running the defense during games.
A challenging March kept the team battling to the end of the regular season for aplayoff berth - our third straight, and 59th in team history.
Although we fell short in the Semi-Finals, falling to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, hopes remain high for the future. Rookies Andrew Gordon, Jay Beagle and Andrew Joudrey are expected to return after successful first years.Alexandre Giroux is under contract for 2008-09 as well. The Capitals also appear to have several promising young draft picks in the pipeline for the future. For the BEARS in 2007-08, the run in the Calder Cup playoffs ended much too soon, but the team looks poised to rebound to greatness next fall.
Thanks again for all of your support this season.With your help HERSHEY was #1 in fan attendance in the league!
We look forward to seeing you all at GIANT Center again this October as we make our run toward winning our 10th Calder Cup!
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American Hockey League Stories from May 9, 2008
- Hogs Are Winless In Rosemont No More - Rockford IceHogs
- Game Six Tickets on Sale Now - Syracuse Crunch
- Penguins advance to Eastern Conference Finals - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- P-Bruins Fall to Pirates 5-4 - Providence Bruins
- Pens Eliminate Phantoms - Adirondack Phantoms
- AHL announces Eastern Conference Finals schedule - AHL
- McDonough Returns For Two More Seasons - Manchester Monarchs
- Former Amerks Exceling In World Championships - Rochester Americans
- Houston Aeros Host Annual Equipment Sale On May 24 At Practice Rink - Houston Aeros
- AHL Morning Skate - AHL
- Two More Ex-Hamilton Bulldogs Head To Worlds - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Thank You Fans - A message from Doug Yingst - Hershey Bears
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