The ECHL announced that former ECHL assistant director of communications Kelly
Murray is a member of the Washington Capitals media relations staff
that received the Dick Dillman Award for outstanding work in media
relations during the 2008-09 National Hockey League season.
Murray worked two years for the ECHL before joining the Capitals as communications coordinator prior to the 2008-09 season.
The Dillman honorees are determined in a vote of Professional Hockey
Writers Association members with Eastern Conference writers deciding the
Eastern winner and Western Conference writers determining the Western
winner. The winner for the Western Conference was the San Jose Sharks.
The other finalists for the Dick Dillman Award included the Minnesota Wild
and Philadelphia Flyers. Ryan
Stanzel, who was the recipient of the ECHL
Award of Excellence for Media Relations in 2003, is in his third season
with the Wild while Joe
Siville, who was ECHL assistant director of communications from
2004-06, is in his third season with the Flyers.
Jeremy
Zager, who was the recipient of the ECHL Award of Excellence for Media
Relations in 2005
and 2006
works in the communications department for the Los Angeles Kings and former
ECHL director of communications Jason Rothwell is the creative director for
the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Former ECHL and current Boston Bruins goaltender Tim
Thomas received the Vezina Trophy as the top goaltender in the National
Hockey League during the 2008-09 season and was also presented the William
Jennings Trophy with teammate Manny Fernandez as the goaltenders
finishing the season having surrendered the fewest goals. Olaf
Kolzig, who played in the ECHL from 1990-92, won the Vezina Award in
1999-2000.
The ECHL has been represented on the last nine NHL champions including 2009
with Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan
Bylsma, player Ruslan Fedotenko, equipment managers Dana
Heinze and Dave Zeigler, athletic trainers Chris
Stewart and Scott Adams and scout Derek
Clancey. Chris
Minard, who helped Alaska win the Kelly Cup in 2005-06, and John
Curry, who played in the ECHL with Las Vegas and Wheeling, were members
of the Penguins postseason practice squad and participated in the postgame
celebration.
In addition to Bylsma, Fedotenko and Pratt there are 11 former ECHL players
who have been on the Stanley Cup winner: David Aebischer (Colorado in
2001), Francois
Beauchemin (Anaheim in 2007), Kevin Dean (New Jersey in 1995), Aaron
Downey (Detroit in 2008), Andrew
Hutchinson (Carolina in 2006), Chad
LaRose (Carolina in 2006), Manny Legace (Detroit in 2002), Krzysztof
Oliwa (New Jersey in 2000), George
Parros (Anaheim in 2007), Andre Roy (Tampa Bay in 2004) and Corey
Schwab (New Jersey in 2003).
The ECHL was represented in the Stanley Cup Playoffs by 43 former players
and 14 former coaches on 15 of the 16 teams. It was the fourth year in a
row that there were at least 30 former ECHL players and the sixth
consecutive season that over 25 players with ECHL experience competed in
the NHL postseason. It marked the fifth straight year that the ECHL has
been represented by at least six coaches. Seven former ECHL referees and
three former ECHL linesmen worked the Stanley Cup Playoffs and eight other
former ECHL officials worked in the NHL during the regular season.
There have been 407
players who have played in the NHL after playing in the ECHL, including a
record 52 in 2008-09. Fourteen former ECHL players signed contracts
totaling more than $60 million last summer while Alexandre Burrows, who
played in the ECHL his first three seasons, signed a four-year extension
with Vancouver reportedly worth $8 million.
There were eight players who played in the ECHL and the NHL in 2008-09 with
goaltenders Matt
Climie (Idaho and Dallas), Riku
Helenius (Elmira, Mississippi and Tampa Bay), Michal
Neuvirth (South Carolina and Washington) and Marek
Schwarz (Alaska and St. Louis), defensemen Wes
O'Neill (Johnstown and Colorado), Raymond
Macias (Johnstown and Colorado) and Kevin
Quick (Augusta, Elmira and Tampa Bay) and right wing Joel
Rechlicz (Utah and New York Islanders).
Former ECHL coaches working as head coaches in the NHL are Bruce
Boudreau of the Washington Capitals and Scott
Gordon of the New York Islanders while former ECHL player Dan
Bylsma is head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Boudreau, who coached
Mississippi for three seasons winning the Kelly Cup championship in 1999,
was named
NHL Coach of the Year in 2007-08 becoming the first former ECHL coach
to receive the award. Peter Laviolette, who began his coaching career with
the Wheeling Nailers, led Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in 2006.
The ECHL has had 215 players reach the NHL since 2002-03 when it changed
its focus to become the primary developmental league for the NHL and the
AHL. The ECHL had 96 players reach the NHL in its first 10 seasons and 215
in the first 15 years. There have been 151 ECHL players who have played
their first game in the last four seasons for an average of more than 37
per year.
The ECHL was represented in the 2009 NHL All-Star Game by Mark Streit of
the New York Islanders and Tim
Thomas of the Boston Bruins while former ECHL players Dan
Ellis, Jonathan
Quick and Tomas
Vokoun have all been selected as recipients of the NHL's "Three Stars"
award this season.
The first ECHL player to play in the NHL was Johnstown Chiefs goaltender
and current New York Islanders head coach Scott
Gordon, who played his first game with the Quebec Nordiques against
Buffalo on Jan. 30, 1990.
Former ECHL broadcasters working in the National Hockey League include John
Ahlers and Steve Carroll of the Anaheim Ducks, Tom
Callahan of the Nashville Predators, Dave Goucher of the Boston Bruins,
Chris Kerber of the St. Louis Blues, Dave Mishkin of the Tampa Bay
Lightning and Rob
Simpson, who is a producer/host for The NHL Network.
Premier 'AA' Hockey League Fast Facts
- The ECHL celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2007-08 and is the
third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National
Hockey League and the American Hockey League.
- ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states and has grown to be
a coast-to-coast league with 20 teams in 15 states and British Columbia in
2009-10.
- The league officially changed its name from East Coast Hockey League to
ECHL on May 19, 2003.
- In the last six seasons the ECHL has had more call-ups to the AHL than
all other professional leagues combined with over 2,500 call-ups involving
more than 1,300 players since 2002-03.
- Further information on the ECHL is available from its website at ECHL.com.
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