Hershey Bears win AHL's 2009 Calder Cup championship
June 12, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL) News Release
A three-goal first period was more than enough as the Hershey Bears captured the American Hockey League's 2009 Calder Cup championship with a 4-1 win over the Manitoba Moose at the MTS Centre on Friday night.
The Bears, the top development team of the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals, defeated the Moose four games to two, winning their second AHL title in the last four years and their 10th overall, establishing a new league record.
Rookie goaltender Michal Neuvirth won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs, finishing with a 16-6 record and four shutouts. The 21-year-old Neuvirth was a second-round draft choice by the Capitals in 2006, and was one of 13 Bears to also skate for Washington during the 2008-09 season.
After winning the AHL scoring title and MVP honors with a 60-goal performance in the regular season, Hershey forward Alexandre Giroux led the league in postseason scoring with 15 goals and 28 points in 22 games.
Attendance at the MTS Centre for Friday's game was 15,003, the fifth sellout of the series. The average (12,839) and total (77,038) attendances for the six-game Finals were both all-time league records for a playoff series. As a whole, average playoff attendance in the AHL increased 19 percent league-wide over last postseason.
Under second-year head coach Bob Woods, the Bears won the East Division with a record of 53-22-2-3 (111 points) during the regular season, then eliminated the Philadelphia Phantoms (4-0), Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (4-3) and Providence Bruins (4-1) before defeating the Moose in the Finals.
Hershey's victory brings the curtain down on the AHL's 73rd season. In operation since 1936, the AHL continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 84 percent of today's NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and this season marked the eighth consecutive year in which more than 6 million fans attended AHL games across North America.
• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...
American Hockey League Stories from June 12, 2009
- Moose Season Ends in Game 6 - Manitoba Moose
- Hershey Bears win AHL's 2009 Calder Cup championship - AHL
- Only Two Days Left to Bid on Jerseys - Worcester Sharks
- Wolf Pack Re-Sign Defenseman David Urquhart - Connecticut Whale
- Falcons Announce Addition To Front Office Staff - Springfield Falcons
- AHL Morning Skate - AHL
- Summer Player Profile: Michael Caruso - Rochester Americans
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
