Troy Crowder Keynote Speaker at PEI Rocket Fans' Choice Awards
March 13, 2013 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
P.E.I. Rocket News Release
The PEI Rocket have made a change to their keynote speaker for their Fans Choice Awards Dinner, sponsored by Confederation Bridge.
Troy Crowder, a former NHL player, has replaced previously announced Tim Taylor. Taylor, the Director of Player Development for the St. Louis Blues, has been assigned to team duties that will prevent him from attending and Troy Crowder graciously shifted his schedule to join the Rocket team and its supporters.
Rocket Vice-president, Trent Birt, says "The thing that is constant in hockey is change. Unfortunately, Tim Taylor's schedule changed which forced him to have to cancel. The fortunate part is that we have a class act coming in to speak with a great story for our players and supporters. We look forward to hearing what Troy Crowder has to say."
Crowder was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the 6th round of the 1986 NHL entry draft. He played through injuries and an absence from the game for personal reasons, for parts of 7 NHL seasons before officially retiring from the game in 1999. When he was healthy, he was a household name because of his tenacity and tough style of play. Although he wasn't the most gifted offensive player, he always had interest from other teams when his contracts were expired. This was because Troy was a guy that played a key role on all teams as he protected his teammates and put the team first. The contract he may be most noted for signing was when he left the New Jersey Devils to join the Detroit Red Wings. This signing happened because he and Detroit Red Wings' Bob Probert, one of the toughest guys to play the game, had spirited battles while Crowder was with New Jersey. Detroit's management is on record as saying "we felt it was better to have Troy playing with Probert then against him." Crowder is now an entrepreneur in Barrie, Ontario and a very active member of the NHLPA.
The PEI Rocket Fans' Choice Awards, sponsored by The Confederation Bridge, will be a tribute to the 2012-2013 edition of the PEI Rocket Hockey Club. The fans will have their say on which Rocket players should be recipients of the various awards that are up for grabs. From March 5 to March 14, Rocket fans will have the opportunity to vote for the recipients of each award. This will be done online through the PEI Rocket website. So, be sure to visit www.peirocket.com to vote for the players you feel most deserve the awards listed below.
The list of awards that will be presented include:
* Rookie of the Year
* Offensive Player of the Year
* Defensive Player of the Year
* Most Dedicated Player
* Fan Favorite
* Hardest Working Player
In addition to the Fans' Choice Awards that will be voted on, the following awards will also be presented during the banquet:
* Student of the Year: selected by the PEI Rocket Academic Consultants
* Community Involvement Award: selected by team personnel
* Player of the Year Award: selected by the point standings for the Mooselight Three Star selections
* Volunteer of the Year Award: selected by team management
* Leading Edge Award: voted on by players
* Most Dedicated Employee: selected by team President and Vice-president
This year's PEI Rocket Fans' Choice Awards will take place on Monday, March 18th. A reception will begin at 6:30pm and dinner will follow at 7:00pm. This year's Fans' Choice Awards will be held at Rodd Royalty Hotel, in The Courtyard.
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