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2007 Rbk Hockey All-Star Television Crew Announced

January 6, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL announced that the television broadcast crew for the 2007 Rbk Hockey ECHL All-Star Game will be Joe O'Donnell of the Idaho Steelheads, Neil Smith and Mike Kelly of the South Carolina Stingrays.

The telecast will air live on NHL Network in Canada and NHL Center Ice in the United States for the fifth-consecutive year as well as being available free-of-charge through the ECHL web site on B2 Networks, the "Official Broadband Broadcast Provider of the ECHL". The ECHL is continuing discussions to secure additional television broadcast outlets and will announce them as they become available.

O'Donnell will be the play-by-play announcer with Smith doing color commentary for the sixth consecutive year and Kelly doing interviews with players, coaches and representatives from the ECHL and the National Hockey League.

Sponsored by Rbk Hockey and hosted by the Idaho Steelheads at Qwest Arena in Boise, Idaho, the 15th Annual ECHL All-Star Game will be at 7 p.m. MT on Jan. 17 and the 10th Annual ECHL All-Star Skills Competition will be at 7 p.m. MT on Jan. 16.

Currently working as a special advisor for the Dallas Stars, Smith brings years of broadcast experience to the telecast having worked for the NHL Network and TSN as well as ESPN and Versus. He was general manager of the New York Rangers from 1989-2000 and in 1992 was promoted to president, becoming the first person in team history to hold both the title of general manager and president. During his tenure, which is the second-longest in team history to only the legendary Lester Patrick, Rangers captured three division titles, two Presidents' Trophy honors, an Eastern Conference championship and a Stanley Cup championship. The championship in 1993-94 was the culmination of a season in which the Rangers set club records with 52 wins and 112 points and ended a 54-year run of Stanley Cup frustration. Following the 1991-92 and 1993-94 seasons, Smith was named Executive of the Year by The Hockey News and The Sporting News.

O'Donnell handles the play-by-play broadcast for the Steelheads as well as hosting the Bud Light Idaho Steelheads Hockey Show, a one-hour talk show that airs weekdays on ESPN Radio in Boise. The University of Delaware graduate joined the team in March 2005 after two seasons as the broadcast assistant for the Reading Royals during which he also assisted with media relations for the 2004 ECHL All-Star Game. The native of Havertown, Pa. covered the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League for two seasons as a correspondent for Center Ice magazine and InTheCrease.com.

It is the second All-Star appearance for Kelly, who worked as a member of the audio broadcast for the 2003 ECHL All-Star Game. Kelly is in his first season with the Stingrays after six years as the director of broadcasting and media relations for the Mississippi Sea Wolves where he also handled the play-by-play duties. In his 12th season as a broadcaster, Kelly has worked in the Ontario Hockey League with Barrie and Toronto St. Michael's, in the Colonial Hockey League with Brantford, and in the Ontario Hockey Association with Orangeville. He also spent four years as a sports producer and writer at The Sports Network in Toronto.



ECHL
The league officially changed its name to ECHL on May 19, 2003.

The Premier 'AA' Hockey League, the ECHL has affiliations with 25 of the 30 teams in the National Hockey League in 2006-07. There have been 311 former ECHL players who have gone on to play in the NHL after playing in the ECHL, including a record 47 in 2005-06. There have been 166 players who have played in the NHL after the ECHL in the past five seasons.

The ECHL was represented for the sixth consecutive year on the National Hockey League championship team, including Carolina Hurricanes head coach Peter Laviolette, who is the first ECHL coach to win the Stanley Cup.

The ECHL has affiliations with 24 of the 27 teams in the American Hockey League in 2006-07 and for the past 17 years there has been an ECHL player on the Calder Cup champion. The ECHL has had more players called up to the AHL than all other professional leagues combined each of the past four seasons with 1,646 call ups involving almost 1,000 players.

The ECHL raised its average attendance for the third straight year in 2005-06 drawing 3,934,794 for 900 games which is an average of 4,372 per game, an increase of more than nine percent from 2004-05 and the largest per-game average since 1999-2000. Six teams surpassed 200,000 and nine teams averaged 5,000 per game for the first time since 1999-2000 as the league welcomed 39 sellout crowds and 13 of the 22 returning teams raised their average attendance from a year ago.

In 2005-06 the ECHL and its member teams contributed more than $2.3 million for charity and relief funds, including those benefiting victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, while also making thousands of appearances by players, coaches, team personnel and mascots at schools, hospitals, libraries and charity functions.

Further information on the ECHL is available from its website at ECHL.com.

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