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'94 Pirates Still Sailing

January 13, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


SPRINGFIELD, MA ... The upcoming 2003 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic is part of an anniversary celebration for the host Portland Pirates, who are commemorating the 10th season of the franchise and the 25th year of AHL hockey in Portland, a city which has left an indelible footprint on league history.

The Pirates began play as the top affiliate of the Washington Capitals in 1993-94, and a roster heavy with future NHL stars immediately led the team to the Calder Cup title, becoming the fifth team ever to win the league championship in its first year of play. (Their Cumberland County predecessors, the Maine Mariners, did the same in 1978.) Nearly a decade later, eight members of the '94 Pirates, along with their head coach, are still thriving in the NHL.

Barry Trotz, the only head coach in the six-year history of the NHL's Nashville Predators, was the winner of the Louis A.R. Pieri Award as the AHL's outstanding coach in 1994, guiding the Pirates to the Calder Cup title that year and bringing the city of Portland its fourth AHL championship. The '94 Pirates were led on the ice by the goaltending tandem of Olaf Kolzig and Byron Dafoe, who shared the Harry "Hap" Holmes Award for fewest team goals against that season. Kolzig, the winner of the Jack Butterfield Trophy as MVP of the 1994 Calder Cup Playoffs, boasts an NHL resume that includes 198 victories, a Vezina Trophy and a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals; Dafoe was a First Team AHL All-Star in 1993-94 and has picked up 165 wins in his NHL career.

Kolzig is one of three members of that title team who remains with the Capitals organization to this date, joining defensemen Sergei Gonchar and Ken Klee. Both blueliners have skated in more than 500 games with Washington, and Gonchar, one of the leading offensive defensemen in the National Hockey League, has played in two NHL All-Star Games and two Olympics since graduating from Portland.

Also contributing to the Pirates' championship run were current NHL'ers Jason Woolley (Detroit), Andrew Brunette (Minnesota), Steve Poapst (Chicago) and Jason Allison (Los Angeles), who celebrated his 19th birthday on the night Portland hoisted the Cup. Leading the '94 Pirates in regular season scoring were Jeff Nelson (107 points) and Michel Picard (85 pts.), both of whom still lace up their skates in the AHL – Nelson with Cleveland and Picard with Grand Rapids.

Through the years, the Cumberland County Civic Center has been home to many of the game's recognized names, including Pelle Lindbergh, Brian Burke, Terry Murray, Ken Daneyko, Steve Konowalchuk, Richard Zednik and former AHL All-Stars J.P. Dumont and Anson Carter. Current AHL head coaches Tim Army, Lou Crawford, John Paddock and Roy Sommer all played in Portland, as did 2003 AHL All-Star selections Benoit Gratton, Matt Herr, Mike Peluso, John Slaney and honorary captain Gordie Clark.

NETWORKS ADDED TO ALL-STAR LINEUP ... Fox Sports Net Ohio, Fox Sports Net Arizona and WXSP-TV in Grand Rapids have been added to the list of networks carrying the 2003 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic next month.

With the additions of major markets including Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Phoenix, the AHL's annual showcase event will be broadcast to over 55 million homes across the United States and Canada. The 2003 Pepsi AHL All-Star Skills Competition begins at 8:00 p.m. ET on Sun., Feb. 2, with the AHL All-Star Game following at 7:00 p.m. ET on Feb. 3.

AHL DEBUTS TAKE CENTER STAGE ... Four American Hockey League graduates made headlines in their NHL debuts on Wednesday night, led by a former AHL All-Rookie goaltender dueling to a scoreless tie.

Making his first NHL appearance, Michael Leighton turned aside all 31 shots he faced for Chicago in a 0-0 draw with Phoenix at the United Center. Leighton, who was the winning goaltender in the 2002 AHL All-Star Game, matched the Coyotes' Zac Bierk in the 65-minute deadlock. Bierk, who has spent much of this season with Springfield in the AHL, made 40 saves to earn his first career NHL shutout.

In New York, John Tripp recorded two assists in his NHL debut and Jamie Lundmark scored his first NHL goal as the Rangers defeated Carolina, 5-1. Tripp, who was selected to play in the 2003 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic, is currently tied for second in the AHL with 21 goals for Hartford this season.

Edmonton native Fernando Pisani scored the game-winning goal for Hamilton on Tuesday night, then traveled across six time zones from St. John's to Anaheim to make his NHL debut in the Oilers' 1-0 win over the Mighty Ducks. And in Vancouver, 2003 AHL All-Star goaltender Ray Emery saw his first NHL action for Ottawa during a 6-4 loss to the Canucks.

OFF THE ICE ... A Guns & Hoses charity game between police and fire departments from around Utah will be held on Saturday night prior to the Grizzlies game at the "E" Center, with ticket proceeds going to the University of Utah Burn Camp... Eddie Money will be performing live at the Bradley Center before Milwaukee's game with Houston on Friday night... Sunday was Kids Run the Show Night in Philadelphia, where select kids 14 and under were chosen to join the Phantoms' marketing, sales, PR, game operations and box office staffs for the night... 2002 Winston Cup champion Tony Stewart will drop the first puck and sign autographs at Saturday's game at Cincinnati Gardens.

ETC. ... Although Milwaukee ended Hamilton's unbeaten streak at 18 games with a 6-5 overtime win on Saturday night, the Bulldogs have still earned a standings point in 24 straight contests (20-0-2-2)... Milwaukee is 2-1-1-1 through five games of a six-game stretch against division leaders Grand Rapids, Hamilton and Houston... Randy Petruk made 44 saves to snap a personal nine-game winless streak and give Lowell its first home win in 12 tries, a 2-0 victory over Worcester on Sunday... Portland's Chris (4+13=17) and Peter (7+9=16) Ferraro have combined for 33 points in 11 games since Christmas; the Pirates are 8-1-1-1 in that span... Portland has posted eight shutouts this season (paced by Maxime Ouellet's league-leading five); the AHL record is 13, set by Syracuse last year... Providence's Matt Herr scored his ninth game-winning goal of the season on Friday night; the AHL record is 13, set by Dunc Fisher in 1953-54... Houston defenseman Curtis Murphy had a six-game goal-scoring streak snapped on Sunday night, one game shy of the AHL record for a blueliner, set by current Manitoba captain Brian Chapman in 1992... Goaltender Sebastien Caron made his NHL debut with Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon, stopping all 18 shots he faced in two periods of work... After beating Lowell and Portland last week, Saint John is 5-1-2 in overtime this season... Cincinnati is 20-6-2-1 in its last 29 games during the month of January... South Division leader Norfolk snapped a seven-game home winless streak with a 3-1 victory over Bridgeport on Friday... San Antonio enters Monday's action with a 4-0-2-0 mark during its current eight-game homestand.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 13, 2003


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