AHL Norfolk Admirals

Admirals Forward Steve Downie Named an AHL All-Star

January 6, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Norfolk Admirals News Release


SPRINGFIELD, MA - The American Hockey League announced today that Admirals forward Steve Downie will play for Team Canada at the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Charter Communications, to be played later this month at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Downie, a 5-foot-10, 192-pound native of Newmarket, Ontario, has posted six goals and 14 assists for 20 points in just 15 games for Norfolk this season. Among his notable accomplishments with the Admirals this season are a franchise-record tying four-assist game on December 13 versus Bridgeport, a hat trick on December 27 versus Philadelphia and a Norfolk season-high eight-game scoring streak from November 16 - December 27 during which he registered five goals and ten assists.

Downie was acquired by Norfolk's NHL parent club, the Tampa Bay Lightning, from the Philadelphia Flyers on November 7. Prior to the trade, he also appeared in four games with the Flyers' AHL affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms, recording one goal and seven assists. In 19 total AHL games this season, Downie has seven goals and 21 assists for 28 points. In 41 career AHL contests between Norfolk and Philadelphia, the second-year professional has scored 12 goals and 38 assists for 50 points.

The 21-year-old has also appeared in 14 NHL games this season between the Lightning and Flyers. He has appeared in eight games with the Lightning, scoring one goal and 16 penalty minutes. With the Flyers, Downie had 11 penalty minutes in six games. Downie has appeared in 46 career NHL games between Tampa Bay and Philadelphia, recording seven goals and 13 points. He also appeared in six games with the Flyers during the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs, registering one assist and ten penalty minutes.

Downie was originally drafted by Philadelphia in the first round, 29th overall, at the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He played in 190 career junior games with Windsor, Peterborough and Kitchener of the Ontario Hockey League. He amassed 82 career goals and 234 points. He also appeared in 43 OHL playoff games, recording 18 goals and 53 points.

The PlanetUSA AHL All-Star team roster will be announced on Wednesday.

The 2009 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Charter Communications will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League competing in the 2009 AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, January 25 (4:00 p.m. ET), and the 2009 AHL All-Star Game on Monday, January 26 (7:00 p.m. ET). The event will be televised nationally in the United States and Canada.

Of the 455 players to take part in the AHL All-Star Classic since 1995, more than 94 percent have competed in the National Hockey League, including Patrice Bergeron, Brad Boyes, Dan Boyle, Brian Campbell, Zdeno Chara, Rick DiPietro, Jiri Hudler, Miikka Kiprusoff, Kari Lehtonen, Ryan Miller, Zach Parise, Martin St. Louis, Jason Spezza, Eric Staal and Tomas Vokoun.

The Admirals return to Scope this week to drop the puck on a nine-game homestand with nothing but home games from January 7-30. The homestand begins for Norfolk against their East Division Rivals, the Hershey Bears, on Wednesday night at 7:15 p.m.

Wednesday's game will be Gold's Gym Giveaway Night, Student Rush Night and Family Fun Pack Night. The Admirals and Gold's Gym will team up to help all Admirals fans who made a New Year's resolution to get into better shape by giving all fans in attendance at Wednesday's game a Gold's Gym VIP Fan Pass. With Student Rush Nights, students in high school and college may purchase $8 white level tickets by presenting their school IDs at the Scope Box Office after 2:00 p.m. on the day of the game. With Family Fun Packs, you receive four red level tickets, four hot dogs, four popcorns and four sodas for only $48 - that's a saving of $37! Family Fun Packs are available at the Scope Box Office or online at ticketmaster.com. For more details, please visit norfolkadmirals.com.

To purchase tickets to any Admirals game, you may visit the Scope Box Office weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., visit any Ticketmaster outlet, call Ticketmaster at (757) 671-8100 or visit Ticketmaster online at www.ticketmaster.com. Don't miss a minute of the action by purchasing your 2008-09 season tickets today. Stop by the Admirals' Administrative Offices at Scope, call (757) 640-1212 weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or visit norfolkadmirals.com anytime!

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