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All-Star Game, Hall Of Fame Induction Highlight Hockey Week In Reading

Published on January 22, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - One of the highest-scoring games in history and the induction of the second class into the ECHL Hall of Fame highlighted the ECHL All-Star Game presented by Guardian Wear festivities in Reading, Pa. hosted by the Reading Royals, the City of Reading and the Sovereign Center.

A crowd of 5,693 on Wednesday watched the American Conference beat the National Conference 11-5 as rookie Matthew Ford, who was named Most Valuable Player, and team captain Kevin Baker each scored three goals and four points. The 11 goals and six-goal margin of victory tied the ECHL All-Star records while the 16 total goals is the fourth-most in the 17-year history of the event.

Showcasing some of the top prospects in the Premier ‘AA' Hockey League, the rosters had 22 rookies and 37 players were appearing in their first All-Star Game. Attended by representatives from both the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League, the game has produced 51 players who have gone on to play in the NHL including 33 since 2002 when the format was changed to feature younger players.

The second class of the ECHL Hall of Fame - John Brophy, Blake Cullen, Tom Nemeth and Rod Taylor - were officially inducted during a luncheon sponsored by Guardian Wear which is also the official sponsor of ECHLHallOfFame.com. Attendees at the luncheon included league founder Henry Brabham and ECHL Commissioner Emeritus Patrick J. Kelly, who were both inducted in the inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2008. Following a video highlighting their accomplishments, each of the inductees was presented an etched crystal award, created by Unique Hockey Gifts & Awards by Aroma's UnCorked, and an ECHL Hall of Fame ring.

The game was televised live by the NHL Network and NHL Center Ice for the seventh consecutive year and was available in an additional 13 million homes on Cox Sports Television in Connecticut and Rhode Island, the Buckeye Cable Sports Network in Ohio, GCI Cable in Alaska, Altitude Sports & Entertainment, Catch 47, Metro Sports in Kansas City and New England Sports Network. Jack Michaels of the Alaska Aces was the play-by-play announcer while veteran National Hockey League analyst Neil Smith provided color commentary and Adrian Denny of the Utah Grizzlies worked at ice level.

Fans across the globe were able to watch both the skills competition and the game online at ECHLALLSTARTV.com on B2CableTV.com, courtesy of B2 Networks, the "Official Broadband Broadcast Provider of the ECHL."

Produced by Doug Lane of NHL Radio the audio broadcast was available on KGEO-AM 1230 in Bakersfield, Calif.; 1350 KTIK - The Ticket in Boise, Idaho; WRAW-AM 1340 in Reading, Pa.; KKAT AM 860 in Salt Lake City; 1420 KSTN-AM in Stockton, Calif.; and WKWK 97.3 FM in Wheeling, W.Va. The broadcast team was Mark Thompson of the host Reading Royals, Paul Roper of the Trenton Devils and Josh Heller of the South Carolina Stingrays.

Fans had the opportunity to have their pictures taken with the Stanley Cup and the Patrick J. Kelly Cup which were both on display at all events, the ninth time in the last nine years that the NHL championship trophy and the ECHL championship trophy have been displayed together at the All-Star Game.

The MeiGray Group, which is "Official Game-Worn Jersey Source of the ECHL," is auctioning game-worn jerseys and game-used pucks from both the skills competition and the game online at ECHL.com and MeiGray.com.

Premier ‘AA' Hockey League Fast Facts

- The ECHL celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2007-08 and is the third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League.

- ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states and has grown to be a coast-to-coast league with 21 teams in 16 states and British Columbia in 2008-09.

- The league officially changed its name from East Coast Hockey League to ECHL on May 19, 2003.

- Affiliations with 24 of the 30 teams in the National Hockey League marking 12th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.

* 390 former ECHL players have played in NHL.

ï* 134 have played their first NHL game in the last four seasons.
ï* 35 former ECHL players have made their NHL debut this season: former Wheeling Nailers and ECHL All-Star defenseman Paul Bissonnette (Pittsburgh on Oct. 4), former Stockton Thunder and ECHL All-Star right wing Troy Bodie (Anaheim on Jan. 16), former Bakersfield Condors center Alexandre Bolduc (Vancouver on Nov. 27), former Florida Everblades defenseman Brett Carson (Carolina on Dec. 7), former South Carolina Stingrays defenseman Sean Collins (Washington on Dec. 6), former Las Vegas Wranglers and Wheeling Nailers goaltender John Curry (Pittsburgh on Nov. 26), former Greenville Grrrowl goaltender Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers (Edmonton on Oct. 17), former Johnstown Chiefs center Andre Deveaux (Toronto on Nov. 27), former Dayton Bombers center Philippe Dupuis (Colorado on Dec. 12), former Gwinnett Gladiators left wing Chris Durno (Colorado on Jan. 18), former Gwinnett Gladiators right wing Pat Dwyer, former Columbus Cottonmouths and Tallahassee Tiger Sharks left wing Mitch Fritz (New York Islanders on Oct. 30), former South Carolina Stingrays right wing Andrew Gordon (Washington on Dec. 23), former Charlotte Checkers center Dwight Helminen (Carolina on Oct. 28), former Trenton Devils right wing Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond (New Jersey on Oct. 22), former Gwinnett Gladiators defenseman Scott Lehman (Atlanta on Dec. 18), former Charlotte Checkers defenseman Steve MacIntyre (Edmonton on Oct. 15), former Florida Everblades left wing Kenndal McArdle (Florida on Dec. 2), former All-Star and Wheeling Nailers center Kurtis McLean (New York Islanders on Jan. 19), former Phoenix RoadRunners and Wheeling Nailers center Cam Paddock (St. Louis on Nov. 14), former Las Vegas Wranglers defenseman Adam Pardy (Calgary on Oct. 9), former Idaho Steelheads left wing Warren Peters (Calgary on Dec. 7), former Charlotte Checkers defenseman Corey Potter (New York Rangers on Dec. 7), former Augusta Lynx defenseman Kevin Quick (Tampa Bay on Jan. 13), former Charlotte Checkers, Columbia Inferno and Elmira Jackals defenseman Bryan Rodney (Carolina on Dec. 11), former Gwinnett Gladiators center Jared Ross (Philadelphia on Oct. 11), former Alaska Aces goaltender Marek Schwarz (St. Louis on Oct. 25), former Greenville Grrrowl and Stockton Thunder center Tim Sestito (Edmonton on Nov. 26), former Dayton Bombers and Las Vegas Wranglers defenseman Tyler Sloan (Washington on Oct. 21), former Utah Grizzlies and ECHL All-Star center Trevor Smith (New York Islanders on Dec. 31), former Johnstown Chiefs and Mississippi Sea Wolves forward Radek Smolenak (Tampa Bay on Dec. 2), former Augusta Lynx defenseman Brett Skinner (New York Islanders on Oct. 27), former Las Vegas Wranglers and ECHL All-Star defenseman Tyson Strachan (St. Louis on Dec. 18), former Wheeling Nailers right wing Tim Wallace (Pittsburgh on Dec. 10) and former Idaho Steelheads center Tom Wandell (Dallas on Dec. 10).

- There were 72 former ECHL players on NHL opening-day rosters.

- Twenty-six former ECHL players made their NHL debut in 2007-08 including six who played in both the ECHL and the NHL: Chris Beckford-Tseu (Alaska and St. Louis), Adam Berti (Pensacola and Chicago), Joe Jensen (Wheeling and Carolina), Dan LaCosta (Elmira and Columbus), Jonathan Quick (Reading and Los Angeles) and Danny Taylor (Reading and Los Angeles).

- Record 47 former ECHL players played their first NHL game in 2005-06.

- ECHL is represented for the eighth consecutive year on the National Hockey League championship team in 2008 by Aaron Downey of the Detroit Red Wings.

- Former ECHL coaches working as head coaches in the NHL are Bruce Boudreau of the Washington Capitals and Scott Gordon of the New York Islanders. Boudreau, who coached Mississippi for three seasons winning the Kelly Cup championship in 1999, was named NHL Coach of the Year in 2007-08 becoming the first former ECHL coach to receive the award. Peter Laviolette, who began his coaching career with the Wheeling Nailers, led Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in 2006.

- There are 18 assistant coaches in the NHL who were players or coaches in the ECHL.

- There are 18 former ECHL officials scheduled to work as part of the NHL officiating team in 2008-09 with referees David Banfield, Chris Ciamaga, Ghislain Hebert, Marc Joannette, Mike Leggo, Wes McCauley, Dean Morton, Dan O'Rourke, Brian Pochmara, Kevin Pollock, Kyle Rehman, Chris Rooney, Justin St. Pierre and Ian Walsh and linesmen Steve Barton, Brian Mach, Tim Nowak and Jay Sharrers. Barton, Joannette, Leggo, McCauley, Nowak, Pollock, Rooney and Sharrers all worked the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

- ECHL has affiliations with 23 of the 29 teams in the American Hockey League and for the past 19 years there has been an ECHL player on the Calder Cup Champion.

- In the last six seasons the ECHL has had more call-ups to the AHL than all other professional leagues combined with over 2,000 call-ups involving more than 1,000 players since 2002-03.

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

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ECHL Stories from January 22, 2009


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