AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Calder Cup 2005 tour visits northeastern Pennsylvania tomorrow

March 2, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


WILKES-BARRE, PA – With the 2005 Calder Cup Playoffs just around the corner, hockey fans throughout northeastern Pennsylvania will have a chance to see the American Hockey League's championship trophy in person beginning tomorrow, as the Calder Cup makes a two-day visit to the area. The Calder Cup will be in northeastern Pennsylvania from Thursday, March 3 through Friday, March 4.

The visit to Northeastern Pennsylvania is part of the coveted trophy's 19-city, 47-day tour that leads up to the start of the 2005 Calder Cup playoffs. The Calder Cup's tour began yesterday in Binghamton, N.Y. and will conclude April 16 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The tentative schedule for the cup's stay in northeastern Pennsylvania is as follows:

Thursday, March 3 10:30 -11:45 a.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Team Store (415 Arena Hub Plaza, Wilkes-Barre)

(Fans all welcome to visit the Calder Cup and have their picture taken with it).

12 noon -1:30 p.m. Uno Chicago Grill (110 Schechter Drive, Wilkes-Barre)

2:00 – 4:30 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Team Store (415 Arena Hub Plaza, Wilkes-Barre)

(Fans all welcome to visit the Calder Cup and have their picture taken with it).

6:00 – 6:30 p.m. WNEP-TV 16 (ABC) – 6 o'clock Newscast

7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Arena Bar &Grill (533 Scott Street, Wilkes-Barre). The Calder Cup trophy will be on display during the "The Penguins Report," the team's weekly radio show. Right wing Ryan VandenBussche is Tom Grace's scheduled guest.

Friday, March 4 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center (1000 East Mountain Blvd., Wilkes-Barre)

(Fans all welcome to visit the Calder Cup and have their picture taken with it. The Calder Cup will be on display in the lobby).

12 noon – 1:30 p.m. Wilkes-Barre General Hospital (575 River Street, Wilkes-Barre).

(Fans all welcome to visit the Calder Cup and have their picture taken with it. The Calder Cup will be on display in the cafeteria).

2:00 – 5:00 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Team Store (415 Arena Hub Plaza, Wilkes-Barre)

(Fans all welcome to visit the Calder Cup and have their picture taken with it).

6:00-9:30 p.m. Penguins' game vs. Springfield Falcons (The Calder Cup will be on display on the Wachovia

Arena at Casey Plaza concourse area)

The Calder Cup 2005 Tour offers fans the opportunity to view up close one of the oldest trophies in North American sports. The Calder Cup, which has been competed for since the 1936-37 season, features the names of players, coaches and support staff from the last 20 American Hockey League champions, and is accompanied by a special display highlighting the intensity and excitement of the Calder Cup Playoffs.

In conjunction with the tour, all AHL arenas will display specially designed Calder Cup 2005 posters displaying the rich tradition and history surrounding the quest for the Calder Cup.

The AHL's championship trophy is named after Hockey Hall of Famer Frank Calder, who served as the first president of the National Hockey League from 1917-43. During the 1920s, Calder was instrumental in guiding professional hockey into the mainstream of the United States' major cities, including New York, Boston, Chicago and Detroit, while also helping in the formation of the American Hockey League.

The Penguins (29-17-5-6, 69 points; 4th-Place, East Division) begin a stretch of three games in three nights on Friday when they host the Springfield Falcons (17-35-2-3, 39 points; 7th-Place, Atlantic Division) at 7:05 p.m. at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza. Approximately 150 tickets are still available for the game.

On Saturday, the Penguins will host the Philadelphia Phantoms (32-18-2-4, 70 points; T-2nd -Place, East Division) in the first game of a "home-and-home" series against their division rivals. They will complete the "home-and-home" series on Sunday when they will travel to Philadelphia to play the Phantoms at 5:05 p.m. at the Wachovia Spectrum.

The Penguins will be without leading scorer Kris Beech on Friday. Beech, who leads the team in scoring with 55 points (10+45), had an MRI performed on Monday and it was discovered that he has a left tibial plateau fracture. He was injured during a collision with Hershey's Dean Arsene during the second period of the Penguins-Bears game on February 26. He is expected to be out at least a month.

The top four teams from each division will qualify for the postseason, and all rounds will feature best-of-seven series. The playoff format will feature a divisional playoff, leading to conference finals and ultimately the Calder Cup Final.

Check out the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Statistics



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