AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Carkner Wins Yanick Dupre Memorial Award

April 9, 2007 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


WILKES-BARRE, PA - The American Hockey League has announced that Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defenseman Matt Carkner of the has been selected the winner of the Yanick Dupré Memorial Award as the 2006-07 American Specialty/AHL Man of the Year. The award is presented annually to an AHL player for his outstanding contributions to his local community and charitable organizations.

Carkner, 26, arrived in Wilkes-Barre this season with a history of charitable activities, having been a three-time nominee for the Yanick Dupré Award while with the Cleveland Barons. With the Penguins, he has spearheaded two important initiatives this season, raising the spirits of local children at the holidays and raising money for the fight against cancer.

Just a week into his stay with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Carkner approached the team about continuing a program he had been a part of in Cleveland, called Carks' Kids. The idea was simple - provide a group of underprivileged children with all the means for a happy holiday season.

Working through local branches of the United Way and the local Salvation Army, Carkner found a group of youngsters in need at the Kirby Family House, a temporary facility that houses families trying to get back on their feet after hardship. The group of approximately 20 children all submitted a list of three 'needs' and three 'wants'. Needs could be anything from winter clothing, school supplies, bedding or other items for the home, while wants ran the gamut from simple toys for toddlers to a bicycle.

Carkner then asked each of his teammates to adopt one of these children, with each purchasing all of the needs and as many wants as they could see fit to provide for their child. The defenseman and a group of teammates, along with team mascot Tux, surprised the kids at the Kirby Family House with a pre-holiday party in mid-December, where each child was presented with their gifts.

Carkner has also been active in helping to raise awareness of and money for the fight against cancer.

Working with the local chapter of the American Red Cross, Carkner sported a special warm-up jersey featuring pink numbering and lettering, as well as a pink ribbon symbolizing the fight against breast cancer, prior to the Penguins' home game against the Hershey Bears on March 30. The one-of-a-kind sweater was raffled off during the game, as were chances to shave Carkner's head, teammate Kurtis McLean's head and Jonathan Filewich's head at center ice.

More than $8,200.00 was raised during the March 30 contest, with all proceeds from the raffle being donated to the ACS.

In addition to these two individual efforts, Carkner also volunteered at the Penguins'/Red Cross Blood Drive in January, and has been involved with numerous team trips to local schools, where the players address issues from eating right and staying in school to staying away from drugs and alcohol.

The AHL's annual Man of the Year award is named after the late Yanick Dupré, who passed away in 1997 at the age of 24 following a 16-month battle with leukemia. A second-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in 1991, Dupré played four seasons in the AHL with the Hershey Bears, and participated in the 1995 AHL All-Star Game. Previous winners of the award include John Jakopin (1998), Brent Thompson (1999), Mike Minard (2000, 2001), Travis Roche (2002), Jimmy Roy (2003), Kurtis Foster (2004), Duncan Milroy (2005) and Mitch Fritz (2006).

Carkner will be presented with the Yanick Dupré Award and a check for $500 on Friday evening, in an on-ice presentation prior to the Penguins game against Hershey at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza.

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American Hockey League Stories from April 9, 2007


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