Dineen and Slaney to AHL Hall of Fame
October 11, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release
The timing of the announcement could not have been scripted any better. As the Adirondack Phantoms embark on their 25th season of AHL hockey in the Adirondacks, it is perfectly fitting that they also are able to congratulate coaching legend Bill Dineen on his induction into the 2014 Class of the American Hockey League Hall of Fame. He will be joined by a Philadelphia Phantoms great, John Slaney, in a nice coincidence linking the two Glens Falls AHL franchises into the same 2014 induction class.
Bill Dineen is a Glen Lake resident who is a member of the inaugural Adirondack Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2010. The extremely popular Dineen is one of the most beloved figures in Glens Falls' hockey history. As head coach of the Adirondack Red Wings for six seasons from 1983 through 1989, he guided the team to two Calder Cup championships in 1986 and 1989. Dineen won the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as Coach of the Year in the American Hockey League in consecutive seasons taking the honor in 1984-85 and 1985-86.
The Adirondack Phantoms are in the process of arranging to honor Coach Dineen at an upcoming home game. The Class of 2014 will be honored and officially inducted as part of the festivities in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador at the 2014 AHL All-Star Classic on February 12, 2014. A couple of Bill Dineen's playing opponents in the 1950s and 1960s, Al Macneil and Bob Perreault, will join Dineen and Slaney in the 2014 Class.
Dineen is a native of Arvida, Que. and current resident of Glen Lake, N.Y. who played five seasons in the NHL and won two Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings before making his AHL debut with the Buffalo Bisons in 1958. Dineen topped the 20-goal mark four times in his six years with Buffalo, Cleveland, Rochester and Quebec, and made appearances in the Calder Cup Finals in 1959 and 1964.
He transitioned to coaching as his playing career wound down, and he would win championships in both the Western Hockey League and the World Hockey Association before returning to the AHL as head coach of the Adirondack Red Wings from 1983 to 1989.
Dineen went on to serve as the Adirondack Red Wings' general manager in 1989-90, and was later head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. He settled with his family in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, as many of his former players also did, and his sons Shawn, Peter, Gord, Kevin and Jerry all went on to play and/or coach in the AHL.
Bill Dineen tallied 271 points in 391 AHL games during his playing career and earned a coaching record of 246-182-52 in becoming one of the most beloved figures in Glens Falls' AHL history. He is one of just 12 coaches ever to win more than one Calder Cup, and one of only two to earn the Pieri Award in consecutive seasons.
John Slaney was a first-round draft pick by the Washington Capitals in 1990 who became one of the AHL's premier offensive defensemen over his career.
Slaney excelled on the blue-line for the Philadelphia Phantoms from 2001 through 2007 serving as captain of the team from 2005-07 and helping lead the team to a Calder Cup Championship in 2005 in a magical year that included a then-record 17-game win streak early in the season.
At the time of his last game, Slaney's career totals of 166 goals, 353 assists and 519 points were all career records for an AHL defenseman. He rates second all-time in Phantoms' history with 415 career games played trailing only Peter White who was a member of the 2013 Hall of Fame Class. Slaney is third all-time in the Phantoms franchise in career assists (208) and career points (293) and rates fourth highest in career goals (85) which is an especially impressive feat for a defenseman.
Slaney came to the American Hockey League in 1992 and picked up a goal and an assist in his professional debut, a sure sign of things to come. With the Baltimore Skipjacks in 1992-93, Slaney set league records for goals (20) and points (66) in a season by a rookie defenseman, and he had 27 points in 29 games with the Portland Pirates in 1993-94 before spending the rest of the season with the parent Capitals.
Over the next five years, Slaney would spend the majority of his time playing for Washington, Colorado, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Nashville in the NHL before returning to the American Hockey League in 1999 with the expansion Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He was traded to the Flyers organization on the eve of the 2001 AHL All-Star Classic in Wilkes-Barre. The Penguins' departing captain took one last bow in front of the home crowd and earned All-Star Game MVP honors before joining the Phantoms and becoming one of their all-time greats.
Slaney remains in the American Hockey League today currently serving as an assistant coach for the Portland Pirates.
Upcoming
Friday, October 11 (7:00) - Adirondack Phantoms at Hartford Wolf Pack
Saturday, October 12 (7:00) OPENING NIGHT! - Hartford Wolf Pack at Adirondack Phantoms
Magnet Schedule Giveaway courtesy of Great Meadow Federal Credit Union.
Monday, October 14 (2:00) - Adirondack Phantoms at Albany Devils
Friday, October 18 (7:00) - Adirondack Phantoms at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Saturday, October 19 (7:00) - Springfield Falcons at Adirondack Phantoms
25 Terrific Seasons
Glens Falls is celebrating its 25th season hosting an AHL team and in so doing now joins an elite group of only 12 other cities who can make such a claim. It's a great hockey tradition with an old-school feel that began with the Adirondack Red Wings in 1979 who won four Calder Cups in their 20-year run at the GFCC. The Adirondack Phantoms began play in Glens Falls in 2009-2010 and are beginning their fifth season.
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