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ECHL Announces 2014 Hall of Fame Inductees

December 5, 2013 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL announced on Thursday that the 2014 inductees for the ECHL Hall of Fame are James Edwards, Wes Goldie, Al MacIsaac and John Spoltore.

The four will be formally inducted as the seventh class of the ECHL Hall of Fame at a luncheon ceremony that will be held in conjunction with the 2014 ECHL Hockey Heritage Weekend presented by CCM in Anchorage, Alaska. The 2014 Hall of Fame luncheon, presented by BFL CANADA, will take place on Friday, Feb. 7, 2014 at 12 Noon, at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel & Spa .

"This is certainly an outstanding class of inductees," said ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna. "Wes Goldie as the all-time leading goal scorer in League history and John Spoltore, one of the greatest playmakers averaging almost two points-per-game over his career, represent two great ECHL players. After humble beginnings in the ECHL, Al MacIsaac's career achievements speak for themselves and Jim Edwards is honored for his hard work in guiding the League as Chairman during the formative years. We welcome all four for their unique contributions."

James Edwards served as President for the Johnstown Chiefs from the 1995-96 season through 2002-03. He was the Chairman of the ECHL Board of Governors for four seasons from 1999-2000 through 2002-03. Edwards was instrumental in helping to keep the last remaining original ECHL team in its same city as the League continued to expand into larger markets and served as the Chairman of the Board as the ECHL approved expansion to include seven markets in the western United States for the 2003-04 season, making the League a coast-to-coast league.

Wes Goldie is the ECHL's all-time leader in career goals with 370, breaking the previous mark of 368 held by 2009 Hall of Fame inductee Rod Taylor, and he ranks fourth in League history with 697 games played over 11 seasons with Pee Dee, Victoria and Alaska. He shares with Taylor the ECHL record for most 30-or-more goal seasons with eight, and he shares the league mark for most consecutive 30-plus goal seasons with six from 2006-07 through 2011-12. Goldie also had success in the Kelly Cup Playoffs, as he ranks fifth all-time in postseason games played with 84, third with 36 postseason goals and fifth with 78 points. He enjoyed perhaps his best season in 2010-11 with Alaska, earning ECHL Most Valuable Player honors with 83 points (46g-37a) in 72 games and adding 14 points (3g-11a) in 13 postseason contests as the Aces captured their second Kelly Cup title in team history.

Al MacIsaac played two seasons in the ECHL with the Hampton Roads Admirals in 1991-92 and 1992-93, scoring 73 points (22g-51a) in 95 career games. He was part of the Admirals' 1992 Riley Cup championship team, scoring 10 points (1g-9a) in 14 postseason games and represented the club in the first-ever ECHL All-Star Game in 1993. Following his playing career, MacIsaac became an assistant coach with the club, serving in that role for seven seasons, and earning a Kelly Cup championship ring in 1998. MacIsaac is currently in his 14th season in the front office of the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks where he was part of the team's 2010 and 2013 Stanley Cup titles, and is in his fourth season as the club's Vice President of Hockey Operations.

John Spoltore, who passed away in 2010, made his mark on the ECHL Record Book while playing with the Louisiana Ice Gators from 1995-96 through 2000-01. He scored an amazing 532 points (142g-390a) in just 275 career ECHL games, an average of 1.93 points-per-game, and his 390 assists are tied for the third most in League history. His 1.15 assists-per-game average ranks tops in ECHL history and he fell just one assist shy of tying the League's single-season assist record when he recorded 92 during the 1999-2000 season. He was named to the All-ECHL Second Team in 1997-98 before earning a spot on the All-ECHL First Team in each of the next two seasons. Spoltore represented the Ice Gators in the 1999 and 2000 ECHL All-Star Games, and he earned a Calder Cup title with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League in 1999 after tallying 12 points (6g-6a) in 11 postseason contests.

The inaugural ECHL Hall of Fame class inducted in 2008 was Henry Brabham, Patrick J. Kelly, Chris Valicevic and Nick Vitucci while the second class in 2009 was John Brophy, Blake Cullen, Tom Nemeth and Rod Taylor. The 2010 ECHL Hall of Fame class was Cam Brown, E.A. "Bud" Gingher, Olaf Kolzig and Darryl Noren; the 2011 class was Richard Adams, Phil Berger, Luke Curtin and Joe Ernst; the Class of 2012 was Bill Coffey, Sheldon Gorski, John Marks, Dave Seitz and Bob Woods while the 2013 class was David Craievich, Marc Magliarditi, Steve Poapst and Darren Schwartz. Inductees are enshrined in the ECHL Hall of Fame, which is open around the clock online at ECHLHallOfFame.com, as well as being recognized at the league office in Princeton, N.J. and in the ECHL section at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario.

The third-longest tenured professional hockey league, behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League, the Premier "˜AA' Hockey League has grown from five teams in four states in 1988-89 into a coast-to-coast league with 22 teams in 15 states for its 26th season in 2013-14.

Hall of Fame members are selected in four categories: Player, Developmental Player, Builder, and Referee/Linesman. No more than five candidates may be elected to the ECHL Hall of Fame each year with no more than three Players, one Developmental Player, two Builders and one Referee/Linesman. The Developmental Player, Builder and the Referee/Linesman categories are dependent upon the number of candidates in the Player category.

The nomination and/or selection of candidates will be determined by the Hall of Fame Selection Committee and its Chairman Patrick J. Kelly.

Only members of the Selection Committee, the Board of Governors, teams or persons affiliated with the ECHL may submit official nominations which must be made in writing to the league office. Fans are encouraged to contact their team to propose names for nomination.

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