Grace Earns Ellery Award
June 18, 2002 - American Hockey League (AHL) News Release
SPRINGFIELD, MA . . . The American Hockey League announced today that Tom Grace, director of communications for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, has been named the 2001-02 recipient of the James H. Ellery Award in the radio category. The award is presented annually to members of the media who have made outstanding contributions to the progress of the AHL in radio, print and television.
As the radio voice of the Penguins, Grace has been one of the most positive resources for promoting the team and the American Hockey League in northeastern Pennsylvania over the last three seasons. In addition to his radio and TV broadcast duties, which in 2001-02 included a one-game stint with the NHL's Nashville Predators, Grace performed numerous remote broadcasts for charity and community events, hosted a weekly hour-long call-in show, and handled the Penguins' player appearance schedule that featured more than 150 engagements. In the off-season, Grace continues to promote the Penguins at various public speaking functions.
The Penguins recently announced a 25-game deal with WNEP-TV for the 2002-03 season, with Grace slated to provide the play-by-play for the broadcasts that will reach some 100,000 local cable subscribers.
Grace's efforts have also helped the Penguins become one of the most successful franchises at the gate in AHL history, with each of the last 57 games at the First Union Arena at Casey Plaza being played in front of capacity crowds.
The James H. Ellery Award, which was first presented in 1964, honors the late Mr. Ellery, who served the American Hockey League for 17 years as league secretary and publicity director. The 2001-02 winners in the television and print categories will be announced later this week.
Entering its 67th season, the AHL serves as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. The 2001-02 season was the AHL's most successful to date, seeing an expansion from 20 to 27 teams and an all-time high in average attendance, with nearly 6.7 million fans attending games across North America. More than 75 percent of all players to compete in the NHL in 2001-02 were AHL graduates, and 350 players took the ice in both leagues. The AHL will see an all-time high of 28 teams competing in 2002-03.
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American Hockey League Stories from June 18, 2002
- Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Expected to Send Newly-Signed Prospects to Cincinnati - Cincinnati RailRaiders
- Grace Earns Ellery Award - AHL
- Moose announce NHL exhibition game - Manitoba Moose
- Boston Bruins sign prospect Samuelsson - Providence Bruins
- Admirals Sign Helperl and Laing - Norfolk Admirals
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