Hall of Fame Night, 80's Throwback Night Set for Next Friday
AHL Rochester Americans

Hall of Fame Night, 80's Throwback Night Set for Next Friday

Published on January 22, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


(Rochester, NY) - The Rochester Americans are hosting their annual Hall of Fame Night presented by CSEA on Friday, Jan. 30 when they face-off against the Hershey Bears at The Blue Cross Arena. Prior to the game, the team will induct forward Claude Verret and defenseman Dean Melanson into the Amerks Hall of Fame as the 70th and 71st members of the prestigious club.

Verret played his entire AHL career in Rochester, establishing himself as one of the most prolific scorers in franchise history despite only playing four seasons with the Amerks from 1983 to 1987. In 229 career games with Rochester, Verret produced an astounding 259 (111+148) points, including back-to-back 90-point seasons, while also adding 27 (10+17) points in 31 postseason appearances. He was the AHL's top scoring rookie during the 1983-84 season and later helped the Amerks win the Calder Cup in 1987.

Verret, who passed away in March 2025, becomes just the third player in the 70-year history of the franchise to enter the Hall of Fame posthumously.

Widely regarded for his physicality and tenacious style of play, Melanson patrolled the Rochester blueline for parts of six seasons from 1992-96 and then again from 1997-99. In 353 games as an Amerk, Melanson recorded 100 points on 22 goals and 78 assists while piling up 852 penalty minutes, which rank sixth all-time in franchise history. His 353 games played also place him 19th all-time and rank fifth-most by a defenseman, trailing only fellow Amerks Hall of Famers Darryl Sly, Don Cherry, Doug Janik, and Dave Fenyves.

Melanson, who is unable to be in Rochester due to ongoing health issues, guided the Amerks to five playoff appearances in his six seasons, highlighted by a pair of trips to the Calder Cup Finals in 1996 and again in 1999. He is perhaps best remembered for delivering the game-changing hit on Richard Zednik in Game 7 of the 1996 Calder Cup Finals against the Portland Pirates, ultimately leading the Amerks to their sixth and most recent championship. Only seven others in franchise history appeared in more playoff games than Melanson.

Accepting the honor for this year's inductees will be the Verret family and fellow Amerks Hall of Famer Martin Biron, who was a teammate of Melanson for two seasons in Rochester.

The game will also feature appearances by Amerks Hall of Famers Randy Cunneyworth and Jim Wiemer, both of whom were teammates of Verret. The duo is among the only few players in franchise history to begin and end their respective playing careers with the Amerks and won the 1983 Calder Cup together in Rochester. Cunneyworth would later go onto become all-time winningest coach in franchise history while Wiemer, who will be inducted into the American Hockey League Hall of Fame next month at the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic, won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL's top defenseman in 1985-86 before winning a Stanley Cup with Edmonton Oilers in 1988.

Biron will meet with fans and sign autographs during the first intermission of next Friday's game, while Cunneyworth and Wiemer will be available during the second.

The Amerks will wear their fourth of six specialty throwback jerseys next Friday against Hershey as part of the team's season-long celebration of its 70th -anniversary season. The one-of-a-kind, game-worn jerseys are inspired by those of the 1980's. The predominantly blue jersey features the iconic Amerks shield blended with the charging buffalo and crossed swords of the Buffalo Sabres, a nod to the origination of a now 44-year-long affiliation between the Amerks and Sabres, one of the longest between an AHL club and its NHL counterpart.

The jerseys will be auctioned off on DASH, a sport-focused online auction platform and partner of the Amerks, with the proceeds benefitting Cancer Support Community at Gilda's Club Rochester. To access the auction, visit www.amerks.com/auction, or text "DASH" to 66866, click on the download link and install DASH on your mobile device. Fans can then create their own personal profile and select the Amerks as their favorite team to start bidding. The auction will open for bidding beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 26 and closes at 10 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 1. Winners will be contacted directly.

The Bears, too, will be wearing specialty jerseys as part of the AHL's 90th Anniversary Throwback Games, commemorating the league's historic 90th -anniversary season in a matchup between the two senior-most teams.

Next Friday's festivities begin with a Pregame Happy Hour, presented by Genesee Brewery, before the game where fans 21 and older can enjoy $5 12-ounce can beer specials outside at the Block Party as and inside at the Genesee Brew House at Blue Cross Arena (located at the top of the stairs in the main atrium) until puck drop.

Additionally, the first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive an Amerks 70th anniversary clear plastic bag. The Blue Cross Arena recently instituted a new Clear Bag Policy in an effort to help increase efficiency and enhance safety measures when entering the arena for all events, including all Amerks home games. The Amerks Team Store, presented by Legends, will also have a limited number of clear bags with the traditional Amerks logo available for purchase.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 22, 2026


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