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Hartford's LaBarbera named AHL's outstanding goaltender

April 7, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League announced today that Jason LaBarbera of the Hartford Wolf Pack has been named the winner of the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL's outstanding goaltender for the 2003-04 season, as voted by players and members of the media in each of the league's 28 cities.

A 2003-04 First Team AHL All-Star, LaBarbera has put together one of the most impressive seasons in league history, rewriting the record books along the way. He ranks among the AHL's leaders with his 1.59 goals-against average (second), .936 save percentage (third) and 13 shutouts (first), all marks which had never been surpassed in the league's first 67 seasons of play. LaBarbera, who appeared in four games with the New York Rangers this season and earned his first NHL win on Mar. 5, also has a league-high 31 wins and ranks fifth with 3,208 minutes played.

A native of Burnaby, B.C., the 24-year-old LaBarbera did not lose a game in regulation over the first two months of the season (8-0-3-1), and was unbeaten in 14 straight (11-0-3) from Jan. 30 to Mar. 17. His 31-9-9 mark for the year has Hartford on the brink of the Atlantic Division championship and within two points of the best record in the entire league. The Wolf Pack have allowed just 143 goals in 2003-04, second-fewest in the league and well beyond the previous record for an 80-game season (176).

The Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award, which was first presented in 1984, honors the late "Baz" Bastien, who played four seasons in goal with the AHL's Pittsburgh Hornets (1945-49) before suffering a career-ending eye injury. Bastien would go on to serve as head coach and general manager of the Hornets, leading them to the 1967 Calder Cup championship.

Previous winners of the award include Sam St. Laurent (1986), Mark Laforest (1987, '91), Wendell Young (1988), Felix Potvin (1992), Manny Legace (1996), Martin Biron (1999), Dwayne Roloson (2001), Martin Prusek (2002) and Marc Lamothe (2003).

As it concludes its 68th regular season on Apr. 11, the AHL continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 80 percent of all players to compete in the NHL this season have been AHL graduates, and over 400 players have taken the ice in both leagues in 2003-04. The Calder Cup 2004 Playoffs get underway next week, with 20 teams vying for the honor of capturing the league's coveted championship trophy.

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