John Stevens Named To Phantoms Hall Of Fame
Published on January 16, 2007 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release
PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Phantoms Chief Operating Officer Frank Miceli announced today that John Stevens has been selected as the fourth member of the Phantoms Hall of Fame. Stevens will be inducted at a ceremony prior to the Phantoms game against Norfolk on Sunday, February 18. The four-time Calder Cup champion will join Bill Barber, Frank Bialowas and Neil Little as members of the exclusive club.
Stevens, 40, was a member of the Phantoms organization as a player and a coach for the first 10 years of the franchise's existence, from its inception in 1996 until he was named an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers in June of 2006. In October, he was elevated to head coach of the Flyers.
"To me that's a great honor bestowed upon me by a great organization," Stevens said. "I was certainly very happy to hear the news, and I'm really flattered. It's amazing that the Phantoms have established such a great tradition in such a short time. To look back and see what they've done and the rivalries they've created, I just feel very fortunate to be a part of the organization for 10 years."
A career defenseman, Stevens was a third-round draft pick of the Flyers in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. After completing his junior career with the Oshawa Generals in 1986, he played for the Flyers organization for the next four seasons, spending most of his time with the team's AHL affiliate in Hershey while appearing in a total of six NHL games in the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons. In 1988, Stevens was a member of Hershey's Calder Cup championship team.
In the summer of 1990, Stevens joined the Hartford Whalers organization. He spent the next six years playing mostly for the club's AHL affiliate in Springfield, Mass. but saw action in a total of 44 games for the Whalers. In 1991, Stevens won his second Calder Cup as a member of the Springfield Indians.
The summer of 1996 was one of change in Philadelphia. The Flyers had moved to the brand-new Wachovia Center and the organization was preparing to launch its own AHL franchise, the Phantoms, in its old home of the Spectrum with Barber serving as the head coach. Barber and his assistant, Mike Stothers, needed a captain for their new team.
"We needed someone that was going to be strong and help lead us in the right direction, and John Stevens was our man," Barber said. "He had a relationship with [Stothers], and [Stothers] reached out to him."
Stevens accepted the task and returned to Philadelphia. A traditional lunchpail blueliner, Stevens had just 20 points over the course of the campaign, but led by example. He helped direct the team to the regular season league title and the Mid-Atlantic division championship with a record of 49-18-10-3 record for 111 points, while also representing the Phantoms as the captain of Team Canada at the 1996 AHL All-Star Game.
A year later, Barber, Stevens and the Phantoms finished the job. They posted a record of 47-21-10-2 for 106 points to win the league's regular-season title and the Mid-Atlantic Division for the second consecutive year. The Phantoms then plowed through the playoffs, beating Rochester, Hershey, Albany and finally Saint John in a six game finals series to claim their first Calder Cup championship.
"Looking back, I couldn't have asked for a better captain for a hockey team," Barber said. "He's a leader, and they're hard to find today. We were very fortunate to have John Stevens on board when we won the Calder Cup. He was one of the main reasons we did win. He'd send messages that needed to be sent to the players at certain times during the season and the playoffs. He's a quality man and a family man that I highly respect."
In January of 1999, Stevens was hit in the eye by a slap shot during a game, bringing his playing career to a premature end. After his recovery, Stevens immediately stepped behind the bench as an assistant to Barber and spent the next year and a half learning the game from a coaching perspective. On June 8, 2000, Stevens was named the head coach of the team.
Over the next six seasons, Stevens coached the Phantoms to a record of 230-181-33-25-11 for a winning percentage of .551. The team won the East Division championship in 2003-04, a tune-up of sorts for its historic run to the franchise's second Calder Cup championship in 2004-05. Philadelphia dispatched Norfolk, Wilkes-Barre and Providence before sweeping Chicago to capture the title in front of a record 20,103 fans at the Wachovia Center.
Following Philadelphia's 10th Anniversary season in 2005-06, Stevens got the call he'd been working to receive when he was named to the assistant's post with the Flyers.
"The 10 years I spent with the Phantoms were 10 of the greatest years of my life," Stevens said. "Not just professionally, but for my family living in the area. The two championships, one as a player and one as a coach - you're always striving to be the best. To win in 1998 with that team, we had a bond and there are memories I'll never forget. To win as a coach in 2005 was a special thing, and fortunately we were able to win both at home. Those were two great nights and being able to share that kind of excitement with the community really stands out to me as two highlights of my time here."
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT JOHN STEVENS
PAUL HOLMGREN, Flyers General Manager
"If there was ever a person that put his signature on the Phantoms organization, it's John Stevens. John's honor, integrity and knowledge of the game have played a huge role in helping to develop players for the Flyers, first as a team captain and then as a coach. It's a critical role in a hockey organization and it doesn't always get acknowledged, so I'm very happy that he's being honored for what he's achieved."
BILL BARBER, Phantoms Hall of Fame 2005
"It's well-deserved. I can't speak highly enough as to what he brings to the table as a player, a coach and as a person."
NEIL LITTLE, Phantoms Hall of Fame 2006
"With each passing year, I have come to realize increasingly just how important a role Johnny played in the success of our teams - not only as our reliable captain and endearing friend in his playing days, but also as the steady, level-headed teacher and motivator he became as a coach. For all of us who have had the pleasure to know John, we have been forever privileged to witness his attributes that we all strive for - leadership, hard work, determination, and honesty."
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