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Laviolette Heads Binghamton Hall of Fame Inductees

March 8, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Binghamton Senators News Release


BINGHAMTON, NY - The Binghamton Senators announced today that the Binghamton Hockey Hall of Fame committee has selected Peter Laviolette, Jon Smith, and Bob Sullivan as its Class of 2004 inductees. The inductees will be honored March 19th at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena during a pre-game ceremony in conjunction with that night's American Hockey League game against the Albany River Rats (7:05 p.m.).

Laviolette, a former Olympian on the 1988 USA hockey team, is currently the head coach of the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes. As a defenseman, he totalled 115 games on in two seasons with the Binghamton Rangers between 1990-92. He totalled 16 goals and 50 points with the Rangers and appeared in 367 AHL games overall with 175 points in six seasons between Binghamton and the Providence Bruins before retiring in 1997.

Laviolette continued his hockey career in the fall of 1997 as head coach of the Wheeling Nailers of the East Coast Hockey League. He guided the club to a 37-24-9 record and a second place finish in the Northeast Division. The Nailers made it to the Northern Conference finals before falling to Hampton Roads, four games to two.

Laviolette's success in his rookie campaign behind the bench in Wheeling landed him in the AHL the following season (1998-99) as the head coach of the Providence Bruins. Laviolette captured the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award (Coach of the Year) as he led the Bruins to the second best regular season win total in league history (57) and the city's fifth Calder Cup championship, defeating Rochester four games to one in the finals. In 1999-2000, Laviolette's Bruins finished last in the five-team Atlantic Division, but swept their first two rounds of the playoffs to reach the Eastern Conference finals. Eventual Calder Cup champion Hartford, led by current Binghamton Senators head coach John Paddock, ended the Bruins season in a thrilling conference final that required overtime in the seventh and deciding contest.

His success in the AHL paved the way for a shot at the NHL as he was promoted to assistant coach of the parent Boston Bruins in 2000-2001. Laviolette then left the Bruins organization when he was offered the head coaching position with the New York Islanders, where he recorded 77 wins in two seasons (2001-2003).

Jon Smith's name has been synonymous with athletic training in the Southern Tier for nearly 25 years. Currently the Associate Director of Athletics at Broome Community College and Coordinator of the Athletic Training Services at Lourdes Hospital - Binghamton, Smith was certified by the National Athletic Trainer' Association Board of Certification in 1977 upon graduating from Ohio University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Education.

His first stop in Binghamton became the last for Smith when he was named Athletic Trainer of the Binghamton Whalers in 1982. He held that post through the 1993-94 season and was a holdover when the franchise became the Binghamton Rangers in 1990-91.

Smith is actively involved in numerous community events throughout the year, most notably the STOP-DWI Holiday Classic, The World Youth Baseball Classic, and The Chris Thater Memorial.

Smith was previously inducted to the Toronto High School Athletic Hall of Fame in his hometown of Toronto, Ohio.

Smith's athletic training experience spans over 30 years, beginning in 1977 with the Toledo Goaldiggers of the International Hockey League. The Goaldiggers won the Turner Cup playoffs that season and Smith had the honor of being the first trainer to have his name inscribed on the league's championship trophy.

Originally a 7th round pick of the New York Rangers in the 1977 NHL draft, Bob Sullivan appeared in 168 games with the Binghamton Whalers from 1981-1984. Sullivan was voted the Dudley "Red" Garrett Rookie of the Year with 47 goals and 90 points in leading the Whalers to the Calder Cup finals in 1981-82.

Included in that rookie season was Sullivan's 28-game point-scoring streak, a new AHL standard at the time, as he was named First Team All-Star at left wing

The following season, he was rewarded with 62 games with the parent Hartford Whalers. It was his only stint in the NHL as he recorded 18 goals and 37 points. Sullivan returned to Binghamton for the 1983-84 campaign, his final as a player, and posted 80 points to rank third in team scoring.

Laviolette, Smith and Sullivan will be the guests of honor at a pre-game dinner/reception in the Arena Club beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 19th. A limited number of tickets (50) are available to the event and are priced at $20.00 per person. Tickets can be purchased only at the Senators' third floor offices at the Arena, or by calling 722-SENS (7367). On-ice pre-game ceremonies prior to that night's contest against the Albany River Rats will mark their formal induction into the Binghamton Hockey Hall of Fame.

The Binghamton Hockey Hall of Fame was created during the 1997-98 season as a means of honoring and preserving the rich hockey tradition that has spanned over 30 years in the Southern Tier. The Class of 2004 is the seventh set of inductees to be honored with previous classes listed below:

1997-98: Ken Holland, Jim Matthews, Randy MacGregor 1998-99: Jacques Caron, Rod Bloomfield, Paul Stewart 1999-2000: Larry Pleau, Paul Crowley, Paul Fenton 2000-01: Craig Duncanson, Pierre Laganierre, Brad Shaw 2001-02: Chris Cichocki, Peter Sidorkiewicz, Ross Yates 2002-03: Roger Neel, Peter Fiorentino



American Hockey League Stories from March 8, 2004


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