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AHL Hershey Bears

Mathers, Marshall inducted into AHL Hall of Fame

January 5, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


The American Hockey League today announced the seven legends who have been selected to make up the historic inaugural Class of 2006 of the American Hockey League Hall of Fame. The first inductees into the AHL Hall of Fame are Johnny Bower, Jack Butterfield, Jody Gage, Fred Glover, Willie Marshall, Frank Mathers and Eddie Shore. "The AHL Board of Governors has unanimously endorsed the selection committee's recommendation of these seven players and builders as the most significant contributors over our first 70 years," said David Andrews, AHL President and CEO. "These individuals have established among them over several decades a standard of excellence that has defined our league. We are honored to name them as our first inductees into the AHL Hall of Fame, and to place them at the forefront of what will be a formidable group of hockey legends to be inducted in future years." The first class of inductees will be honored as part of the festivities at the 2006 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic in Winnipeg on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.

WILLIE CHARLES MARSHALL

A talented playmaker, Willie Marshall was known as a dangerous sniper during his 20 seasons in the American Hockey League, in which time he became the most prolific scorer in league history. Born Dec. 1, 1931, in Kirkland Lake, Ont., Marshall made his AHL debut with the Pittsburgh Hornets in 1952-53, scoring 27 goals and dishing out 39 assists for 66 points in 62 games and leading the Hornets to the Calder Cup Final. It would be the first of 13 seasons in which Marshall would lead his AHL team in scoring. Marshall soon became a model of consistency, topping the 20-goal mark in each of his first 12 years in the American Hockey League. In 1954-55, he saw action in 16 NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but still managed to register 48 points in 46 contests in Pittsburgh, then lead the Hornets to a Calder Cup championship. Following the 1955-56 season, in which Marshall was named a First Team AHL All-Star, Duquesne Gardens was torn down and the Hornets were forced into dormancy; Marshall was sold to the Detroit Red Wings and landed with the Hershey Bears. After finishing second in the AHL scoring race in 1956 and 1957, Marshall won his first - and only - league scoring title in 1957-58, putting up 104 points in the regular season and 19 more in the playoffs as the Bears captured the Calder Cup. A trade back to the Maple Leafs brought Marshall to a brief stint in Rochester, but he was loaned back to Hershey and helped the Bears to another championship in 1959, Marshall's third Calder Cup win in five years. He continued to average better than a point per game with Hershey, and in 1962 earned a nod as a Second Team AHL All-Star after registering 95 points in 70 games, including a career-best 65 assists. Marshall joined the Providence Reds in 1963 for three seasons, then moved on to the Baltimore Clippers for five (1966-71). He returned to Rochester to finish up the 1971-72 season, his record-tying 20th in the AHL, and retired as the league's all-time leader in games played (1,205), goals (523), assists (852) and points (1,375), as well as hat tricks (25) and Calder Cup Playoff assists (71) and points (119). Marshall still ranks fifth on the Hershey Bears' franchise scoring list with 570 points in 439 games in Chocolatetown, and his number 16 has been retired by the club. In 2004, the American Hockey League honored Marshall at the All-Star Classic in Grand Rapids and unveiled the Willie Marshall Award, which is now presented annually to the AHL player who scores the most goals each season.

FRANK SYDNEY MATHERS

The embodiment of its most storied franchise, Frank Mathers was one of the American Hockey League's greatest players, coaches, executives and ambassadors during a 57-year association with the AHL. A native of Winnipeg, Mathers was a gifted sportsman who played halfback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League. He also served as a pilot in the Canadian Air Force during World War II. Mathers soon turned his attention to hockey, and beginning in 1948, after three years in the Quebec senior circuit, he spent eight seasons patrolling the blue line for the AHL's Pittsburgh Hornets, establishing himself as one of the best defensemen in the league. He was named a First Team AHL All-Star five straight years, the only player in AHL history ever to accomplish that feat, and he helped the Hornets to Calder Cup championships in 1952 and 1955. Mathers would also participate in all six of the AHL All-Star Games held in the 1950's, five as a player. When the Hornets folded after the 1955-56 season, Mathers nearly retired to pursue a career in dentistry. But legend has it that Hershey Bears president and general manager John Sollenberger persuaded Mathers in unique Hershey fashion to join his team as a player/coach: by taking him on a few roller-coaster rides at Hersheypark. Mathers' arrival immediately changed the fortunes of the Bears franchise. Coming off consecutive fifth-place finishes, Hershey qualified for the playoffs in 1957 and won back-to-back Calder Cup titles in 1958 and 1959. Mathers retired from playing during the 1961-62 season, but continued as the Bears' head coach through 1973, capturing another Calder Cup in 1969 - the fifth of his career. Mathers became the Bears' president and GM in 1973 and raised his career championship total to eight, overseeing Hershey's Calder Cup wins in 1974, 1980 and 1988. The 1987-88 Bears are widely regarded as one of the best AHL teams of all time, winning 50 games during the regular season and posting a perfect 12-0 record during the 1988 Calder Cup Playoffs. Mathers compiled a record of 610-512-134 in 1,256 games as Bears head coach, leading Hershey to the Calder Cup Playoffs in 16 of his 17 seasons behind the bench, including six Finals appearances. He is the AHL's all-time leader in games coached, and ranks second in coaching victories. Mathers was named the winner of the Louis A.R. Pieri Award as the AHL's outstanding coach in 1969, and won the league's James C. Hendy Award as outstanding executive in 1977. He was honored with the prestigious Lester Patrick Award in 1987 for service to hockey in the United States, and earned the ultimate honor in 1992 when he was enshrined into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Mathers was named an honorary life member of the AHL's Board of Governors in 1994, and in 1996, the AHL instituted the Frank Mathers Trophy, which is now awarded each year to the Eastern Conference's regular-season champion

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