AHL Bridgeport Islanders

Mike Fornabaio Wins Ellery Award

Published on June 29, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release


BRIDGEPORT, CT – The American Hockey League's Bridgeport Sound Tigers, top affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, have announced Mike Fornabaio, who covers the team for the Connecticut Post, has been named the winner of 2003-04 James H. Ellery Memorial Award in the newspaper category.

Widely recognized as one of the most dedicated and professional writers around the AHL, Fornabaio once again provided the Sound Tigers and the League with first-rate coverage for the Bridgeport-based Connecticut Post in 2003-04. Fornabaio, who covered the League for the paper even before the Sound Tigers' debut in 2001, follows the team both home and away, even turning his and the team's experiences on the road into entertaining feature stories. His weekly columns are among the most comprehensive and insightful in the AHL.

Fornabaio, 29, has worked for the Connecticut Post since 1997 and has also covered the AHL's Beast of New Haven and local high school sports. He was born in the Bronx and earned a degree in History from Columbia University in New York City in 1997.

The James H. Ellery Memorial Awards, which were first presented in 1964, honor the late Mr. Ellery, who served the AHL for 17 years as League secretary and publicity director. The Ellery Awards are presented annually in recognition of outstanding media coverage of the AHL in three categories: newspaper, radio and television. In addition to Fornabaio, the League has honored John Walton of the Hershey Bears in the radio category and the Chicago Wolves and Comcast Cable in the television category.

A former public address announcer at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, John Walton joined the Hershey Bears in 2002 after three years with the AHL's Cincinnati Mighty Ducks. In 2003-04, Walton called all 80 Bears games on the radio, lent his talents to Hershey's local television broadcasts and authored a weekly column on the team's web site, fielding questions and keeping Bears fans informed on the latest happenings from around the League. Walton also compiled the club's 2003-04 media guide, the most complete record book in the 66-year history of the AHL's oldest franchise.

The Chicago Wolves entered into a multi-year agreement with Comcast Cable in 2003 to air live every one of the team's regular-season and playoff games, home and away, to the company's 1.6 million customers in the greater Chicago region. This all-inclusive schedule, unprecedented in League history, also included branding availability for the Wolves and the AHL, including commercial placement, signage and other cross-promotional opportunities.

The 2004-05 season will be the Sound Tigers' fourth in Bridgeport and fourth as the top affiliate of the Islanders. Information regarding 2004-05 Sound Tigers season tickets and sponsorship opportunities is available by calling 203-334-GOAL or logging on to www.soundtigers.com. Groups, organizations, companies, etc. that are interested in having a member of the Sound Tigers appear at an event are invited to call 203-334-GOAL or email amy@soundtigers.com.

Check out the Bridgeport Islanders Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from June 29, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central