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AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Penguins Announce Inaugural Hall of Fame Class

January 10, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are proud to announce their inaugural Hall of Fame class.

Selected for induction this coming February are former Penguins players Dennis Bonvie and Alain Nasreddine (Players category), as well as former Pennsylvania State Representative and past Chairman of the Arena Authority Kevin Blaum (Builders category).

DENNIS BONVIE The most popular player in team history, Bonvie was a member of the Penguins' inaugural squad in 1999-00, and spent parts of five seasons with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (1999-01, 2005-08). He appeared in 285 regular season games with the AHL club, recording 84 points (16+68) and 1,284 penalty minutes, and twice appeared in the Calder Cup Finals with the Penguins (2001, 2008).

The 40-year-old native of Antigonish, Nova Scotia enjoyed a 15-year professional career during which time he appeared in 92 National Hockey League games with the Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche.

Bonvie ranks 20th in AHL history with 871 games played, and first overall with 4,493 penalty minutes. His combined penalty minute total of 4,804 between the AHL and NHL is the highest by any player in the history of the sport.

He currently serves as a professional scout with the Chicago Blackhawks.

ALAIN NASREDDINE Nasreddine, 38, was acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins from the New York Islanders for Steve Webb on March 8, 2004. He went on to spend the next five seasons with the Penguins' organization, splitting time between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Pittsburgh.

The Montreal native served as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton captain during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons. He appeared in 249 regular season games with the AHL squad, recording 55 points (13+42) and 302 penalty minutes from 2004-08. He ranks first on the team's all-time postseason games played list at 57, and was a member of the Penguins' 2004 and 2008 Calder Cup Finals teams.

Nasreddine appeared in 74 regular season NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins. He also suited up for 850 games in the AHL and IHL combined.

Nasreddine played two seasons in Germany before retiring, and is now in his third season as an assistant coach with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

KEVIN BLAUM Blaum, 61, championed the construction of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Convention Center, securing funding from Pennsylvania Governor Robert Casey for the project in 1994. He oversaw construction and management of the facility as chairman of the Arena Authority, and played a major role in acquiring an AHL franchise for Northeast Pennsylvania.

A native of Wilkes-Barre, Blaum was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1980, and served 13 terms in the General Assembly before retiring in 2006. He joined the admission office of Wyoming Seminary that same year. From 2008-2013 Blaum was the Sunday public affairs columnist at the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader.

Selection for the Players category in the Penguins Hall of Fame was determined by combining results from online fan voting, votes from local media members, Penguins front office votes and Penguins hockey operations department votes.

Bonvie, Nasreddine and Blaum will be honored prior to the Penguins' February 22 game against the Providence Bruins.

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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.

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