Philadelphia's John Slaney Named AHL's Outstanding Defenseman

April 4, 2002 - American Hockey League (AHL) News Release

SPRINGFIELD, MA . . . The American Hockey League announced today that John Slaney of the Philadelphia Phantoms has been named the winner of the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL's outstanding defenseman for the 2001-02 season, as voted by players and members of the media in each of the league's 27 cities. This is the second year in a row that Slaney has been honored with the award.

A First Team AHL All-Star each of the last two seasons, Slaney is leading the Phantoms in scoring in 2001-02, with 59 points (20 goals, 39 assists) in 62 games, despite missing more than five weeks due to injury. The veteran blueliner also owns a team-leading plus-13 rating and six game-winning goals.

Slaney received a hero's welcome when he returned to his hometown of St. John's, Nfld., for the 2002 AHL All-Star Game, his third consecutive trip to the mid-season showcase. He was named MVP of the event in 2001. The ninth overall pick (by Washington) in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, Slaney has 107 goals and 195 assists for 302 points in 303 career AHL games.

Slaney joins Dave Fenyves (1988-89) and Terry Murray (1978-79) as the only players to claim the Eddie Shore Award in back-to-back seasons.

The award, which was first presented in 1959, honors the late Eddie Shore, a Hockey Hall of Famer widely regarded as one of hockey's greatest defensemen. Shore, a four-time winner of the Hart Trophy as the NHL's MVP, purchased the AHL's Springfield Indians in 1939 and managed the club until his retirement in 1967.

Previous winners of the Eddie Shore Award include Steve Kraftcheck (1959), Al Arbour (1965), Noel Price (1970, '72, '76), Marshall Johnston (1971), Brian Engblom (1977), Brad Shaw (1987), Eric Weinrich (1990), Norm Maciver (1991) and Bobby Dollas (1993).

Now in its 66th season, the AHL serves as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 75 percent of all players to compete in the NHL this season have been AHL graduates, and over 300 players have taken the ice in both leagues in 2001-02.

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