AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Sabourin wins Aldege \'Baz' Bastien Memorial Award as AHL's top goaltender

April 11, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins News Release


WILKES-BARRE, PA - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins goaltender Dany Sabourin has been named the 2005-06 recipient of the Aldege ‘Baz' Bastien Memorial Award, given annually to the outstanding goaltender in the American Hockey League as adjudged by the league's players and media.

This is the second time Sabourin has been honored by the league in the past week, as he was named to the AHL's First All-Star Team on April 6.

Sabourin, 25, currently ranks first among active goaltenders in goals-against average (2.30), second in save percentage (.921), third in victories (28) and tied for fourth in shutouts (three). He has anchored a defensive unit that has allowed the fewest goals against (173) in the league this season, and is on a pace to break the team record for fewest goals allowed (197 in 2003-04).

The 6-2, 190 pound native of Val d'Or, Quebec has set new team records for consecutive wins (nine games, from Oct. 9-Dec. 12), consecutive road wins (eight games, from Oct. 9-Dec. 2), longest unbeaten streak (nine games, from Oct. 9-Dec. 12) and wins in a season (28) this year.

Sabourin's 47 games this season are the second-highest single season total in team history (Marc-Andre Fleury, 54 in 2004-05), while his 36 career wins are tied with Fleury for second place and on the club's all-time list, 12 short of Sebastien Caron's Penguins' record. Sabourin's 67 career games with the Penguins are the fourth highest total in team history, as are his four career shutouts.

Selected to the Canadian squad at the 2006 Rbk Hockey All-Star Game, Sabourin was named the Koho/AHL Goaltender of the Month for January, when he went 7-2-1 in 10 games, with a 2.26 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage.

Originally drafted by the Calgary Flames in the fourth round (108th overall) of the 1998 Entry Draft, Sabourin was signed by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as a free agent prior to the 2004-05 season.

The Aldege ‘Baz' Bastien Memorial Award was adopted by the AHL Board of Governors at the start of the 1983-84 season to honor the former Pittsburgh Hornets netminder and coach. At the time of his death in 1983, Bastien was the General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League and an Alternate Governor of the Baltimore Skipjacks of the AHL.

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