Sports stats



Whalers Goaltender Matt Hackett Making Most of Opportunity

January 22, 2009 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Plymouth Whalers News Release


The Plymouth Whalers have a history of developing excellent goaltenders.

Robert Esche, Fred Brathwaite, Derek Wilkinson, Jason Bacashihua and Justin Peters have all seen time in the National Hockey League, some more time than others. Rob Zepp, Ryan Nie, Paul Drew and Jason Saal moved on to enjoy productive careers in minor professional.

Even Jeff Weber - acquired by Plymouth early in the 2002 season - played well enough for the Whalers to be selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the 8th round of the 2003 National Hockey League Draft. Weber played for a while in minor pro and last we heard was playing for the University of British Columbia.

WHALERS-SCHOOLCRAFT PARTNERSHIP: MORE THAN THE CLASSROOM

In the late summer of 2004, Plymouth Whalers President, General Manager and Head Coach Mike Vellucci wanted to find a television broadcast partner for the Whalers in the Detroit-Metropolitan market.

Since moving to Plymouth in 1996 up to 2004, Comcast had broadcast a handful of Whalers games every season. The OHL - through internet broadcast partner insinc.com - wanted as many of its 680-game regular season schedule on television. Or, at very least, have all games available via video streaming.

While the Canadian side of the Ontario Hockey League has the luxury of having almost all of its games covered by television outlets Rogers, Cogeco, Shaw or Sportsnet, American cities Plymouth, Saginaw and Erie have to find their own broadcast outlets.

Vellucci wanted to find a similar broadcast model in this market, or at the least, a fledgling production company looking to grow.

WHALERS CAPTAIN CHRIS TERRY NAMED TO 2009 OHL ALL-STAR GAME

The Ontario Hockey League in association with the Windsor Spitfires Hockey Club to announced the rosters today for the 2009 Subway OHL All-Star Classic. The event features a skills competition on Tuesday February 3, 2009, beginning at 7:00 pm with the game taking place Wednesday February 4, 2009, at 7:00 pm at the Windsor Family Credit Union Centre.

Whalers captain Chris Terry was named to the Western Conference All-Stars for the second consecutive year.

WHALERS HOME STAND CONTINUES FRIDAY AGAINST BRAMPTON

Check out the Whalers Promotion Page to find out what's coming up around some great action at Compuware Arena.

The Whalers (21-20-4-0) come into Friday game against Brampton and Saturday's game against Sudbury healthy. AJ Jenks (two-game suspension) will miss Friday's game, but will be back in the lineup Saturday.

WHALERS CELEBRATE GIRLS ROCK! NIGHT SATURDAY

The Plymouth Whalers have a long history of promoting youth and high school sports across SE Michigan. So it is only natural that on Saturday, January 24, the Whalers with sponsors Genisys Credit Union, Radio Disney AM910 and The Detroit Shock team up to host a Girls Rock! Night to recognize and celebrate female athletes of all ages who work hard to be healthy, active and confident girls.

"We are thankful for Genisys Credit Union for their generous support as well as all the resources and energy that Radio Disney AM910 and The Detroit Shock poured into the event," said Denise Ronayne, Director of Sales and Marketing for the Plymouth Whalers and Compuware Arena. "We all agree that taking a night to recognize and celebrate the young girls in our community is a night worthy of much celebration, and we hope to make this a memorable, fun and annual event."

• Discuss this story on the Ontario Hockey League message board...

Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 22, 2009


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