Wolf Pack Goalie Nets Hat-trick
Published on April 9, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release
Hartford, April 9, 2004 - It's not often a goaltender scores a hat-trick, but Hartford Wolf Pack netminder Jason LaBarbera has done just that today by copping his third accolade from the American Hockey League. Last week, the 24-year old was named a First-Team All Star. On Wednesday, he was chosen the league's outstanding goaltender with the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Award. Today, the league announced LaBarbera has been awarded the Les Cunningham Award as the league's Most Valuable Player.
The Burnaby, British Columbia native was at a loss for words. "This is so cool! I couldn't have imagined in my wildest dreams I'd have a season like this. I never, ever thought about it."
Wolf Pack General Manager Jim Schoenfeld says LaBarbera's motivation is not personal recognition. "This goes to show what an athlete can do when given the opportunity. Barbs is an unselfish, hardworking young man whose motivation is not individual success, but making sure he never lets his teammates down. The way the team plays in front of him is a testament to that approach."
LaBarbera smashed the AHL record for most shutouts in a season by a goaltender, surpassing the old record of nine back on February 13 with a 4-0 victory over Philadelphia. Today, he has 13 shutouts to his credit. He also has the most wins in the AHL with 32, sports a goals against average of 1.60 (second best in the league), and a .936 saves percentage with more than 3,200 minutes played (fifth highest in the league).
Only two other players have ever won the "Triple Crown" of AHL goaltending supremacy, Jean-Francois Labbe (Hershey, 1997) and Martin Brochu (Portland, 2000).
The AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack hockey club is part of Madison Square Garden LP. Cablevision Systems Corporation owns a controlling interest in MSG LP, which also includes the New York Rangers (NHL), New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Liberty (WNBA), the MSG Network, Fox Sports Net and the Madison Square Garden arena complex.
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