With a Hat Tip to the Hockey Rodent for stealing his joke/reference, former Hartford Wolf Pack head coach, John Paddock has officially been inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame. Paddock coached the Pack to their only Calder Cup Championship in 2000. Captain of that team? Current head Coach Ken Gernander.
Here’s the official release:
The American Hockey League today formally inducted four new members into its American Hockey League Hall of Fame.
The AHL Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony took place at historic Merrill Auditorium in downtown Portland as part of the festivities that are making up the 2010 Time Warner Cable AHL All-Star Classic.
Honored for their outstanding achievements and contributions in the American Hockey League were John Paddock, one of the AHL’s most successful head coaches with 585 career victories and three Calder Cup championships behind the bench; Bill Sweeney, the only player in league history to win three consecutive scoring championships and the offensive catalyst on three straight championship teams in Springfield; Marcel Paillé, whose 765 games played are the most of any goaltender in AHL history; and Macgregor Kilpatrick, one of the AHL’s most respected and influential executives over a 27-year association with the league.
In a unique effort to make the rich tradition of the American Hockey League available to the widest possible audience, the AHL Hall of Fame is housed on-line at www.ahlhalloffame.com and is accessible to fans worldwide with the click of a mouse as a member of the AHL Internet Network.
Now in its 74th season of play, the AHL continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 84 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates.
