AHL All-Star Classic a multimedia event

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The 2006 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic, set for next Tuesday and Wednesday nights, will take place before two large crowds at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Man., but the action will also be taken in by AHL fans around the world through television, video and audio cybercasting and satellite radio.

The event, with the 2006 CCM AHL All-Star Skills Competition set for Jan. 31 and the All-Star Game to follow on Feb. 1, will be televised live to more than 90 million households in North America, reaching fans in all 27 AHL cities.

For the fifth year in a row, Rogers Sportsnet will carry the AHL All-Star Classic live in Canada. The league’s showcase event can also be seen this year on 18 regional networks in the United States, including Fox Sports Net (FSN) in its New England, New York, Pittsburgh, Ohio, North, Midwest, Southwest and Arizona regions, as well as on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, Mid-Atlantic, Chicago and West. Comcast Cable will air the event to its subscribers in Michigan, while CSS and Sun Sports will bring the AHL All-Star Classic to fans across 11 states in the southeastern United States.

The 2006 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic will also air live on NHL Center Ice to subscribers in the U.S., on the America One network and on the digital Fox College Sports network.

The Sportsnet team of Rob Faulds (play-by-play), Sam Cosentino (analyst) and R.J. Broadhead (sideline) will call the action both nights.

The AHL is also pleased to be joining with B2 Networks to provide a live video broadband webcast of both nights’ festivities at no charge to fans around the world. Anyone with a high-speed cable modem or T1 or DSL broadband connection and Windows Media Player 9 or higher can view the Skills Competition and All-Star Game through the links to be provided on the official Web site of the American Hockey League, theahl.com.

Click here for a schedule of air times for the 2006 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic on the AHL All-Star TV network.

ALL-STAR RADIO COVERAGE … In addition to the extensive TV and video webcast coverage of the 2006 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic, the event can be heard anywhere in the world on the official Web site of the AHL, theahl.com. Manitoba Moose play-by-play voice Kelly Moore of CJOB will provide the call of the Skills Competition and the All-Star Game on a worldwide audio cybercast. Additionally, fans can also view real-time game statistics on theahl.com’s live scoreboard, powered by LeagueStat.com.

The 2006 AHL All-Star Game will also be carried live on XM Satellite Radio, the United States’ leading satellite radio service with more than six million subscribers. The game will be broadcast live on XM Radio in the U.S. and on Canadian Satellite Radio, XM’s partner in Canada.

ALL-STAR OFFICIALS NAMED … The American Hockey League has named the on-ice officials for the 2006 AHL All-Star Game in Winnipeg. Dean Morton will serve as the game’s referee, while Garth Loeppky and Travis Lang will be the linesmen. It will be the first AHL All-Star appearance for all three.

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER … Several players had standout performances during a full 13-game night in the AHL on Saturday. Mark Cullen registered three goals and two assists in Norfolk’s 6-2 win at Binghamton, while rookie Chris Bourque netted five points of his own (1g, 4a) in Hershey’s 7-3 victory over Portland. Syracuse’s Joe Motzko and Milwaukee’s Scottie Upshall each picked up three goals and an assist in their teams’ wins, Erik Westrum dished out four assists to help Houston past Peoria and Masi Marjamaki had two goals and two assists as Bridgeport shut out Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 7-0.

FOREVER YOUNGVince Young, MVP of the 2006 Rose Bowl for the national champion University of Texas Longhorns, will drop the first puck at the Toyota Center prior to Saturday night’s AHL game between Houston and Chicago.

Young, a Houston native, is launching the Vince Young Scholarship Fund to benefit the Mount Horeb Missionary Baptist Church.

ETC.

  • Houston’s Kirby Law has recorded a point in 16 straight games (13g, 18a), one shy of the AHL season high established by Portland’s Corey Perry
  • The Aeros had gone 20 regular-season and playoff games at Chicago without a regulation win before Sunday’s 4-0 decision over the Wolves
  • Lee Goren has registered nine points in 10 games since making his AHL season debut with Manitoba on Dec. 31
  • Donald MacLean netted a hat trick for Grand Rapids on Wednesday, becoming the first AHL player in nearly three years to post consecutive three-goal games
  • Frank Doyle has made 16 consecutive appearances in net for Albany, starting 15 of those games, and leads the league with 1,920 minutes played and 1,000 saves
  • Saturday’s 7-0 loss to Bridgeport ended Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s seven-game home winning streak; the Penguins had outscored their opponents 28-5 in those seven games
  • 2006 AHL All-Star defenseman Danny Richmond was acquired by the Chicago Blackhawks from Carolina on Friday in exchange for 2004 AHL All-Star defenseman Anton Babchuk
  • Hartford’s Nigel Dawes scored his 20th goal of the season on Saturday, joining current NHL’ers Marc Savard (1997-98) and Jamie Lundmark (2001-02) as the only Wolf Pack rookies ever to reach that mark
  • Hershey defenseman Mark Wotton skated in his 500th career AHL game on Saturday night vs. Portland
  • Chicago picked up the 500th regular-season win in franchise history on Wednesday; Philadelphia earned its 400th regular-season victory on Saturday
  • Milwaukee is 17-0-0-0 at the Bradley Center this season when scoring at least one goal; each of the Admirals’ three home losses has been via the shutout.