HERSHEY, Pa. … 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 the Hershey Theatre as part of the festivities that are making up the 2011 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Capital BlueCross.
Honored for their outstanding achievements and contributions in the American Hockey League were Maurice Podoloff, who served as the league’s first president from 1936-52; Larry Wilson, a 21-year veteran of the AHL as a player and coach spent primarily with the Buffalo Bisons; Harry Pidhirny, who played 1,071 games over 17 seasons and is the league’s seventh-leading scorer all-time; and Mitch Lamoureux, one of the most prolific scorers of his era with 816 points in 802 games from 1982-99.
Foster Hewitt Award winning broadcaster Mike Emrick was the master of ceremonies for the event, and Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau, a Calder Cup champion as coach of the Hershey Bears in 2006, served as the keynote speaker.
In an 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.
Formed in 1936 and celebrating its historic 75th anniversary in 2010-11, the AHL continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 85 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates.
