TORONTO, Ont. … The American Hockey League today inducted four new members into its American Hockey League Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place during the Hockey Hall of Fame/AHL All-Star Classic Luncheon at Heritage Court on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition, part of the festivities that are making up the 2007 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic.
Honored for their outstanding achievements and contributions in the American Hockey League were Fred “Bun” Cook, the most successful head coach in AHL history; Dick Gamble, three-time Calder Cup champion and former league MVP with the Rochester Americans; Gil Mayer, one of three goaltenders in league history to record more than 300 victories; and Mike Nykoluk, the leading scorer in the storied history of the Hershey Bears franchise.
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. The AHL, working with Infinity Pro Sports, has launched a re-designed AHL Hall of Fame in conjunction with this year’s induction ceremony.
Now in its 71st season of play, the AHL continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 83 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and for the fifth year in a row, more than 6.3 million fans attended AHL games across North America in 2005-06.
