Bruins win Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy

pro_200.jpgSPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The Providence Bruins have won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as the American Hockey League’s 2007-08 regular season points champion. The Bruins clinched first place overall with a 6-1 victory over the Worcester Sharks on Wednesday night.

The Bruins have already captured the Emile Francis Trophy as the Atlantic Division champions, and the Frank S. Mathers Trophy as the regular-season champions of the Eastern Conference.

At 54-16-3-4 with three games remaining, Providence enters the final weekend of the regular season with a chance to match the all-time AHL record for victories (57). The Bruins will then have home-ice advantage throughout the 2008 Calder Cup Playoffs, beginning with their best-of-seven first-round series against the Manchester Monarchs next week.

This marks the second time in Bruins franchise history that they have finished first overall. They accomplished the feat in 1999 and went on to capture the Calder Cup championship later that spring.

The Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy, which was instituted in 1997, honors the late Macgregor Kilpatrick, a member of the AHL Board of Governors for 27 years. Kilpatrick also served as the AHL’s senior vice president and general counsel during his tenure, and earned the James C. Hendy Award in 1976 as the league’s outstanding executive.

Now in its 72nd 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 more than 45 million fans have attended AHL games across North America since the start of the 2001-02 season. Sixteen clubs will continue to vie for the league’s coveted championship trophy when the 2007 Calder Cup Playoffs get underway next week.