SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The Manitoba Moose have won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as the American Hockey League’s 2008-09 regular season points champion.
The Moose (50-23-1-6, 107 points) had already captured the Sam Pollock Trophy as the North Division champions, and the Bud Poile Trophy as the regular-season champions of the Western Conference.
Under Louis A.R. Pieri Award winner Scott Arniel, the Moose won their second division title in three years and will have home-ice advantage for as long as they are in the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs.
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.
Currently in its 73rd season of play, 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, and more than 50 million fans have attended AHL games across North America over the past eight years. Sixteen clubs will continue to vie for the league’s coveted championship trophy when the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs get underway next week.
