SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … American Hockey League President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Howson announced today that AHL alumni Grant Fuhr and Lorne Henning have been selected to serve as the honorary captains for the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Spotlight 29 Casino, to be held February 2-3 in Palm Desert, Calif.
Each year, the All-Star Classic honorary captains join the participating teams in the locker room and on the benches during the event, and are recognized for their careers at the annual AHL Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony.
Grant Fuhr had stints with four different AHL franchises during his Hall of Fame career, seeing action with the Moncton Alpines (1982-83), Cape Breton Oilers (1989-91), Rochester Americans (1993-94) and Saint John Flames (1999-2000). A member of five Stanley Cup championship teams with the Edmonton Oilers, Fuhr won 403 games in the National Hockey League with Edmonton, Toronto, Buffalo, Los Angeles, St. Louis and Calgary over 19 seasons. He was a six-time NHL All-Star and earned the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender in 1987-88. Fuhr also represented Canada in the Rendez-Vous ’87 series against the Soviet National Team, at the 1984 and 1987 Canada Cup tournaments, and at the 1989 IIHF World Championship. Fuhr is a long-time resident of the Coachella Valley and has served as an analyst on Firebirds broadcasts since the team’s inaugural season.
Lorne Henning is currently in the 53rd year of a professional hockey career that began when he was selected in the second round of the 1972 NHL Draft by the expansion New York Islanders. Henning would play 543 games with the Islanders before retiring in 1981 and was a member of the franchise’s four consecutive Stanley Cup championship teams, winning twice as a player and twice as an assistant coach. Henning spent the 1984-85 season as head coach of the AHL’s Springfield Indians before being promoted to the Minnesota North Stars the next season, and later served in coaching roles with the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Mighty Ducks as well. Henning joined the Vancouver Canucks’ hockey operations department in 2005, later serving as assistant general manager from 2008 to 2015, and is currently in his fifth season as a pro scout with the Seattle Kraken.
The 2025 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Spotlight 29 Casino will include the AHL All-Star Skills Competition presented by Silvercrest on Sunday, February 2, followed by the AHL Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony presented by Spotlight 29 Casino and Silvercrest on Monday, February 3 and the 2025 AHL All-Star Challenge presented by Spotlight 29 Casino that evening. For ticket information, fans can visit cvfirebirds.com/allstar.
The 2025 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Spotlight 29 Casino will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League: since 1995, more than 94 percent of All-Star Classic participants have gone on to compete in the National Hockey League, including Cam Atkinson, Drake Batherson, Jordan Binnington, Michael Carcone, John Carlson, Brandt Clarke, Thatcher Demko, Lukas Dostal, Ryker Evans, Thomas Harley, Connor Hellebuyck, Joel Hofer, Tristan Jarry, Jordan Kyrou, Jonathan Marchessault, Jacob Markstrom, J.T. Miller, Brandon Montour, William Nylander, Kyle Palmieri, Mikko Rantanen, Dylan Strome, Tyler Toffoli, Linus Ullmark, Vitek Vanecek, Dustin Wolf and Mats Zuccarello.
In operation since 1936, the American Hockey League serves as the top development league for the players, coaches, managers, executives, broadcasters and staff of all 32 National Hockey League teams. Nearly 90 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame spent time in the AHL in their careers.
