Stanford wins AHL’s Ebright Award

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. … American Hockey League President and CEO David Andrews has announced the 2004-05 recipients of two awards for excellence and service to the league. The announcement came Thursday at the closing reception and awards dinner to conclude the league’s annual meeting of the Board of Governors at Amelia Island, Fla.

Glenn Stanford has been honored with the Thomas Ebright Award in recognition of career contributions to the AHL. As the head of St. John’s Sports & Entertainment, Stanford guided the St. John’s Maple Leafs through its 14-year existence in the AHL (1991-2005) and was instrumental in building the Leafs into a model franchise in the world of minor professional sports.

Stanford molded the organization into a widely acclaimed, community-minded operation throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, developing strong ties with sponsors, partners and fans alike. He also served for 14 seasons on the AHL’s Board of Governors, and was honored with the league’s Ken McKenzie Award (1997) for achievements in public relations and marketing, and its James C. Hendy Award (2002) as the top executive in the AHL.

Through Stanford’s creation and development of the Leafs Foundation, the franchise contributed more than $1.5 million to local charities during its time in St. John’s. Stanford also oversaw the management of Mile One Stadium, which opened in 2001 and has already hosted such prestigious events as the 2002 AHL All-Star Classic, the World Under-17 Hockey Championships and the Juno Awards.

The Thomas Ebright Award honors Tom Ebright, the former owner and governor of the Baltimore Skipjacks and Portland Pirates who passed away in 1997.

Linesman Matt Dunne has been named the recipient of the Michael Condon Memorial Award for outstanding contributions by an on-ice official. Dunne has served the AHL as a top official for the past 21 seasons, continuing the league’s long tradition of developing young officials for the future. He has played a major role throughout his career in contributing to the advancement of many of today’s NHL on-ice officials who graduated from the AHL ranks.

The Michael Condon Memorial Award was created in 2002 following the sudden passing of veteran linesman Mike Condon.

Finally, the AHL announced that the Board of Governors has approved the purchase by Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E) of the Florida Panthers’ ownership stake in the San Antonio Rampage. SS&E, which also owns the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, had co-owned the Rampage with the NHL’s Panthers. The Rampage on Thursday announced a new affiliation agreement with the Phoenix Coyotes.