May 21, 2003

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Hockey today announced the 10 athletes, coaches, officials, administrators and volunteers it will recognize this year for their excellence, dedication and contributions to the sport of hockey in the United States. The winners will be honored June 13-14 during the 2003 USA Hockey Annual Congress here at the Sheraton Colorado Springs Hotel and the Colorado Springs World Arena.

Co-sponsored by AIG Life Insurance Company and The Talbot Agency, Inc., the USA Hockey Annual Congress, to be held June 10-14, is the yearly gathering of USA Hockey's volunteer leadership, including members of the organization's board of directors, councils, committees and sections.

The following is an overview of the individuals who will be honored during The President's Awards Luncheon on Fri., June 13, and a special gala celebration on Sat., June 14, in honor of outgoing USA Hockey President Walter L. Bush, Jr. (Edina, Minn.):

USA Hockey Distinguished Achievement Award
Brett Hull, Burmingham, Mich.
Detroit Red Wings (NHL)

A two-time Olympian and future Hall-of-Famer, Hull completed his 18th National Hockey League season in 2002-03 by becoming just the sixth player, and first American, to surpass the 700-goal plateau.

Hull, who led the Detroit Red Wings in goals scored last season, currently is fifth on the all-time list with 716 goals, and should surpass Hall-of-Famers Phil Esposito and Marcel Dionne for third place next year. Hull has also won two Stanley Cup Championships, with Detroit in 2002 and the Dallas Stars in 1999, and has played in the postseason every year since 1986.

In international competition, Hull has led the U.S. in scoring in all five of his international appearances. He tallied eight points (3-5) for the silver medal-winning 2002 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team in Salt Lake City, Utah, and three points (2-1) at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. Hull led all players with seven goals and 11 points as Team USA won the championship at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, and tied for the team lead with seven assists and nine points as the U.S. finished second at the 1991 Canada Cup. In 1986, his team-leading seven goals and 11 points helped the U.S. Men's National Team place fifth at the International Ice Hockey Federation Men's World Championship.

Hull spent 10 full seasons with the St. Louis Blues before joining Dallas in 1998, and holds many NHL team records, including goals scored (527), power play goals (195), game-winning goals (70) and hat tricks (27). His finest NHL season came with the Blues in 1990-91, as Hull captured the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player while scoring a career-high 131 points, including 86 goals, the third-highest single-season total in NHL history.

Among Hull's other honors, he won the Lady Byng Trophy in 1989-90 for sportsmanship, the Lester B. Pearson Award in 1990-91 as the NHL Players' Association's outstanding player, the ProSet/NHL Player of the Year Award in 1990-91, and the Dodge Ram Tough Award in 1989-90 and 1990-91. The eight-time NHL All-Star also was an NHL First Team All-Star three consecutive seasons (1989-90 through 1991-92), and was the Most Valuable Player of the 1992 NHL All-Star Game.

Originated in 1991, the USA Hockey Distinguished Achievement Award is presented annually to a U.S. citizen who has made hockey his or her profession and has made outstanding contributions, on or off the ice, to the sport in America. The award may recognize achievement in the actual year of presentation, or it may honor a career of work on behalf of hockey.

Dave Peterson Goaltender of the Year
Presented by Itech
Dominic Vicari, Clinton Township, Mich.
River City Lancers (USHL)

Dominic Vicari capped an impressive season with the River City Lancers by being named the 2002-03 United States Hockey League Goaltender of the Year. Vicari led all netminders in the Tier I Junior league with 28 regular-season victories, a 2.03 goals-against average, and six shutouts. He also was picked for the 2003 USHL All-Star Game, was voted by his teammates as the Lancers' Most Valuable Player, was named Goalies' World Magazine Goaltender of the Month for February, and was a two-time USHL Defensive Player of the Week.

Vicari was the main reason the Lancers allowed a league-low 149 goals during the regular-season, and advanced to the USHL Clark Cup finals despite finishing in the bottom half of the league in scoring. In the postseason, Vicari earned a 7-4-0 record, a 2.00 goals-against average, and a .930 save percentage.

In two seasons in the USHL, Vicari has recorded some of the best career goaltending statistics in league history, including 53 victories and a 1.91 goals-against average. Vicari will play at Michigan State University in the fall.

The recipient of the Dave Peterson Goalie of the Year Award is chosen from the pool of goaltenders who annually attend the USA Hockey National Goaltenders Camp and the USA Hockey Select 16 and Select 17 Festivals.

USA Hockey Women's Player of the Year
Presented by Chevrolet
Angela Ruggiero, Harper Woods, Mich.
Harvard University (ECAC)

Junior defenseman Angela Ruggiero, a two-time U.S. Olympic medalist, helped lead the Harvard University Crimson to the Eastern College Athletic Conference regular-season title and a berth in the NCAA National Championship game.

Ruggiero finished fourth in the nation in scoring with 83 points, and third in the country with 54 assists. She led all defensemen in nearly every offensive category, as her 2.44 points-per-game average was more than a point better than the second-best defenseman. Further, Ruggiero anchored a Crimson defense that allowed just 1.47 goals per game, the best in the country.

Among the many accolades Ruggiero received in 2002-03, she was named a First-Team All-American, and for the third time garnered First-Team All-ECAC and First-Team All-Ivy League honors. Ruggiero was a member of the New England Hockey Writers Association All-Star Team, and in March became one of three finalists for The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented annually by The USA Hockey Foundation to the top women's intercollegiate varsity ice hockey player in the nation. In February, Ruggiero also was named to the 2003 U.S. Women's National Team for the fifth time.

USA Hockey annually salutes the accomplishments of an outstanding American-born women's ice hockey player with the USA Hockey Women's Player of the Year Award.

USA Hockey College Player of the Year
Michael Ayers, Hingham, Mass.
University of New Hampshire (Hockey East)

Junior goaltender Michael Ayers, the Hockey East Association Co-Player of the Year and a Second-Team All-American, led the Wildcats to their fourth NCAA Men's Frozen Four appearance in the last six years and their second National Championship game appearance.

Ayers helped guide the Wildcats to their second straight Hockey East regular-season and tournament titles with a 28-8-6 overall record and a 15-5-4 record in league play. He finished the season with a 27-8-6 record, a 2.18 goals-against average, and a .926 save percentage. Ayers re-wrote the UNH goaltending record book in 2002-03, breaking single-season school records for wins (28), saves (1,139), shutouts (seven), games played (41) and minutes played (2,499). Mike also tied the UNH career record for shutouts with eight.

The NCAA Northeast Regional Tournament Most Valuable Player, Ayers ranked second in Division I men's ice hockey in minutes played, shutouts and saves, and third in save percentage and goals-against average. Ayers was also named a First-Team Hockey East All-Star, earned Goaltender of the Month for a league-high three times, and was named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week for a league-high six times.

Established to recognize the accomplishments of the top American-born player in college hockey each season, the recipient of the USA Hockey College Player of the Year Award is chosen by a committee that includes leading coaches from NCAA Division I hockey.

USA Hockey Junior Player of the Year
Presented by Chevrolet
Ryan Potulny, Grand Forks, N.D.
Lincoln Stars (USHL)

Ryan Potulny completed an outstanding two-year career with the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League by earning 2002-03 USHL Let's Play Hockey Player of the Year honors. During the regular season Potulny posted a league-high 78 points in 54 games played, was tied for first with 43 assists, and second in both goals (35) and plus/minus (+32). Potulny also garnered the USHL's Top Forward Award, was named to the First-Team All-USHL, and was named the USHL Offensive Player of the Week early in the season.

Potulny guided the Stars to a .692 winning percentage and the best record in the Tier I Junior league during the regular season. In the playoffs, Potulny tallied a league-best 11 assists and 17 points as Lincoln compiled a 9-1-0 record and ran away with the USHL Clark Cup championship.

As a rookie last season, Potulny tallied 57 points on 23 goals and 34 assists. His 1.18 points-per-game average ranks as one of the USHL's best ever in a two-year career. Potulny, a member of the 2001 U.S. Under-18 Select Team, will join his older brother, Grant, as a forward at the University of Minnesota in the fall.

The USA Hockey Junior Player of the Year Award is presented annually to the most outstanding American-born player in Junior hockey. Chosen by a blue-ribbon panel of Junior coaches and administrators, criteria for the award includes having played for a U.S.-based Junior team.

Walter Yaciuk Award
Presented by Easton
Bob McCaig, Acworth, Ga.
Southeastern District

Bob McCaig, USA Hockey's Southeastern District Coach-in-Chief, has played an instrumental part in the development of youth hockey programs in North America for nearly 40 years.

McCaig, born and raised in Flin Flon, Manitoba, won championship titles as a player at the Midget and Adult levels before becoming a coach at Lambton College in Sarnia, Ontario. In 1965, McCaig became Director of the McCaig Hockey Academy in Sarnia, Ontario, where he developed on-ice training modules for participants ranging from beginners to elite levels. In 1971, McCaig was appointed Administrator of the Ontario Coaching Program, a position he held until 1987.

In 1988 McCaig began working with the Georgia Special Olympics, organizing coaching and officiating clinics, and monitoring floor hockey events for five years. Using this experience, McCaig became the Southeastern District Coach-in-Chief and Administrator for USA Hockey's Initiation Program, positions he holds to this day.

As Coach-in-Chief, McCaig has developed and implemented the USA Hockey Coaching Education Program throughout the Southeastern District, which encompasses 11 states plus the District of Columbia. McCaig has also educated and trained instructors, plus been a part of several Southeastern District Select Camps.

In addition, McCaig was named the Director of Hockey Atlanta, in which he developed on- and off-ice programs for both youth and adults and increased the number of coaching clinics annually from seven in 1987 to 100 last year. From 1985 to 1987, McCaig was the Director of Coaching Development for a local youth hockey association in Port Huron, Mich., where he initiated a developmental program for both coaches and players titled "Hockey for the fun of it." McCaig has earned his Level 5 (Masters) Certification in both the U.S. and Canada, and has also served as an instructor for USA Hockey InLine since 1998.

The Walter Yaciuk Award is presented annually by USA Hockey's Coaching Education Program to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the program during many years of service as a volunteer.

Chet Stewart Award
Roy Chin, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Local Association

As an on-ice referee and off-ice administrator for more than 35 years, Roy Chin has more than made up for a late start to his hockey career.

Chin, who was born in Jamaica and moved to the United States to attend college in Fort Wayne, Ind., learned to skate at age 32, after taking his oldest son, Colin, to a minor league hockey game. Colin would later go on to play 10 years of professional hockey with the hometown Fort Wayne Komets of the International Hockey League, while Roy took up officiating with a passion, and soon became the first supervisor in the area.

As the local supervisor, Chin introduced the sport to many potential officials. Chin officiated with young referees during their first games, then observe and mentor them as they progressed. Outside of hockey, Chin worked full-time as a mechanical engineer at International Harvester, now known as Navistar.

After developing a very successful officiating program from the ground up, Chin relocated to Dallas, Texas, where he spent four years officiating youth hockey games whenever possible.

Chin returned to Fort Wayne, where he again officiated youth hockey games and mentored new referees. When the local supervisor's job opened up the following season, Chin regained the role he served for 17 years, and implemented new programs to further assist young officials. To help get more people interested in officiating at the Mini-Mite and Bantam levels, Chin used his own game and scheduling fees to pay officials who worked games that the local organization could not afford to pay.

Chin has officiated at several USA Hockey National Championships, and has been a local supervisor for more than 20 years.

The Chet Stewart Award was established in 2000 to recognize an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the USA Hockey Officiating Education Program during many years of service to the hockey community as an official and volunteer.

Bob Johnson Award
Presented by Nike Hockey
Ryan Suter, Madison, Wis.
U.S. National Under-18 Team (NTDP)

Ryan Suter, the leading scorer among defensemen for the U.S. National Under-18 Team this season, starred in three international tournaments during the 2002-03 season.

In November, Suter anchored the blue line as the U.S. National Under-18 Team posted a 3-0-0 record in capturing the 2002 Four Nations Tournament. Team USA allowed just seven goals in recording victories over Switzerland, Finland, and host Sweden.

Suter also helped guide the U.S. National Junior Team to a fourth-place finish at the 2003 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Nova Scotia, Canada. As the second-youngest player for Team USA, Suter tied for the team lead in plus/minus (+5), led all defensemen on the squad with two goals, and notched the game-winner against the Czech Republic in the Qualification Round.

Prior to last season, in 2001-02, Suter became the only member of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program to win two gold medals in one season. This past April he was a key member of the U.S. National Under-18 Team that finished fourth at the 2003 IIHF World Under-18 Championship. As the only returning member from the gold-medal squad, Suter led all U.S. defensemen with four points, and scored a key power-play goal in a 3-2 victory versus Sweden.

Suter, whose father, Bob, starred for the University of Wisconsin and won a gold medal as a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team, will play for the Badgers in the fall. His uncle, retired NHLer Gary Suter, was a member of the silver medal-winning 2002 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team and the victorious U.S. squad at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.

Created in 1992, the Bob Johnson Award recognizes excellence in international ice hockey competition during a specific season of play.

Wm. Thayer Tutt Award
Ted Brill (posthumous), Grand Rapids, Minn.
Minnesota Hockey

Theodore R. "Ted" Brill, a lifelong Minnesota native, dedicated more than 40 years of his life to serving the amateur hockey establishment in Minnesota and throughout the United States as a coach, volunteer and administrator.

Brill's involvement with amateur hockey began in 1962, when he organized a youth hockey program in Moorhead, Minn., where he attended college. For the next 22 years, Brill coached youth hockey, including high school teams, in St. Paul and Grand Rapids, Minn. In 1974 he became a member of the board of directors of the Minnesota Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA), a position he held for 29 years.

While with MAHA (today known as Minnesota Hockey), Brill served a four-year stint as President from 1980 to 1983, and organized and implemented various coaching-related programs. As the Minnesota Director of USA Hockey's Coaching Education Program from 1974 to 1982, Brill founded and administered the program and its clinics throughout the state. Beginning in 1995, Brill also led the drive to implement an Initiation Program in Minnesota as MAHA Vice President for Player Development. In 2003, Brill celebrated his 25th year as an executive board member of the Minnesota High School Coaches Association.

For the past eight years Brill acted as USA Hockey's High School Section Director, and had also served stints as a member of the USA Hockey Youth and Marketing Councils. In 1999, Brill was honored with the Walter Yaciuk Award, presented annually by USA Hockey's Coaching Education Program.

Among Brill's many accomplishments, he was named Vice President of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Board of Directors from 1989 to 1995, and was the General Manager of the U.S. National Junior Team at the 1982 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Minnesota. Brill also served on the Minnesota Hockey Foundation Board of Trustees for the past 13 years, and was closely involved with player development camps and USA Hockey Select Festivals and Camps.

On May 5, Brill passed away at his home in Grand Rapids, Minn., following a long battle with cancer.

The Wm. Thayer Tutt Award is presented annually by USA Hockey to a volunteer who, during many years of service, has displayed a selfless dedication to the enhancement of ice hockey at the grassroots level in America. The award is named in honor of the late Wm. Thayer Tutt, who served as president of USA Hockey from 1972-86.

USA Hockey Builders Award
Walter L. Bush, Jr., Edina, Minn.
USA Hockey President

One of the most recognized and respected leaders in the sport of hockey, USA Hockey President Walter L. Bush, Jr., has been involved with the organization for nearly a half-century as a player, coach, manager, administrator and team owner.

In June 1986, Bush became President of USA Hockey, and his 17-year tenure is the second longest in the history of the organization, following only Tom Lockhart, who was President from 1937 to 1972.

On the international level, Bush serves as one of 11 members of the International Ice Hockey Federation Council and, in June 1998, was re-elected to a second consecutive term as Vice President of the IIHF. Bush is also active with numerous committees within the IIHF, having served as Chairman of the IIHF Women's Ice Hockey Committee, the IIHF In-Line Hockey Committee, and the Selection Committee for the recently created IIHF Hall of Fame. As Chairman of the IIHF Women's Ice Hockey Committee, Bush was instrumental in organizing the first IIHF Women's World Championship in 1990. He also led the successful charge that made women's ice hockey a medal sport in the Olympic Winter Games beginning in 1998.

Bush has been a member of the Board of Directors of the United States Olympic Committee and is secretary of the U.S. Olympic Foundation. During the XIX Olympic Winter Games, Bush received the Olympic Order from the International Olympic Committee, the highest honor given in the Olympic movement.

Bush received the sport's ultimate honor in 2000 when he was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was also distinguished with the NHL's Lester Patrick Award in 1973 in recognition of his outstanding service to ice hockey in the United States. He was enshrined in the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1980 and, in 1989, was elected to the Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame. He currently serves as a Governor and Vice-Chairman for the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario, and is a Director and member of the Selection Committee for the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

The USA Hockey Builders Award was established in 1999 to honor an individual who has made lasting contributions to the long-term growth and success of USA Hockey. This prestigious award is presented to the architects of USA Hockey -- leaders who have distinguished themselves through their dedication, vision and love of the game. The award recognizes the contributions of men and women who have helped share the blueprint for an organization that today serves more than 595,000 members nationwide.

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