USA Hockey's 2006 Annual Congress Set To Begin
June 7, 2006
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Hockey is set to host its 2006 Annual Congress beginning tomorrow (June 7) and continuing through Sunday (June 11). The five-day event provides USA Hockey's various committees, districts and employees the opportunity to come together for a series of forums, workshops and award ceremonies intended to improve the organization while honoring those who have contributed so much to its success.
Among the event highlights, USA Hockey will honor its various players and volunteers at its awards dinner in the Grand Ballroom of the Sheraton Colorado Springs at 7 p.m. MDT, tomorrow night. The winners include Dave Peterson Goalie of the Year Alex Stalock (South St. Paul, Minn.), Bob Allen Women's Player of the Year Katie King (Brookline, Mass.), Junior Player of the Year Trevor Lewis (Murray, Utah), College Player of the Year Matt Carle (Anchorage, Alaska), Disabled Athlete of the Year Joe Howe (Annapolis, Md.) and USAdult Ironman of the Year Norm Dann (Tampa, Fla.).
The marquee event of USA Hockey's 2006 Annual Congress' comes on Saturday (June 10) night at the President's Award Banquet. Among the honorees will be Bob Johnson Award winner Erik Johnson (Bloomington, Minn.), Builders Award winner Joe Benedetto (Chicago, Ill.), Distinguished Achievement Award winner Tim Taylor (Guilford, Conn.) and William Thayer Tutt Award winner Mike Cheever (Swampscott, Mass.).
Also to be honored on Saturday are Walter Yaciuk Award winner Dennis "Red" Gendron (Amherst, Mass.); Chet Stewart Award winner Bill Leslie (White Bear Lake, Minn.); USAdult Member of the Year Don Kohlman (Eagle River, Wis.); and Excellence in Safety Award winners Dr. Cos Castaldi (West Hartford, Conn.), Dr. Earl Hoerner (North Andover, Mass.), Dr. Chauncey "Dewey" Morehouse (State College, Pa.) and Dr. Paul Vinger (Concord, Mass.).
Norm Jones, radio play-by-play voice of the National Hockey League's Colorado Avalanche, will serve as the emcee for Saturday's ceremony, which will also be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Sheraton Colorado Springs beginning at 7 p.m. MDT.
Media are encouraged to attend both awards dinners. Please contact the USA Hockey public relations department (719-538-1171 or 719-538-1169) by June 6 for accreditation and seating. Athletes, coaches and dignitaries can be made available for interviews throughout Annual Congress. Please contact the USA Hockey public relations department for availability.
Award winner bios and an explanation of USA hockey's Congress Awards follow:
• Alex Stalock is receiving the award for Goaltender of the Year following a strong season with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League. Stalock accumulated league highs in both wins (28) and save percentage (.931) and helped the team to a share of the East Division title and a berth in the Clark Cup Playoffs.
• Katie King is a three-time Olympian and ranks second in the history of U.S. women's ice hockey with 265 points (146-119) in 210 games. She led the U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team in scoring, including notching a hat trick in the bronze medal game against Finland before announcing her retirement in Torino, Italy.
• Trevor Lewis completed an outstanding second Junior season with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL. His 35 goals and 75 points during the regular season ranked second in the league, and he helped lead his team through the playoffs to the 2006 Clark Cup Championship.
• Matt Carle adds the honor of College Hockey Player of the Year to his collection of awards this season. The 2006 Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner, Carle led the NCAA with 42 assists in 39 games and was a First-Team All-America selection at the University of Denver.
• Joe Howe earned the honor of Disabled Athlete of the Year for his commitment and play with the Washington Ice Dogs A-level special hockey team. Howe overcame a difficult past to succeed in hockey and mentor players on the Ice Dogs C team.
• Norm Dann, USAdult Ironman of the Year for his accomplishments as an American-born ice hockey player, has played a key role in USA Hockey's fast-growing Over-50 division. With Dann's help, the Over-50 division doubled in size in 2005 and, in 2006, it included a record 16 teams divided into three levels.
• Erik Johnson is receiving the Bob Johnson Award for excellence in international competition. The top-rated North American prospect entering the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, as rated by the Central Scouting Bureau, Johnson helped lead the U.S. National Under-18 Team to its second consecutive gold medal while also playing on the U.S. National Junior Team and with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program.
• Joe Benedetto will receive the Builders Award as an individual who has made lasting contributions to the long-term growth and success of USA Hockey. The first president of the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois, he has served as a District Director for USA Hockey's Central District, a Director At-Large on USA Hockey's Board of Directors and a vice president of the Youth Council. He is just the third person to receive the award.
• Tim Taylor will be honored with the Distinguished Achievement Award. Taylor has achieved great success with USA Hockey. He served as assistant general manager and as an assistant coach with the 1984 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team, and stood at the helm of Team USA at the 1994 Olympic Winter Games. Taylor, who boasts a distinguished 28-year career as head coach at Yale University, also guided four U.S. Men's National Teams (1989-92) and the U.S. squad at the 1991 Canada Cup.
• Mike Cheever will receive the William Thayer Tutt Award as a volunteer who has displayed a selfless dedication to the enhancement of ice hockey at the grassroots level. He has served as a District Director from Massachusetts for the last 17 years and was a member of USA Hockey's Youth Council for 13 years (1991-2004).
• Dennis "Red" Gendron will receive the Walter Yaciuk Award for his contribution to USA Hockey's Coaching Education Program. A speaker at USA Hockey coaching clinics in Vermont since 1985, the current assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts Amherst served as the Coaching Achievement Program director for the New England District from 1988-91. He also served as an assistant coach for three U.S. National Junior Teams (1993, 2000 and 2001).
• Bill Leslie will receive the Chet Stewart Award for his contributions to the USA Hockey Officiating Education Program. Leslie policed the ice as a game official for 42 years and was a founding father of the Minnesota Hockey Officials Association. He also served as the Minnkota District's Referee-in-Chief from 1995-2005.
• Don Kohlman will be honored as USAdult Member of the Year for his contributions to the adult program through many years of service. He has served as Associate Registrar for Wisconsin for nearly 25 years and was a founding member of the Wisconsin Amateur Hockey Association. He recently helped organize the inaugural 2006 USA Hockey/Labatt Blue Pond Hockey Championships, serving as the tournament director.
• Cos Castaldi, D.D.S., is professor Emeritus of Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Connecticut. His career includes being a member of the Safety and Protective Equipment Committee for USA Hockey, serving as President of the Hockey Equipment Certification Council of the United States and serving as President of the American Academy for Sports Dentistry.
• Earl Hoerner, M.D., has served as a consultant on sports injuries and treatment for USA Hockey and was an associate team physician for the NHL's New York Rangers from 1963-76. Three years ago, New Jersey named its state high school hockey championship the "Earl Hoerner Cup" in his honor.
• Chauncey "Dewey" Morehouse, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus at Penn State University and is the director of the Penn State Sports Research Institute. He has worked towards the enhanced safety of athletic equipment, including serving as President of the Hockey Equipment Certification Council from 1991-97.
• Paul Vinger, M.D., currently serves as an adult ophthalmologist at Lexington Eye Associates, Inc., and is a clinical professor of ophthalmology at the Tufts University School of Medicine. Vinger is an advisor to the Safety and Protective Equipment Committee of USA Hockey.
USA Hockey 2006 Annual Congress Award Winners
June 7 Award Dinner Honorees
Alex Stalock (South St. Paul, Minn.)
Dave Peterson Goalie of the Year, presented by ITECH
Katie King (Brookline, Mass.)
Bob Allen Women's Player of the Year
Trevor Lewis (Murray, Utah)
Junior Player of the Year, presented by TPS Hockey
Matt Carle (Anchorage, Alaska)
College Player of the Year, presented by Mission
Joe Howe (Annapolis, Md.)
Disabled Athlete of the Year
Norm Dann (Tampa, Fla.)
USAdult Ironman of the Year, presented by Labatt Blue
June 10 President's Award Dinner Honorees
Erik Johnson (Bloomington, Minn.)
Bob Johnson Award, presented by Nike Bauer
Joe Benedetto (Chicago, Ill.)
Builders Award
Tim Taylor (Guilford, Conn.)
Distinguished Achievement Award
Mike Cheever (Swampscott, Mass.)
William Thayer Tutt Award
Dennis "Red" Gendron (Amherst, Mass.)
Walter Yaciuk Award, presented by Easton
Bill Leslie (White Bear Lake, Minn.)
Chet Stewart Award
Don Kohlman (Eagle River, Wis.)
USAdult Member of the Year, presented by Labatt Blue
Dr. Cos Castaldi (West Hartford, Conn.)
Dr. Earl Hoerner (North Andover, Mass.)
Dr. Dewey Morehouse (State College, Pa.)
Dr. Paul Vinger (Concord, Mass.)
Excellence in Safety Award
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