Aucoin, Torrey Headed to AHL Hall of Fame
Oct 26, 2021
Honored by the AHL Hall of Fame Selection Committee as the 17th group of enshrinees include former New York Islanderes forward Keith Aucoin and General Manager Bill Torrey. The group also includes Nolan Baumgartner and Dave Creighton.
“For more than eight decades, the American Hockey League has been built on principles of excellence both on and off the ice,” said Scott Howson, AHL President and Chief Executive Officer. “Each of these four distinguished individuals exemplified those principles at the highest levels throughout their careers, and the AHL Board of Governors unanimously endorses the Selection Committee’s recommendation for their induction into the American Hockey League Hall of Fame as the Class of 2022.”
In addition to the Class of 2022, this season’s induction ceremony will include long-time AHL President and CEO David Andrews, who was previously selected as the lone member of the Class of 2021. The American Hockey League Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony is scheduled for February 7 in Laval, Que., as part of the festivities at the 2022 AHL All-Star Classic.
Formed in 2006 to recognize, honor and celebrate individuals for their outstanding achievements and contributions in the American Hockey League, the AHL Hall of Fame is housed online at ahlhalloffame.com and is accessible to fans worldwide with the click of a mouse as part of the AHL Internet Network.
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 NHL players each year 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.
KEITH AUCOIN
One of the most decorated players ever to skate in the American Hockey League, Keith Aucoin was undrafted out of NCAA Division III Norwich University in Vermont, and broke into the AHL with his hometown Lowell Lock Monsters in 2001-02. He went on to record 857 points in 769 games over parts of 13 AHL seasons with Lowell, the Providence Bruins, Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, Albany River Rats, Hershey Bears, Toronto Marlies and Chicago Wolves, retiring as the seventh-leading scorer in league history. Aucoin won the Calder Cup with Hershey in 2009 and 2010 and was the AHL’s MVP and scoring champion for the 2009-10 season after tallying 106 points in 70 games. He played in a record-tying six AHL All-Star Classics, and was voted a First Team (2009, 2010, 2012) and Second Team (2006, 2007, 2011) AHL All-Star three times each.
BILL TORREY
Hockey Hall of Famer Bill Torrey began his front-office hockey career as the publicity director for the American Hockey League’s Pittsburgh Hornets in 1961. He remained active with the AHL throughout his illustrious career as an NHL executive, which included four straight Stanley Cup championships as general manager of the New York Islanders and 25 years of service with the Florida Panthers. A trusted advisor and mentor, Torrey served on the Executive Committee of the AHL Board of Governors for two decades, and was a member of the AHL Hall of Fame selection committee from its inception in 2006. Torrey passed away in 2018 at the age of 83.