TORONTO (March 26, 2014) – Pat Quinn, Chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame, announced today that Columbus Blue Jackets President of Hockey Operations and recipient of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award (2009), John Davidson, has been appointed to succeed Jim Gregory (HHOF Class of 2007) as Chairman of the Selection Committee, effective April 1, 2014.  Davidson’s extended term appointment was confirmed along with three new members of the Selection Committee at the Directors’ meeting held earlier today in Toronto.

Philadelphia Flyers Senior Vice-President, Bob Clarke (HHOF Class of 1987), Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations and General Manager, David Poile, and Los Angeles Kings President of Business Operations, Luc Robitaille (HHOF Class of 2009), will join the Selection Committee replacing Quinn (who stepped down last July to become Chairman of the Board), Gregory and Serge Savard (HHOF Class of 1986), the latter two having reached the stipulated limit for length of service.

“John has been a dedicated member of the Selection Committee since 1999 and the Board’s appointment to the Chairman’s role recognizes his expertise and long-time contribution to the game as a player, media representative and hockey executive along with the fact that he is still very active in the game,” said Quinn.  “I am also very pleased to welcome Bob, David and Luc, all three accomplished and knowledgeable hockey people, with the utmost confidence that the Selection Committee will continue its integral work honouring excellence in the game of hockey.”

After serving twenty-one years on the Selection Committee, including seventeen as Chairman, Gregory will continue to lend his vast knowledge and support in a non-voting capacity as Chairman Emeritus, while Savard’s tenure expires with twenty years of distinguished service.

“The Hockey Hall of Fame owes Jim and Serge a debt of gratitude for their outstanding contributions to the Selection Committee”, said Quinn. “Having the privilege of serving on the Committee with these gentlemen for the past fifteen years, I have the highest regard for Jim’s integrity and leadership, and for the consistently candid and intelligent perspective that Serge has brought to the deliberations in all categories of Honoured Membership.”     

In other corporate matters, Cam Neely (HHOF Class of 2005) was elected as a new member of the Board of Directors in replacement of Bob Gainey (HHOF Class of 1992) who served for ten years as one of seven NHL nominees, and Colin Campbell and Igor Larionov (HHOF Class of 2008) were re-appointed to the Selection Committee each for a further three-year term expiring March 31, 2017.

The Selection Committee will meet on June 23 & 24, 2014 to consider duly nominated candidates for election into Honoured Membership. The announcement of the new inductees will be made on June 24^th and the 2014 Induction Celebration will be held on Monday, November 10^th.

The Hockey Hall of Fame (“HHOF”) was established in 1943 to honour and memorialize individuals who have brought special distinction to the game of hockey and those who made outstanding contributions to the development and advancement of hockey anywhere in the world, and to collect, research, preserve, exhibit and promote objects, images and other historical materials connected with the game at all levels. As a not-for-profit corporation and registered charity, HHOF owns and operates a museum and place of entertainment offering state-of-the-art exhibits, multimedia presentations and educational programming from its premises at Brookfield Place, Toronto, Canada.

The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame is proud to announce that Stephen Ames of Calgary has been elected as the 2014 inductee into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.

Ames, a dual citizen of Canada as well as Trinidad and Tobago is four-time winner on the PGA TOUR. With his induction in the player category, Ames will become the 74^th honoured member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.

“The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame seeks to recognize excellence as golfers, contributors and supporters of the game,” said Ian Clarke, Chair of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame Selection Committee. “Stephen Ames has excelled on the biggest stage in our sport and it is fitting that he will be recognized for his respective accomplishments.”

STEPHEN AMES

Stephen Ames, 49, enters the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame as a prominent professional player, having amassed four PGA TOUR victories and over $19.5 million in career earnings.

A dual citizen of both Canada and Trinidad and Tobago, Ames resides in Calgary and began playing professionally in 1987. He is past champion of the Trinidad and Tobago Open (1989) and won his first professional title on American soil at the Pensacola Open on the Ben Hogan Tour (now the Web.com TOUR) in 1991.

Prior to playing on the PGA TOUR, Ames spent five seasons competing on the European Tour where he captured the 1994 Open V33 Grand Lyon and the Benson & Hedges International Open in 1996. He qualified for the PGA TOUR in 1997, earning exempt status for the 1998 season by finishing third at qualifying. Ames won his first PGA TOUR title in 2004 at the Cialis Western Open, defeating Steve Lowery by two strokes.

In 2006, Ames captured one of the TOUR’s marquee events, winning The Players Championship by six strokes over Retief Goosen. His victory at TPC Sawgrass was played against 48 of the top 50 players in the world and vaulted him at that time to No. 27 in the Official World Golf Rankings. Ames is also a two-time champion of the Children’s Miracle Network Classic (2007 & 2009).In major championship play he has finished inside the top-10 on six occasions with best  finish a tie for fifth at The Open Championship in 1997.

Casey’s General Stores has renewed its commitment to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum by pledging $25,000 to the museum foundation’s “Expand the Dream” campaign. The announcement was made this week by Casey’s General Stores president & CEO Robert J. Myers and museum executive director Bob Baker. Said Bob Myers today, “Casey’s has been involved with the Museum since the very beginning and we are delighted to continue our involvement.”

 
According to Bob Baker, “The expression ‘since day one’ is sometimes over-used, but it definitely isn’t when referring to Casey’s commitment to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation. They have literally been involved from the days of our non-profit incorporation and the creation of our founding board of directors back in the mid-eighties. Their involvement has not just been ‘support’
from the outside, but it has been ‘commitment’ from the inside. And, for that fact, we are truly appreciative.”

 
For more information on the 501(c)(3) non-profit National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation and its “Expand the Dream” campaign to raise money for a brand-new storage and staging facility and for increasing its overall endowment fund, please contact executive director Bob Baker at 641-842-6176.

ATLANTA – Longtime Atlanta Braves catcher Javy Lopez, former head athletic trainer Dave Pursley, and former Boston Braves shortstop Rabbit Maranville will be inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame on May 23, 2014, at the 755 Club at Turner Field.

“We are happy to welcome these three very deserving individuals into the Braves Hall of Fame,” said Atlanta Braves President John Schuerholz.  “This group represents the Braves organization from each city where we have played and are an integral part of our very rich history.”

Lopez played for the Atlanta Braves from 1992-2003.   He shared catching duties for four seasons before establishing himself as the Braves regular catcher in 1996.  That same season, he helped lead the Braves in capturing the National League Championship Series, while earning the series Most Valuable Player award.  He also made the National League All-Star team three times, 1997-98 and 2003.  Javy had his best season in 2003 with a .328 batting average, 43 home runs and 109 RBI in 129 games. He won the Silver Slugger Award and finished fifth in the National League MVP voting.  In that same season he broke the record for the most home runs hit in a season by a catcher (41).  Lopez also caught Kent Mercker’s no-hitter on April 8, 1994. Currently, Javy ranks eighth in home runs (214) in Braves franchise history, and 5^th in hits (1,148) and RBI (694) in Atlanta history.

Pursley served as assistant/head athletic trainer for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves for more than four decades, from 1961-2002.  His dedication, loyalty and hard work earned him inductions into the Georgia and Indiana Sports Hall of Fames. He was also selected to work four All Star Games (1972, 83, 91, and 2000), won Athletic Training Staff of the Year in 1995, and was awarded the National Athletic Trainers Association Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award in 2004. Dave is highly respected for his innovative ideas, holding patents on equipment to strengthen pitchers’ shoulders.  He is a member of both the National Athletic Trainers Associations’ Hall of Fame and the Professional Baseball Athletic Training Society (PBATS) Hall of Fame.

Rabbit (Walter James Vincent) Maranville played shortstop for the Boston Braves for all or parts of 15 seasons, from 1912-20, 29-33, and 35.  Knicknamed “Rabbit” for his speed and small stature (5’5” and 155 lbs), Maranville was also known as one of “baseball’s most famous clowns” due to his practical jokes and lack of inhibitions.  Rabbit finished third in the MVP voting in his first full season (1913) and runner-up in the MVP voting to teammate Johnny Evers in 1914 when the Braves swept the Philadelphia A’s in the World Series.  Rabbit currently ranks 1st in triples (103), 5^th in games played (1,795), and 9^th in stolen bases (194) in Braves franchise history and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954.

The Braves Hall of Fame was established to recognize and honor those players, managers, coaches and other individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to the Braves franchise.  They will join Hank Aaron, Bill Bartholomay, Lew Burdette, Skip Caray, Bobby Cox, Del Crandall, Ralph Garr, Tom Glavine, Tommy Holmes, Ernie Johnson, Chipper Jones, David Justice, Herman Long, Bill Lucas, Greg Maddux, Eddie Mathews, Dale Murphy, Kid Nichols, Phil Niekro, John Sain, John Smoltz, Paul Snyder, Warren Spahn, Ted Turner and Pete Van Wieren.

Tickets to the luncheon and induction ceremony can be purchased by calling the Braves Museum & Hall of Fame at 404-614-2310.  Individual tickets are $150 and include the chance to sit with a current or former player, manager, coach or Braves Hall of Famer.

The Braves Museum & Hall of Fame is the starting point of Turner Field tours, and features more than 700 Braves artifacts and photographs that trace the team’s history from its beginnings in Boston (1871-1952) to Milwaukee (1953-65) to Atlanta (1966-present).  Guided tours take visitors to many areas off limits during games, including the Braves press box, broadcast booth.

Artifacts from medal winning games at Sochi Olympics donated and displayed in time for March Break at the Hockey Hall of Fame

TORONTO (March 5, 2014) – Over a dozen countries donated more than 50 artifacts from the Olympic Men and Women’s Gold, Silver and Bronze medal ice hockey games, which will make their permanent home at the Hockey Hall of Fame.  Many artifacts will be featured in two new and separate displays that will pay tribute to the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games in time for March Break visitors.

Featured items in the displays are a Carey Price jersey, Martin St. Louis helmet, Drew Doughty pants, Caroline Ouellette jersey, Amanda Kessel jersey, Tuukka Rask jersey, Jamie Benn gloves, bronze medal pucks, plus many more.  Fans can re-live the spectacular Olympic moments featured in the displays from March 7^th up to September 1^st, 2014.

“The Hockey Hall of Fame is always appreciative of donations from any championship” said Pat Quinn, Chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame.  “I know from competing at the Olympic level, how important these games are, and how important these pieces of hockey history are to our visitors from around the world.”

You can celebrate hockey at the Olympics and Canada’s dominance in hockey at the Hockey Hall of Fame – for all March Break activities, please visit HHOF.com for full details.

Full list of artifacts collected:

Men’s Gold Medal – Martin St. Louis helmet, Drew Doughty pants, Ryan Getzlaf socks, (CAN)

Men’s Bronze Medal – Teemu Selanne socks, Jarkko Immonen helmet, (FIN)

Men’s Semi-Final – Jamie Benn and Carey Price Jerseys (CAN)

Women’s Bronze Medal – Florence Schelling jersey, Game used pucks (SUI)

Women

Meghan Agosta (Canada-Jersey White)

Caroline Ouellette (Canada-Jersey White)

Amanda Kessel (USA-Jersey Blue)

Jocelyne Lamoureux (USA-Jersey Blue)

Johanna Olofsson (Sweden-Jersey Yellow)

Haruna Yoneyama (Japan-Jersey White)

Lina Backman (Sweden-Jersey Yellow)

Men

Teemu Selanne (Finland-Jersey Blue)

Sami Salo (Finland-Jersey Blue)

Corey Perry (Canada-Jersey White)

Kari Lehtonen (Finland-Jersey White)

Aleksander Barkov (Finland-Jersey White)

Champagne Bottle (Canada dressing room)

John Carlson (USA-Jersey Blue)

Ryan Suter (USA-Jersey Blue)

Yannick Weber (Switzerland-Jersey Red)

Tuukka Rask (Finland-Jersey White)

Olli Maatta (Finland-Jersey White)

Michael Grabner (Austria-Jersey Red)

Mario Altmann (Austria-Jersey Red)

Tomas Plekanec (Czech Republic-Jersey White)

Tomas Kopecky (Slovakia-Jersey Blue)

Daniel Sedin (Sweden-Jersey Blue)

Blaz Gregorc (Slovenia-Jersey White)

Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Sweden-Jersey Yellow)

Jan Mursak (Slovenia-Jersey White)

Ziga Jeglic (Slovenia-Jersey Blue)

Anze Kopitar (Slovenia-Jersey Blue)

Zach Parise (USA-Jersey White)

Alexander Ovechkin (Russia-Jersey Red)

Ilya Kovalchuk (Russia-Jersey White)

Max Pacioretty (USA-Jersey White)

Roberto Luongo (Canada-Jersey Black)

Jonathan Toews (Canada-Jersey Black)

Ryan Getzlaf (Canada-Jersey Black)

Gabriel Landeskog (Sweden-Jersey Yellow)

Marian Hossa (Slovakia-Jersey Blue)

Zemgus Girgensons (Latvia-Jersey Purple)

Janis Sprukts (Latvia-Jersey Purple)

Andrej Meszaros (Slovakia-Jersey White)

Tomas Jurco (Slovakia-Jersey White)

Antti Niemi (Finland-Jersey White)

Andrei Markov (Russia-Jersey White)

Nino Niederreiter (Switzerland-Jersey Red)

Evgeni Malkin (Russia-Jersey Red)

Jamie Benn (Canada-Gloves)

Ossi Vaananen (Finland-Gloves)

About the Hockey Hall of Fame

The Hockey Hall of Fame (“HHOF”) was established in 1943 to honour and memorialize individuals who have brought special distinction to the game of hockey and those who made outstanding contributions to the development and advancement of hockey anywhere in the world, and to collect, research, preserve, exhibit and promote objects, images and other historical materials connected with the game at all levels.  As a not-for-profit corporation and registered charity, HHOF owns and operates a museum and place of entertainment offering state-of-the-art exhibits, multimedia presentations and educational programming from its premises at Brookfield Place, Toronto, Canada.

The International Sports Heritage Association (ISHA) is pleased to announce sponsorship opportunities for their 44^th Annual Conference hosted by the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in Nashville on October 27-29, 2014.  Conference delegates will experience stimulating education sessions, a trade show, entertaining social events, and superb networking opportunities with their colleagues in the sports heritage industry.  Showcase your company to numerous delegates from around the world by becoming a corporate sponsor of the 2014 Conference.

Bronze, Silver and Gold Medal packages are available, each including conference registration or an exhibitor package, advertising opportunities in ISHA publications, and recognition in the Conference brochure and signage.  There is also an attractive option to sponsor a conference session, providing the opportunity to promote your company directly to delegates by taking the stage for 10 minutes at the beginning of a session.  This option sold out for the 2013 Conference hosted by the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in Denver last October.

We’d like to again thank Grey Flannel Auctions, Display Studios, Visit Denver, and the Canadian Association for Sport Heritage for signing on as Bronze sponsors for the 2013 Conference.  Visionary Moments, AutoNation, The MediaPreserve, Grey Flannel Auctions, Mystic Scenic Studios, Rich Clarkson and Associates, Cambridge Seven Associates, The Crowley Company and Dimensional Innovations all sponsored Conference sessions.  Special thanks go to Sparta Pewter, sponsor of the ISHA Communication Awards; to the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, sponsor of An Evening of Champions keynote speaker, Charles Sampson; and Selago Design, who sponsored a conference attendance grant.

For package information, click here: Sponsor Packages

DENVER — Tickets to the 2014 Colorado Sports Hall of Fame (CSHoF) Induction & Awards Banquet have been sold out, CSHoF Chairman Brian Cook announced on Monday.

“This caps off a tremendous amount of work in preparation for the event,” Cook said. “The public support which we receive from around the state is truly gratifying.”

The 50^th annual CSHoF Induction and Awards banquet, which is the longest running yearly dinner and award banquet in Colorado history, will be held once again at the Denver Marriott City Center Hotel on Thursday, April 17. The banquet will begin with a reception at 5:15 p.m. and features dinner and the awards program from 6:30-9:30 p.m.

“We have always had great support, and revenue from this sellout allows us to continue making significant contributions to our charitable youth sports programs within our state,” Cook said, adding that the final tally of tickets sold was over the 850 mark.

The 2014 Class of the Hall of Fame Inductees are Otis Armstrong, Todd Helton, Andy Gambucci, Darian Hagan, Dorothy Mauk, and the late Forrest “Frosty” Cox.

This year’s star co-emcees/presenters are Dave Logan and Susie Wargin.  Jake Schroeder will be singing the national anthem.

Other award winners are 2013 Male Athlete of the Year Peyton Manning; 2013 Female Athlete of the Year Mikaela Shiffrin; 2013 College Athletes of the Year Barbara Szabo and Kapri Bibbs; 2013 High School Athletes of the Year Elise Cranny and Christian McCaffrey; and the 2013 Athlete With Disabilities Award winner, Cody Field of Special Olympics.

“We could not do this without the great support of our sponsors,” Cook added.

Major Sponsors of the CSHoF are Gatorade / King Soopers, Wells Fargo, Sports Authority, AT&T Mobility, The Denver Post and the Denver Broncos Football Club.

For more information regarding the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, including Hall of Fame Banquet, Golf Classic, Museum and Stadium Tour information, please call the CSHoF at 720-258-3535, or visit its website at www.coloradosports.org.