HARTFORD, April 2, 2012: The Connecticut Whale are proud to announce that Kelsey Tessier has been named the team’s winner of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year award for his outstanding contributions to the Hartford community during the 2011-12 season.
Tessier has generously donated his time by visiting patients at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, and has been instrumental in the Whale’s “Hockey in the Streets” program, an outreach effort towards inner-city children in the Hartford area. He has selflessly volunteered for public appearances and has also taken on the role of community ambassador, going well beyond what was required of him. Tessier has also served as a leader in organizing and inspiring his teammates to participate strongly in Whale community relations efforts.
Tessier is now one of 30 finalists for the AHL’s 2011-12 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, honoring the overall IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year. The league award is named after the former Hershey Bears forward and AHL All-Star who died in 1997 following a 16-month battle with leukemia. The winner of the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award will be announced by the American Hockey League in the coming weeks
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