HARTFORD, September 27, 2012: The American Hockey League announced today that Connecticut Whale head coach Ken Gernander has been named to the AHL Hall of Fame, as part of the class of 2013 inductees.
Joining Gernander in the class of 2013 are Harvey Bennett, Sr., Jim Morrison and Peter White.
The new class of Hall of Fame members will officially be inaugurated into the Hall of Fame in a special induction ceremony January 28, at the 2013 Dunkin’ Donuts AHL All-Star Classic.
Gernander is entering his sixth season as head coach of the Whale, the longest-serving head man in franchise history, and his 22nd year of association with the AHL. Named the bench boss of the then-Hartford Wolf Pack July 23, 2007, the 43-year-old Coleraine, MN native has led the team to a record of 208-138-20-30, a .588 winning percentage, in five years at the helm. That includes an Atlantic Division championship in 2008-09 and a team-record 110-point season in his first year, 2007-08. Prior to assuming the head job, Gernander served the Wolf Pack for two seasons, 2005-06 and 2006-07, as an assistant coach.
Gernander retired from a 14-year playing career after the 2004-05 season, having spent the last eight of those years with the Wolf Pack and the last ten as captain of the New York Rangers’ AHL affiliate. At the time of his retirement, Gernander was the highest-scoring American-born player in league history, with totals of 293 goals, 331 assists and 624 points in 973 games with the Wolf Pack, Binghamton Rangers and Moncton Hawks. Gernander helped lead the Wolf Pack to the 2000 Calder Cup championship, part of a playoff career that spanned 123 postseason games-played, also an AHL mark at the time he retired. His career total of 973 games ranks ninth all-time.
In his eight seasons with the Wolf Pack/Whale, Gernander played in a franchise-record 599 games, and is second all-time in team history in points, with 160-187-347. His number 12 was retired October 8, 2005 and is the only one so honored by the team.
Gernander is also a two-time winner of the AHL’s Fred T. Hunt Award for sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey, having captured that honor in 1995-96 with Binghamton and in 2003-04 with the Wolf Pack. A product of the University of Minnesota, Gernander turned pro in 1991 with the Hawks, after having been drafted in the fifth round in 1987 by their parent club, the Winnipeg Jets. After three seasons with the Winnipeg organization, Gernander signed as a free agent with the Rangers July 4, 1994, and this 2012-13 campaign will be his 19th under the Ranger banner.
Gernander is also a member of the Connecticut Hockey Hall of Fame and the Binghamton Hockey Hall of Fame.
The AHL Hall of Fame was created in 2006, to recognize, honor and celebrate individuals for their outstanding achievements and contributions specifically to the AHL. In a unique effort to make the rich tradition of the AHL available to the widest possible audience, the AHL Hall of Fame is housed on-line at www.ahlhalloffame.com and is accessible to fans worldwide with the click of a mouse as a member of the AHL Internet Network. The Network also includes theahl.com and all 30 official team sites, and hosts more than 250 million page views each year.
The Whale open their 2012-13 season Friday, October 12 at the XL Center, with a 7:30 PM battle against their in-state rivals the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. At that game, all fans can purchase tickets at the special price of $12 each, and that night will also kick off the Whale’s new Friday night $1 hot dogs and $2 beers promotion.
Tickets for that game, and all Whale regular season home games at the XL Center, are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.
Season tickets for the Whale’s 2012-13 AHL season are also available. For information on season seats, and all of the Whale’s many ticketing options, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 548-2000 to talk with an account executive today.
Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.
