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Highlights from the 2011 AHL All-Star Skills Competition

Photo by Brian Mills

The 2011 AHL All-Star Classic was the news of the day in Hershey.  A large crowd gathered to witness the best players in the AHL show off their skills in an assortment of events.  Unlike recent years, the format this year is an East versus West match up.  One player from the Western All Stars received a loud round of applause.  That player was former Bear, Alexandre Giroux.  Of course current Bears Brian Fahey, Andrew Gordon and Braden Holtby also received large show of support.

The First event was the “Sher-Wood Puck Control Relay.”  The East took two out of three heats to get an early lead.  Up next was the “Reebok Fastest Skater.”  The RBC Future Stars gave the West a point, while the East got points for the fastest individual and fastest team average.  The “RBC Rapid Fire” competition was next on the agenda.  The goalies from the East came up big.  Martin Jones and John Curry had to split duties because Holtby sat out the events with a sore knee.  The East got another point thanks to fabulous goal tending.  The East picked up two more points in the “Reebok Hardest Shot.”  The East had the highest team average and Fahey led all contestants with a shot of 96.9 mph.  In the “Reese’s Accuracy Shooting” the East yet again prevailed gaining two more points.  The “Reese’s Pass and Score” also belonged to the East when they won 4-2.  The last event was the “Panasonic Breakaway Relay.”  Again, the goaltending from the East was the dominant factor.  The offence from the East also produced 4 goals.  After all events were done, the East outscored the West by a score of 19-7

For a full score sheet from the competition, check out the results on the AHL’s official website. After the jump, make sure to check out our extensive photos from the day.

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SHOE’s Voting Guide for the 2011 AHL All-Star Classic

Hi, I’m Brian. First, let me start by saying I am thrilled to be part of the Sweetest Hockey On Earth team! I will be bringing you coverage of the back-to-back Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears from a local (and rink-side) perspective. Please take a moment to go to the About Us page to read more about me.

As for the 2011 AHL All-Star game, the Captains for this season’s game have already been named.  Heading up the Eastern Conference will be Mark Wotton and from the West it will be Alexandre Giroux.  They both are not only veterans of the league, but between the two of them, they have been named to several All-Star teams.  More interesting to you Hershey fans, is that both of these team captains are former Calder-Cup winning Bears players!

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Bears Create Custom Ornaments for the Holidays

This past weekend was a very festive one at Giant Center. Most people already know about the, er, distinctive holiday jerseys they wore during Sunday’s trumping of the Charlotte Checkers. But if you were at the game this weekend, you may have seen another way they got in the Christmas spirit: by decorating ornaments.

It is a tradition involving the wives and girlfriends that dates back to 2003 for Hershey. Out on the concourse, a table displayed the artistic talents (or lack thereof) of our very own Hershey Bears. Each of the players were given a plain glass bulb and free rein to decorate it as they wish. The results involve a lot of sharpie art, glitter, and tinsel. With each player putting a twist on their ornament, you can really see a fun side of the players come out.

In addition to the individual ornaments, the team also signed over a hundred extra ornaments to sell. As for the one-of-a-kind decorations, they were auctioned off to the highest bidder.

After the cut, see pictures and a video of some of these original ornaments and the unique ways the players chose to adorn them.

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The Hershey Bears 2009-10 Championship Rings

Photo by Tim Stough

After four months of waiting, the returning players of the 2009-10 season finally got to put a ring on it Saturday Night at Giant Center and receive their Championship rings. And much like everything else the Bears organization does, they handled the ring ceremony with style, class, and creativity.

Since last year’s Bears club became the first Hershey team to win a Calder Cup on home ice in 30 years, the organization invited members of the 1979-80 class back to Giant Center to hand out the rings.

“The ceremony was real nice,” said right winger Andrew Gordon. “The rings are really well done. They’re big this year, too. I really want to put it side by side with my [2008-09 ring] and see how it stacks up.”

Mathieu Perreault gets his ring from Bears great Lou Franceschetti

Mathieu Perreault, one of the Capitals final cuts during training camp, got to receive his ring from one of the most popular Hershey Bears of all-time, Lou Franceschetti. Franceschetti played parts of 5 seasons in with the Bears scoring 314 points in 374 games and went on to have a solid NHL career playing 459 games with the Capitals, Sabres, and Maple Leafs.

When asked about the ring post-game, Perreault got a big smile on his face. “It’s unbelievable,” exclaimed Perry. “Last year’s was unbelievable and this year’s was even better. The ring is so beautiful. It’s so special. It’s unreal!”

So what’s the fuss all about?

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