ALL-STAR CAPTAINS INCLUDE EX-WOLFPACK 

BY: Jason Chaimovitch, AHL VP of Communications

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … American Hockey League President and CEO David Andrews announced today that (Ex-Hartford Wolf Pack) Boyd Kane of the Hershey Bears and Darren Haydar of the Chicago Wolves will serve as playing captains for the 2012 AHL All-Star Classic, to be held January 29-30 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

Captains for the American Hockey League All-Star teams are selected by the league president in recognition of their outstanding service and leadership to the AHL.

Making his first career AHL All-Star Classic appearance, Boyd Kane is a three-time Calder Cup champion who served as the captain of title teams in Philadelphia (2005) and Hershey (2006). He has played 821 games – second-most among all active players – in his 14 AHL seasons, putting up 189 goals and 256 assists for 445 points, and he is also tied for fourth place all-time with 118 career Calder Cup Playoff games played. This season with Hershey, Kane has recorded eight goals, five assists and a team-best plus-10 rating in 24 games. The native of Swift Current, Sask., will captain the Eastern Conference All-Star team in Atlantic City next month.

Darren Haydar is one of the most decorated AHL players of all-time, with a résumé that includes two Calder Cups (2004, 2008), an MVP award (2007), a scoring title (2007), the league’s Rookie of the Year honor (2003) and the longest scoring streak (39 games) in AHL history. Haydar, who will be making his third career All-Star Classic appearance, currently leads the Wolves in scoring with 27 points (eight goals, 19 assists) in 24 games this season, and recently became just the 22nd AHL player ever to record 700 career points. The 10th-year pro from Milton, Ont., who is also the AHL’s career playoff scoring leader, will captain the Western Conference team in Atlantic City.

Previous players honored as AHL All-Star team captains include Mark Wotton, Alexandre Giroux, Nolan Baumgartner, Graham Mink, Bryan Helmer, Denis Hamel, Keith Aucoin, Mike Keane, John Slaney, Randy Cunneyworth, Ken Gernander, Rob Murray, current Philadelphia Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette, American Hockey League Hall of Famers Jody Gage, Tim Tookey and Mitch Lamoureux and 2012 inductee John Stevens.

Tickets for the 2012 AHL All-Star Classic – which include admission to both the 2012 AHL All-Star Skills Competition at 3 p.m. on Sunday, January 29, and the 2012 AHL All-Star Game at 7 p.m. on Monday, January 30 – are on sale now at the Boardwalk Hall box office, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling (800) 736-1420 or at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available for the Post-Skills Party (January 29, 5:30 p.m.) and the 2012 AHL Hall of Fame Induction & Awards Ceremony (January 30, 11 a.m.) at Caesars Atlantic City.

The 2012 AHL All-Star Classic will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League competing in an internationally televised showcase from historic Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Of the 562 players to take part in the AHL All-Star Classic since 1995, more than 93 percent have competed in the National Hockey League, including Patrice Bergeron, Dan Boyle, Daniel Briere, Ryan Callahan, Brian Campbell, Zdeno Chara, Jimmy Howard, Miikka Kiprusoff, Ryan Miller, Zach Parise, Pekka Rinne, Bobby Ryan, Martin St. Louis, Jason Spezza, Eric Staal, P.K. Subban and Tomas Vokoun.

The 2012 AHL All-Star Classic is presented by the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority, Caesars Entertainment, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and the American Hockey League. For destination information about Atlantic City, please visit www.atlanticcitynj.com.