August 5, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 5, 2009
CONTACT: John Walton â" HERSHEY BEARS â" (717) 682-6470
LEFT WING ALEXANDRE GIROUX RETURNING TO HERSHEY FOR 2009-10 SEASON
GIROUX RETURNS AFTER THE GREATEST GOAL-SCORING SEASON IN AHL HISTORY AS DEFENDING CHAMPIONS PREPARE TO DEFEND THE CALDER CUP
HERSHEY â" The 2009 Calder Cup Champion HERSHEY BEARS announced today the club has signed left wing Alexandre Giroux to a contract for the upcoming 2009-10 season. The announcement was made today by BEARS President/GM Doug Yingst.
Giroux, 28, returns to Chocolatetown after what can only be described as the greatest goal-scoring season in American Hockey League history. Giroux set a HERSHEY franchise record in 2008-09 by scoring 60 goals in a single season, and then followed that up with 15 more goals in 22 postseason games on the way to the clubâ™s 10th Calder Cup championship. The 75 goals scored are the most ever scored by a single AHL player in one regular season and postseason combined. Giroux also posted the longest goal scoring streak in league history on January 18th last season when he picked up at least one goal in 15 consecutive games, breaking the previous record of 14 straight held by NHL legend Brett Hull.
Overall, Giroux scored 60 goals in 69 games for HERSHEY, adding 37 assists for a total of 97 points, winning the leagueâ™s scoring title. He also played in 12 games for the Washington Capitals in 2008-09, scoring one goal and assisting on another. The 15 goals scored during the 2009 postseason stands as another HERSHEY record, as the most goals scored by a single player in one playoff year. Three of those 15 goals came on May 30th when he capped off a hat trick in Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals in Winnipeg by scoring the game-winning marker in sudden death overtime. His final goal of the 2009 postseason came in the first period of HERSHEYâ™S Game 6 clincher at Manitoba when he scored on a breakaway against Moose goaltender Cory Schneider.
âAlexandre Giroux was so important to our teamâ™s success last year both on and off the ice,â said BEARS President/GM Doug Yingst. âFor our organization, for our fans and for this region, we could not be happier that he chose to return next season.â
A native of Quebec City, Quebec, Giroux brings 22 games of NHL experience back to HERSHEY in the fall, with stints in Washington and with the New York Rangers. He is a former seventh round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators, making his professional debut with the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2001. Dating back to his BEARS debut during the 2006-07 season, Giroux has scored 116 goals in a HERSHEY uniform in just 160 games played, ranking him 24th all-time in franchise history. Prior to last season, no BEARS player had ever scored more than 53 goals in a single season.
Season tickets for the 2009-10 season are on sale now by calling (717) 508-BEAR. Several ticket plans are available. The 2009-10 regular season schedule is expected to be released by the American Hockey League next week. HERSHEY will host preseason games at GIANT Center on Friday, September 25 and Sunday September 27 against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Norfolk Admirals. Tickets for the preseason games go on sale at the GIANT Center box office on Monday, August 10 at 10:00 a.m.
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