Murphy, Coffey elected to Hall of Fame



TORONTO (June 9, 2004) -- Jim Gregory, Chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee, announced today that three players who starred in the NHL on defence -- Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey and Larry Murphy -- have been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Player Category. The vote was made today at the annual meeting of the Selection Committee in Toronto. "The Hockey Hall of Fame is proud to welcome Ray, Paul and Larry as Honoured Members," said Jim Gregory. "Their contributions to the game of hockey are well documented and their election to the Hall of Fame is richly deserved. Born in 1961 in Weston, Ontario, Paul Coffey was the first selection of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the 1978 Midget draft. He played one and a half seasons in the Soo before being traded to the Kitchener Rangers, where he was playing when he was made a first round selection of the Edmonton Oilers (sixth overall) in the 1980 Entry Draft. During seven seasons with the Oilers, Coffey was a key component of three Stanley Cup teams and was a first team All-Star twice and second team All-Star on three occasions. He also won the Norris Trophy in 1985 and 1986. In 1987, he was traded to Pittsburgh and during his almost five seasons with the Penguins, Coffey again earned First and Second All-Star team member honours, and won his fourth Stanley Cup in 1991. From Pittsburgh, Coffey spent a season in Los Angeles before being tradedto Detroit in January of 1993. During his three and a half seasons in Detroit, Paul won his third Norris Trophy in 1995. When his 21-year playing career ended in 2001, Coffey retired second only to Ray Bourque in goals, assists and total points for an NHL defenceman. "I had a chance to see Grant get elected to the Hall last year and it's a tremendous honour to join all of my Oilers teammates," said Coffey. "When we beat the Islanders to win our first Stanley Cup and later watched the stars from that team get into the Hall, it?s amazing to receive the telephone call that Grant, Wayne, Jari and Slats got." Hailing from Scarborough, Ontario, Larry Murphy played Junior hockey with the Peterborough Petes from 1978 to 1980, leading the team to the Memorial Cup in 1978-79. The Los Angles Kings first choice, fourth overall, in the 1980 Entry Draft, Larry set records for most assists (60) and points (76) by a rookie defenceman in his first season in 1980-81. During his 21 NHL seasons, Larry played in 1,615 regular season games, scoring 287 goals, 929 assists and 1,216 points. A second team NHL All-Star in 1987, 1993 and 1995, Larry won four Stanley Cups - in 1991 and 1992 Pittsburgh and 1997 and 1998 with Detroit. "This is something that, as a player, is the ultimate compliment," said Murphy. "It is a statement of appreciation and I am extremely thrilled to receive this honour." The 2004 Induction Celebration will be held on Monday, November 8th, at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. For more information regarding the 2004 Induction Weekend/Celebration, visit http://www.hhof.com.

Red Wings conclude draft



The NHL Entry Draft concluded Sunday in North Carolina with the Red Wings taking eight players during the nine-round event. With their first pick (97th overall), the Red Wings drafted Johan Franzen - a 6' 2" center from Vetlanda, Sweden. For more draft coverage, click here. Round 3: 97 DET JOHAN FRANZEN 12/23/1979 Vetlanda, Sweden SE 6' 2" 207 SWE LINKOPING C L Round 4: 128 DET EVAN MCGRATH 1/14/1986 Oakville, Ont. CA 5' 11" 181 OHL KITCHENER C L Round 5: 151 DET SIARHEI KOLASAU 5/22/1986 Novopolotsk, Belarus BY 6' 4" 187 BEL MINSK D L 162 DET TYLER HASKINS 5/26/1986 Cleveland, Ohio US 6' 1" 177 OHL TOR. ST. MICHAEL'S C R Round 6: 192 DET ANTON AXELSSON 1/16/1986 Ytterby, Sweden SE 6' 0" 183 SJL FROLUNDA JR. LW L Round 7: 226 DET STEVEN COVINGTON 1/31/1986 Maple Ridge, B.C. CA 5' 11" 167 WHL CALGARY RW R Round 8: 257 DET GENNADY STOLYAROV 8/20/1986 Moscow, Russia RU 6' 4" 187 RUS TVER RW L Round 9: 290 DET NILS BACKSTROM 6/29/1986 Stockholm, Sweden SE 6' 0" 183 SWE II STOCKSUND D R

LEWIS AGREES TO ONE-YEAR EXTENSION


DETROIT (June 26, 2004) -- General Manager Ken Holland today announced that the club has signed Dave Lewis to a one-year contract extension. In keeping with team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. “We are very pleased to have Dave back in the fold for another season”, said Holland. “He has done a good job for us over the last two seasons and we look forward to him being back behind the Detroit bench next year.” “I am very excited and happy to be back for another season”, said Lewis. “I look forward to the challenge of bringing another Stanley Cup Championship back to Hockeytown.” Dave Lewis enters his third season as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, and his 19th year overall with the organization, (two as a player and 17 as a coach). The team compiled a 48-20-10-4 record for 110 points under his direction in the 2002-03 campaign. Lewis guided the team in the 2003-04 season to earn the franchise its fourth Presidents’ Trophy as the Red Wings finished with a record of 48-21-11-2 for 109 points. He also led the club to earn its second consecutive Central Division title in as many years as he’s been at the helm. Lewis coached his 100th game as head coach November 15, 2003 and has the distinction of having the best record of any Detroit coach in franchise history after the first 100 games posting a 57-31-12 record. Lewis has been a mainstay behind the bench holding the distinction of having worked with three different head coaches. He began in 1987 by working with Jacques Demers, followed by Bryan Murray and continuing with Scotty Bowman. Lewis’ 15 years as an NHL defenseman prepared him for his coaching career as he has excelled both as a motivator and tactician behind the Red Wings’ bench. His other duties include extensive video work used in scouting opponents. Lewis, who will be 51 on July 3, 2004, joined the coaching staff immediately after retiring as a player November 6, 1987, amid his 15th National Hockey League season. He has three Stanley Cup Championships in his career, 1997, 1998 and 2002, all with Detroit. At the beginning of the 1998-99 season, Dave shared the head coaching responsibilities with Barry Smith through training camp and the first five regular-season games as Bowman recovered from off-season knee surgery. The Lewis/Smith combination produced 4-1–0 record (.800). A native of Kindersley, SK, Lewis played junior hockey for Saskatoon (WHL) and was the New York Islanders’ second pick (33rd overall) in the 1973 NHL Entry Draft (selected by current Red Wings Senior Vice-President Jim Devellano, the Islanders’ chief scout at the time). Lewis jumped from the junior ranks straight to the NHL and never played in the minor leagues. Dave’s biggest milestone came in a Red Wings uniform when he played in his 1,000th regular-season game April 1, 1987 against Philadelphia at Joe Louis Arena. In all, he played 1,008 regular-season games with the Islanders, Los Angeles, New Jersey and Detroit. He recorded 36 goals, 187 assists and 953 penalty minutes. He also appeared in 91 playoff games with one goal, 20 assists and 143 penalty minutes. Away from the rink, Dave is actively involved with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Through his efforts over the past 12 years, the proceeds from the Dave Lewis Detroit Red Wings Fantasy Camp games and celebrity auctions have raised over $150,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In addition, Lewis often hosts children from the Make-A-Wish Foundation at Red Wing practices throughout the season. In past summers he has arranged trips to Russia for more than 30 campers and for fantasy hockey camps and historical tour.

GO DETROIT!!!!