ECHL, Reebok extend agreement through 2012

The ECHL announced that it has signed a three-year extension with Reebok Hockey to be the official provider of on-ice equipment to all ECHL teams. Reebok Hockey has been the exclusive supplier of hockey sticks, helmets, visors, gloves, pants, track suits and protective equipment for ECHL players the past five seasons and have been partners of the Premier ?AA? Hockey League for more than 10 years. ?Reebok Hockey looks forward to a continued partnership with the ECHL and the brand exposure they provide within non-traditional markets,? said Glen Thornborough, Reebok Hockey Vice President of Global Sports Marketing. ?The ECHL provides a great showcase for our leading-edge products like 8.0.8 O-stick to be used by players striving to take the next step in their career.? Reebok Hockey provides authentic and replica jerseys and skates for ECHL teams and the ECHL All-Star Game and has supplied jerseys, visors, helmets and pants for on-ice officials. ?Reebok Hockey is a worldwide leader in the hockey equipment category and we are proud to extend what has been a very valuable relationship for the ECHL,? said ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna. Reebok Hockey will continue to receive predominant league-wide exposure through a variety of sources including, but not limited to, dasher boards, radio, television and in-arena announcements, and advertisements in league and team publications. Reebok Hockey will also be featured on ECHL.com, the official web site of the league, and on member web sites through the ECHL.com Network. Reebok Hockey is the official sponsor of the ECHL weekly goaltender award as well as the monthly player and rookie awards and the yearly awards for goaltender, plus-minus rating, rookie, and most valuable player. Reebok Hockey is also the presenting sponsor for the 2010 ECHL All-Star Game and Skills Competition. The Ontario Reign, the City of Ontario and Citizens Business Bank Arena will host the 18th Annual ECHL All-Star Game on Jan. 20, 2010 and the 13th Annual All-Star Skills Competition on Jan. 19, 2010. Reebok-CCM Hockey, a subsidiary of the adidas Group, is headquartered in Montreal. With operations in Canada, the United States and Europe, the Company is the world's largest designer, manufacturer and marketer of hockey equipment and related apparel under two of the most recognized hockey brand names: Reebok Hockey and CCM Hockey. Reebok-CCM Hockey equips more professional hockey players than any other company, including superstars like Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. In addition to the ECHL, Reebok-CCM Hockey is also the official outfitter of the National Hockey League, the Champions Hockey League, the American Hockey League, the Canadian Hockey League, the ECHL and several NCAA and national teams. Premier ?AA? Hockey League Fast Facts • The ECHL celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2007-08 and is the third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League. ? ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states and has grown to be a coast-to-coast league with 20 teams in 15 states and British Columbia in 2009-10. ? The league officially changed its name from East Coast Hockey League to ECHL on May 19, 2003. ? ECHL had affiliations with 24 of the 30 teams in the National Hockey League in 2008-09 marking the 12th consecutive year for affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. ? 407 former ECHL players have played in NHL. ? 151 former ECHL players have played their first NHL game in the last four seasons. ? Record 52 former ECHL players made their NHL debut in 2008-09 and eight players played in both the ECHL and the NHL: goaltenders Matt Climie (Idaho and Dallas), Riku Helenius (Elmira, Mississippi and Tampa Bay), Michal Neuvirth (South Carolina and Washington) and Marek Schwarz (Alaska and St. Louis), defensemen Wes O'Neill (Johnstown and Colorado), Raymond Macias (Johnstown and Colorado) and Kevin Quick (Augusta, Elmira and Tampa Bay) and right wing Joel Rechlicz (Utah and New York Islanders). ? There were 72 former ECHL players on NHL opening-day rosters. ? ECHL has been represented on last nine Stanley Cup champions including 2009 with Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma, player Ruslan Fedotenko, equipment managers Dana Heinze and Dave Zeigler, athletic trainers Chris Stewart and Scott Adams and scout Derek Clancey. ? Former ECHL coaches working as head coaches in the NHL are Bruce Boudreau of the Washington Capitals and Scott Gordon of the New York Islanders while former ECHL player Dan Bylsma is the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Boudreau, who coached Mississippi for three seasons winning the Kelly Cup championship in 1999, was named NHL Coach of the Year in 2007-08 becoming the first former ECHL coach to receive the award. Peter Laviolette, who began his coaching career with the Wheeling Nailers, led Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in 2006. ? There are 15 assistant coaches in the NHL who were players or coaches in the ECHL. ? Eighteen former ECHL officials worked in the NHL in 2008-09 with referees David Banfield, Chris Ciamaga, Ghislain Hebert, Marc Joannette, Mike Leggo, Wes McCauley, Dean Morton, Dan O?Rourke, Brian Pochmara, Kevin Pollock, Kyle Rehman, Chris Rooney, Justin St. Pierre and Ian Walsh and linesmen Steve Barton, Brian Mach, Tim Nowak and Jay Sharrers. Barton, Joannette, Leggo, McCauley, Nowak, Pollock, Rooney and Sharrers all worked the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs. ? ECHL has affiliations with 23 of the 29 teams in the American Hockey League and for the past 20 years there has been an ECHL player on the Calder Cup Champion. ? In the last six seasons the ECHL has had more call-ups to the AHL than all other professional leagues combined with over 2,500 call-ups involving more than 1,300 players since 2002-03. ? Further information on the ECHL is available from its website at ECHL.com.