AHL extends contract of president David Andrews
BY RYAN ABER
raber@opubco.com
The American Hockey League’s Board of Governors announced Friday that David Andrews had agreed to a contract extension through the 2014-15 season.
Andrews became the president of the AHL in 1994. Only Jack Butterfield, who served as AHL President for 28 seasons, has served in the position longer.
“All of us in the American Hockey League – our owners, our management, our fans, our partners and more – are extremely fortunate to have had the benefit of Dave Andrews’ leadership over the last 16 years as President and CEO,” Rich Pych, Governor of the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, said in a statement. “During his tenure, the AHL has become a critical step on the career path for virtually every young player en route to the NHL. We are all thrilled that Dave will continue to lead us through the exciting years that lie ahead.”
The AHL will feature an all-time high of 30 teams in the upcoming season, including the Oklahoma City Barons. The Barons are the AHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers.
In 2001, Andrews headed efforts that brought nine new cities into the NHL, including six from the former International Hockey League. The AHL has evolved from a league primarily based on the Eastern Seaboard to a more wide-ranging league that includes a pair of cities that already have NHL franchises (Toronto and Chicago), as well as Cleveland, Houston, San Antonio, Winnipeg, Milwaukee and Charlotte in addition to Oklahoma City.
Andrews is a native of Nova Scotia. Before taking over as league president, he served as the general manager for the Oilers AHL affiliate, helping the Cape Breton Oilers to the 1993 Calder Cup. He’s also served as head coach of the WHL’s Victoria Cougars and was inducted into the British Columbia Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in 2006.
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Man, I can’t wait for the season to get underway! My wife and the rest of my family are huge Dallas STARS fan’s, so I guess that puts us at odds to some extent. BUT, when OKC gets going it’s gonna’ be a trying time when the Teas Stars visit. Trying to maintain loyalty to the STARS organization and my home AHL team will be very trying indeed. To say the least, the STARS and OILERS aren’t exactly best friends. We get a little road-weary making the 300+ mile round-trip from Duncan,OK too Dallas.