SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … American Hockey League President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Howson announced today that Montreal Canadiens alumni Yvon Lambert and Mike Keane have been selected to serve as the honorary captains for the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Bell in collaboration with Manulife Bank, to be held February 5-6 in Laval, Que.
Each year, the All-Star Classic honorary captains join the participating teams in the locker room and on the benches during the event, and are recognized for their careers at the annual AHL Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony.
A member of the 1970’s Canadiens dynasty, Yvon Lambert also played four seasons in the American Hockey League, reaching four Calder Cup Finals and winning championships with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs in 1972 and the Rochester Americans in 1983. He scored 123 goals and notched 138 assists for a total of 261 points in 301 career AHL games, leading the league with 52 goals and 104 points during the 1972-73 season. Lambert won four consecutive Stanley Cups with Montreal between 1976 and 1979, and is best remembered for his Game 7 overtime goal in the 1979 semifinals against Boston. He totaled 206 goals and 273 assists for 479 points in 683 National Hockey League games with Montreal (1973-81) and Buffalo (1981-82).
Mike Keane played more than 1,600 games over 22 professional seasons, bookended by two stints in the AHL. Keane broke into the pro ranks as a 19-year-old with the Sherbrooke Canadiens in 1987, and spent five years as captain of the Manitoba Moose before retiring in 2010. In between, Keane won Stanley Cup championships in Montreal, Colorado and Dallas, and collected 470 points in 1,161 NHL contests with the Canadiens, Avalanche, Rangers, Stars, Blues and Canucks. Keane was voted the winner of the AHL’s Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award for sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey in 2006-07, and his number 12 hangs in the rafters of Canada Life Centre, having been retired by the Moose. Keane currently serves as player development coordinator for the Winnipeg Jets.
Tickets for the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Bell in collaboration with Manulife Bank, which include admission to both the Rona AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, Feb. 5, and the Mise-o-jeu AHL All-Star Challenge on Monday, Feb. 6, start at only $39 and are available now by visiting rocketlaval.com.
The 2023 AHL All-Star Classic will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League: since 1995, more than 94 percent of All-Star Classic participants have gone on to compete in the National Hockey League, including Cam Atkinson, Drake Batherson, Patrice Bergeron, Jordan Binnington, Jack Campbell, John Carlson, Logan Couture, Thatcher Demko, Denis Gurianov, Connor Hellebuyck, Tristan Jarry, Kaapo Kahkonen, Jordan Kyrou, Jonathan Marchessault, Jacob Markstrom, J.T. Miller, Brandon Montour, William Nylander, Kyle Palmieri, Mikko Rantanen, Dylan Strome, Vitek Vanecek and Mats Zuccarello.
In operation since 1936, the American Hockey League serves as the top development league for the players, coaches, managers, executives, broadcasters and staff of all 32 National Hockey League teams. Nearly 90 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame spent time in the AHL in their careers.
