PRINCETON, N.J. – The ECHL in association with The MeiGray Group announced that fans have the opportunity to purchase game-worn jerseys from 2006-07 through online auctions at ECHLAuction.at.edeal.com.
The first auction is underway, featuring jerseys from the Pensacola Ice Pilots, Phoenix RoadRunners and Wheeling Nailers, and it will continue until 9 p.m. ET on May 15. A new two-week auction will begin each week including the Charlotte Checkers, Dayton Bombers and Trenton Devils on Thursday. Fans can view the jerseys and place bids at ECHLAuction.at.edeal.com/.
The “Official Game-Worn Jersey Source of the ECHL” since 2002, MeiGray gives hockey fans and sports collectors worldwide the opportunity to purchase authentic game-worn ECHL jerseys online at MeiGray.com or by telephone at (888) 463-4472.
In addition to the ECHL, MeiGray is also partners with the NHL-MGG Game-Worn Jersey Authentication Program and the American Hockey League in the AHL-MGG Game-Worn Jersey Program.
Each team in the ECHL wears one set of home and road jerseys for the first half of the season and another set for the second half of the year. MeiGray owns the exclusive rights to the jerseys worn in the first half of the season while the teams have the rights to the jerseys worn during the second half.
The leading distributor of game-worn hockey jerseys and “Official Game-Worn Jersey Source of the ECHL,” MeiGray has sold more than 4,000 game-worn ECHL jerseys since the program began in 2002-03, including nearly 1,000 each of the past three seasons.
ECHL
Celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2007-08, the ECHL is the Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League and 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 that will play with 24 teams in 16 states and British Columbia in 2008-09.
The league officially changed its name to ECHL on May 19, 2003.
The ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 30 teams in the NHL in 2007-08, marking the 11th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.
There have been 355 former ECHL players who have gone on to play in the NHL after playing in the ECHL, including 99 in the last three seasons. There have been 210 former ECHL players who have played their first game in the NHL in the past seven seasons.
There are 15 coaches in the NHL who have ECHL experience including former Wheeling coach Peter Laviolette, who is head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, and former Mississippi coach Bruce Boudreau, who is head coach of the Washington Capitals.
The ECHL is represented for the seventh consecutive year on the National Hockey League championship team in 2007 with Anaheim assistant coach Dave Farrish, players Francois Beauchemin and George Parros and broadcasters John Ahlers and Steve Carroll.
The ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 29 teams in the American Hockey League in 2007-08 and for the past 18 years there has been an ECHL player on the Calder Cup champion.
In each of the last two seasons there have been more than 225 players who have played in both the ECHL and the AHL and there were over 800 call-ups involving more than 500 players.
In the last five seasons the ECHL has had more call-ups to the AHL than all other professional leagues combined with over 2,000 call-ups involving more than 1,000 players since 2002-03.
Further information on the ECHL is available from its website at ECHL.com.
