Atlantic City's own Art Dorrington

ATLANTIC CITY — Professional ice hockey pioneers Willie O’Ree and Art Dorrington will host a youth hockey clinic at Boardwalk Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 4pm, in support of the 2012 AHL All-Star Classic, which will take place Sunday and Monday, Jan. 29-30, at Boardwalk Hall. The youth hockey clinic is free and open to the public.

O’Ree and Dorrington hold important places in NHL history. O’Ree is recognized as the first African American hockey player to play in the NHL as a member of the Boston Bruins in 1958. Dorrington was the first African American hockey player to sign a NHL contract when he joined the New York Rangers organization in the 1950s. Due to a leg injury, Dorrington (a transplanted Nova Scotia resident who for years has called Atlantic City home) was unable to play at the NHL level, but is remembered locally as a member of the now-defunct Eastern Hockey League’s Atlantic City Seagulls’ championship team of 1951.

African American NHL pioneer Willie O'Ree

Prior to the start of the clinic, and in recognition and appreciation to Dorrington’s allegiance to the community and hockey career, Boardwalk Hall will rename the building’s ice rink in his honor. The dedication of the “Art Dorrington Ice Rink” at Boardwalk Hall, which includes a proclamation from Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford, will also be part of the day’s festivities.

The clinic will be comprised of students from the Atlantic City-based “Art Dorrington Ice Hockey Foundation,” and will focus on hockey technique while highlighting the importance of positive ethics such as teamwork, sportsmanship and commitment. Like Dorrington, O’Ree is a strong advocate of minority education who has invested time in introducing the game of hockey to disadvantaged youth and teaching them life lessons. O’Ree is currently the National Hockey League’s Director of Youth Development and hockey ambassador for the “Hockey is for Everyone” initiative. Similar to Dorrington’s mission, as director of youth development, O’Ree has helped launch more than 30 local grassroots hockey programs around North America with the purpose of educating disadvantaged youth in the values of hockey and life. To date more than 45,000 children have participated in O’Ree’s programs.

Tickets for the 2012 AHL All-Star Classic can be purchased at the Boardwalk Hall  Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, or by calling 800-736-1420. For group sales, call (609) 348-7023.

Lou Williams hit the winning shot.

When my sister-in-law called with Easter wishes, she asked me what I had planned for the day. “Well” said I, “There is basketball at 1pm, hockey at 3pm and the Phillies at 4pm.”

What a day it was for Philly sports fanatics. The Sixers somehow managed to shut down Miami’s big three as a couple of the Sixers’ young pups, Jrue Holiday and “Sweet Lou” Williams, make clutch buckets to earn a well-fought win over the Heat 86-82. They will most likely lose Wednesday night, but Dwayne Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh know they were in a fight.

The Philadelphia Flyers managed to overcome one of coach Peter Laviolette’s rare bad moves, starting goalie Michael Leighton, as Brian Boucher came in to relieve him and stopped the bleeding. The Flyers fought back from a 3-0 hole and won 5-4 in overtime to bring the series against the Sabres back to Philly for a game seven. Suddenly it was 2010 all over again.

The magnificent day of sporting excellence was capped off in the late afternoon as it was declared an “Easter Halliday” in San Diego. The Phillies uber ace tied his career high with 14 strikeouts as the Phils polished off a sweep of the weak-hitting Padres 3-1. The scoring included an inside-the-park homerun by Shane Victorino.

The Flyers should beat the Sabres at home to make it into the next round. The Sixers will probably lose game five to the far more talented Heat, but with plenty of hope for continued success next year.

As for the Phillies, they have the best record in the majors at 15-6, but they lost another pitcher yesterday, closer Jose Contreras, and the offense is still in a slump. The great starting rotation can’t do it alone for very long.

But lets not end with the negatives. It was an unforgettable Easter Sunday for Philly fanatics.

This week the basketball court for the A-10 Championship will be replaced with an ice rink, and the Zamboni will be brought out of storage for Boardwalk Hall to host, for the first time, the 2011 ECAC Men’s Hockey Championship Tournament, one of the top conferences in college ice hockey.

For the story, go here.

The ice hockey game between the Albany Devils and Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins that had to be postponed Dec. 12 because of bad ice conditions, has been rescheduled for Sunday, Feb. 7, 4pm, at Boardwalk Hall. All Dec. 12 tickets will be honored for the makeup game and patrons will receive one complimentary voucher of equal value to any remaining Devils game at Boardwalk Hall.

Refunds are available at point of purchase. For the rest of the schedule, go here.

Leighton makes a stop.

Hockey returned to town as the Albany Devils faced the Adirondack Phantoms last night (Dec. 5) at Boardwalk Hall. Besides this natural rivalry, even in the minor league ranks, the game was of interest to Flyers fans since Flyers goalie Michael Leighton played as part of his rehap assignment. Go here for the story.

Bernie Parent

When the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies left town in 2005, it was hoped that the beautiful skating venue would find a replacement team sooner than later. That never happened, but local ice hockey fans received good news when it was announced that the American Hockey League’s Albany Devils and the ECHL Trenton Devils would play a total of five games at Boardwalk Hall.

Opening night will also feature hockey legends Bernie Parent and Bruce Driver. Fans will have an opportunity before the game to get an autograph from these two hockey greats. Go here for the full story.