After years of seemingly hosting nearly every event on their calendar in Buffalo or Boston, USA Hockey has started to branch out of its shell in recent years. Pittsburgh, Chicago and other cities have hosted premier USA Hockey events.
This year, for the first time, Philadelphia will host two of those such events. Next month we’ll host the 2016 USA Hockey All-American Prospects game at the Wells Fargo Center, and it was announced on Monday that former Flyers John LeClair and Mark Howe will serve as coaches for that event.
And on Tuesday, USA Hockey announced that the 2016 US Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held in Philadelphia on November 30. Ticket information and exact venue for the event are still to be announced, but between the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, 2012 Winter Classic, the 2014 Frozen Four, 2015 NHL Draft and now these two events, the city has hosted quite a few major hockey events so far this decade.
The 1996 World Cup of Hockey team will be inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame this year. That team included Flyers players LeClair and Joel Otto, as well as two players who went on to play in Philly later in their careers: Tony Amonte and Derian Hatcher. Team USA won that World Cup of Hockey, with two dramatic games against Team Canada played in Philadelphia’s then-brand new Corestates Center.
Here’s the full announcement of the 2016 US Hockey Hall of Fame class:
