Philadelphia Flyers Legends Mark Howe and John LeClair Named Head Coaches for 2016 CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game at Wells Fargo Center on September 22

Philadelphia Flyers legends Mark Howe and John LeClair, both members of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame and Flyers Hall of Fame, are set to serve as head coaches for the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects game at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday, September 22. The event will feature 42 of the top American-born prospects eligible for the 2017 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft.

 

Tickets are on sale now exclusively through WellsFargoCenterPhilly.com, by phone at 1-800-298-4200 or in person at the Wells Fargo Center box office.

 

Both LeClair and Howe are members of the Flyers Hall of Fame. LeClair was inducted, along with Eric Lindros, in a pre-game ceremony on Nov. 20, 2014. Howe was inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame on March 15, 2001 and more recently had his No. 2 retired to the rafters of the Wells Fargo Center on March 6, 2012, becoming one of only five Flyers to receive that honor.

 

Together, Howe, a 2003 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, and LeClair, a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2009, represented the United States on seven occasions, including one Canada Cup, two International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships, one World Cup of Hockey, and three Olympic Winter Games.

 

Howe played in the NHL from 1979-95, suiting up for the Hartford Whalers (1979-82), Philadelphia Flyers (1982-92) and Detroit Red Wings (1992-95). A three-time First Team All Star (1983, 1987, 1988), Howe amassed 197 goals and 545 assists for 742 points in 929 career NHL games. In his 10 seasons with the Flyers, Howe became the team's all-time leader among defensemen in goals (138), assists (342) and points (480). Prior to the NHL, Howe skated in the World Hockey Association from 1973-79, spending four seasons with the Houston Aeros (1973-77) and two seasons with the New England Whalers (1977-79). The 1973-74 WHA Rookie of the Year, Howe, alongside his father, Gordie, and brother, Marty, helped the Aeros claim back-to-back WHA Avco Cups in 1974 and 1975. Internationally, Howe, at just 16 years-old, helped the United States earn the silver medal at the 1972 Olympic Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan, to become the youngest hockey player ever to earn an Olympic medal. Howe, who also represented the U.S. at the 1981 Canada Cup, recorded 10 points in 19 career games while wearing a Team USA sweater in international competition.

 

The first American-born player to record three consecutive 50-goal seasons in the NHL (1995-98), LeClair skated for three teams over 16 NHL seasons, including the Montreal Canadiens (1990-95), Philadelphia Flyers (1994-2004) and Pittsburgh Penguins (2005-07). A member of the 1993 Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens, LeClair registered 406 goals and 413 assists for 819 points in 967 career NHL games. Among American-born players, his 406 goals rank eighth all-time while his 819 points sit at 14th. Internationally, LeClair represented the United States on five different occasions, including two IIHF World Junior Championships (1988, 1989), one World Cup of Hockey (1996), and two Olympic Winter Games (1998, 2002). At the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, LeClair finished second in the tournament with 10 points (6-4) in seven games to help the U.S. claim the inaugural event. A silver medalist with the U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, LeClair completed his international career with 34 career points (22-12) in 31 games.