NEWS RELEASE SOO GREYHOUNDS ************************* Hounds to retire Foote's #5 The Soo Greyhounds Hockey Club is pleased to announce a special ceremony has been scheduled for Saturday, March 17th when the team play's host to the Windsor Sp

NEWS RELEASE NEWS RELEASE

SOO GREYHOUNDS

*************************

Hounds to retire Foote's #5

The Soo Greyhounds Hockey Club is pleased to announce a special ceremony has been scheduled for Saturday, March 17th when the team play's host to the Windsor Spitfires.

On the final weekend of their 40th Anniversary regular season, the Greyhounds will be honouring alumni member Adam Foote when they raise his #5 jersey to the rafters in a jersey retirement ceremony.

"As a young guy, Adam Foote was one of my favourite Greyhounds. He played the game the absolute right way night in and night out. In addition to his point production as a defenseman for the Greyhounds, he was one of the toughest defenseman to play against every year that he played the game. Every night, you knew Adam Foote would leave every ounce of effort he had out on the ice. That attitude and character was one of, if not the key turning point which transformed the Greyhounds into THE powerhouse of Major Junior hockey in the early 1990's” began GM Kyle Dubas.

Selected as an underage player in the 2nd Round, 21st overall, Foote (Toronto, ONT) played for the Greyhounds from the 1988-89 through the 1990-91 seasons.

In three seasons he had 37 goals and 125 assists in 186 games as a member of the OHL club while winning an OHL Championship and making a Memorial Cup appearance in his final Major Junior Season.

He was also named to the 1990-91 OHL First All-Star team.

After being drafted in the 2nd Round (22nd overall) of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, Foote went on to play 19 seasons in the NHL split between the Quebec Nordiques, Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche.

“After his graduation from the Greyhounds, Adam went on to have a tremendous NHL career and retired after last season having won two Stanley Cups, an Olympic Gold Medal, and the World Cup of Hockey in 1994. He is simply one of the greatest Greyhounds to ever don the red and white and it is a great time for our organization to honour Adam along side of John Vanbiesbrouck (#1), Craig Hartsburg (#4), Ron Francis(#10), and Wayne Gretzky (#99) by retiring his number five this March” concluded Dubas.

Adam along with his wife Jennifer, and sons Callan and Nolan, have confirmed their attendance for the night meanwhile team officials will now work on confirming other special guests for this event.

Tickets for the night are on-sale now at the Essar Centre Box Office, online at www.essarcentre.ca or by phone at 1.866.775.9422.

Foote will become just the 5th retired jersey in franchise history. Current defenseman Ryan Sproul will continue to wear that number through the 2011/12 OHL season before passing it on to team history.

For more information on this event and all team news stay tuned to soogreyhounds.com!

*************************