Congratulations to David Andrews
Posted by KES Blogging Team on Jan 18, 2016 4:58:01 PM
At King's-Edgehill School, we are very proud of our Alumni. And last week, one of them was featured as the 16th most influential person in hockey by The Hockey News. Dave Andrews has had a long hockey career as player, coach and executive. Today, he is the President of the American Hockey League, but his love for hockey dates back to his days at KES (KCS) when, in 1966, he played on a team that won the Nova Scotia High School Hockey Championship. We want to take a moment to celebrate Dave's accomplishments and to express our gratitude for his continuing support of KES.
An excellent goalie, Dave attended and played hockey for Dalhousie University and the University of British Columbia after graduating from KCS. His strong play earned him a string of conference All-Star Awards. After university, he went on to play professional hockey for four years in the Netherlands. Dave's career in hockey did not end when he stopped playing. He worked in a variety of coaching and executive positions from 1975 to 1994 for a number of hockey organizations including the NHL's Edmonton Oilers and the WHL's Victoria Cougars. In addition, from 1984 to 1987, he worked with Sport Canada and helped five national teams prepare for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.
In 1994, Dave became President of the AHL. Under his guidance, the league became the primary development league for the teams of the National Hockey League. He also led the effort to expand the AHL by nine teams in 2001. With all the players, coaches, executives and broadcasters who get their start in the AHL, it is no wonder that Dave is considered one of the most influential people in hockey today.
Dave has been a marketing and publicity mastermind in promoting the league. AHL attendance figures have soared with over 6 million tickets sold each season since 2001. He has also developed significant corporate partnerships to ensure the AHL's continued success in the future. He promotes the games on TV, cable networks, satellite radio and online streaming video. One of his most popular moves was to bring back the AHL All-Star Classic in 1995. He also has arranged for outdoor games and for special matches of AHL teams with prominent European teams.
Over his long career in hockey, Dave's excellence has been recognized on a number of occasions. He has been inducted into the British Columbia Hockey Hall of Fame and the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame. He received the James C. Hendy Memorial Award in 1990 as an outstanding executive in the AHL. In 2010, he received the NHL's Lester Patrick Trophy for his outstanding service to hockey.
With his wife Marlene, Dave has three children and four grandchildren. His son Brad also attended KES and followed in Dave's footsteps by playing hockey. Brad even served as a hockey coach for KES while attending university. Although living in the U.S., Dave continues to maintain his roots in Nova Scotia by spending his summers in a home near Smith's Cove. He plans to retire there at the end of his career.
At KCS (1961-66), in addition to hockey, Dave also played tennis and sang in the choir. He was also known for his intellect and quick opinions. His friends from KCS are not surprised that Dave has risen to a position of influence in his chosen field. Even back in 1965, it was clear that Dave was destined for great things. Through the years, Dave has maintained his strong connection with KES. He continues to serve as Vice-President of the King's-Edgehill School Board of Governors. We are thrilled that a man as busy as Dave has time to give back to his alma mater, thank you Dave!
Does this make you nostalgic for your days at KES? Stay in touch with us and each other, and keep up with all the goings-on at School. More reasons to be part of our alumni database.
Back in the day...