Minnesota Wild Time Line page20

[September 24, 1998] -- SAINT PAUL, Minn. --

Minnesota Wild CEO Jac Sperling announced today the National Hockey League (NHL) club has hired Alana Blahoski, Neal Broten and Karyn Bye as Grass Roots Hockey Advisors. These three elite Olympic hockey gold-medalists will assist the organization in promoting the overall growth of amateur hockey throughout the Upper Midwest through Fan Development and Community Affairs Programs. As per club policy, no terms of their contracts were disclosed.

Blahoski, Broten and Bye will develop the Minnesota Wild's grass roots hockey program providing boys and girls at all levels the opportunity to learn, participate and enjoy the sport of hockey. These three hockey stars, with over 50 years of amateur hockey experience , will implement this grass roots initiative rink-by-rink throughout the state by building awareness and excitement in the game of hockey among Minnesota's youth.

"We are excited to have these three hockey stars join our staff," said Sperling. "Their commitment to hockey and their personal qualities will increase the awareness and interest in men's and women's hockey throughout the Upper Midwest."

Blahoski, 24, was most recently hired as a graduate assistant for Minnesota State University, Mankato's (formerly Mankato State University) first-year varsity women's ice hockey team that begins this fall. She also plans on competing for Team USA in the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. A forward on the 1998 U.S. Olympic women's gold-medalist hockey team, Blahoski played in all six games registering two assists. Blahoski attended Providence College where she played hockey and softball. She was a senior co-captain for the hockey team and was honored as the Eastern College Athletic Conference's (ECAC) Co-Player of the Year. Blahoski is a Saint Paul native and graduated from Johnson High School in 1992 where she was an all-state softball player and an all-star hockey player.

Broten's prolific hockey career included three trips to the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament for Roseau, winning a NCAA Championship and being named the first-ever Hobey Baker Award winner as the nation's top collegiate player while attending the University of Minnesota. He also captured a gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics for Team USA and won the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 1995. During his 17-year NHL career, Broten, 38, became the first U.S. born player to record 100 points (1985-86), ranks second to Joe Mullen for most games played by a U.S. player (1099), and currently holds or shares 12 Stars' franchise records, including games played (992), points (867), assists (593), and is fourth all-time with 274 goals. Broten also became the third player in Stars history to have his jersey retired during ceremonies on February 7, 1998, and the first who played for Dallas.

Bye, 27, led the 1998 U.S. gold-medalist hockey team with five goals during the Olympics and was tied for the team lead with eight points. She was named a player advisor along with Mighty Ducks of Anaheim goaltender Guy Hebert for NHL SKATE; a program designed to dramatically increase participation in the sport of hockey by constructing over 100 rinks in the United States. She hosted the first annual Karyn Bye Golf Classic held September 21 at River Falls Country Club raising money for the St. Croix Valley Habitat for Humanity. Bye played collegiate hockey at the University of New Hampshire where she was named the ECAC Rookie of the Year and received All-ECAC honors as a sophomore, junior and senior tallying 100 goals and 64 assists in 87 career games. She was a teammate of her brother, Chris, for one season when he was a senior and she was a sophomore playing boy's hockey at River Falls High School in Wisconsin.

Blahoski, Broten and Bye will begin their duties with the Minnesota Wild immediately.