Head Coach Marks to be Inducted into the 2012 ECHL Hall of Fame
The ECHL (East Coast Hockey League) announced Thursday afternoon the 2012 inductees for the ECHL Hall of Fame which included Head Coach of the Fargo Force, John Marks.
The induction will take place in North Charleston, S.C. on January 18, 2012 at the Embassy Suites. ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna said “This year’s class includes a founding father, Bill Coffey; our all-time winningest coach, John Marks; and three outstanding players in Sheldon Gorski, Dave Seitz and Bob Woods. All three left their marks on the ECHL record book and made a significant contribution to our League.”
“I am extremely honored to be entering the hall of fame with a lot of other fine hockey coaches and players,” said Head Coach John Marks. “I am very grateful to receive this honor.”
As per ECHL’s release:
John Marks ranks as one of the most successful coaches in the ECHL’s 24-year history. He joined the league as head coach of the expansion Charlotte Checkers in 1993-94 and won at least 35 games nine times. He posted an all-time record of 491-422-95 in 15 seasons as an ECHL head coach with Charlotte, Greenville, Pensacola and Augusta, and is the league’s all-time leader in games coached (1,008), wins (491) and seasons (15). His teams also excelled during the postseason as he led Charlotte to the 1996 Riley Cup championship and Greenville to the 2002 Kelly Cup championship, joining 2009 ECHL Hall of Fame inductee John Brophy as the only coaches to win both a Riley Cup and Kelly Cup title. His 10 postseason appearances are second behind only Brophy, while his 81 postseason games coached are third and his 45 wins are tied for third. (Full ECHL release here)
The Fargo Force return to Scheels Arena this weekend for two match ups against the Tri City Storm Friday at 7:35 PM and Saturday at 7:05 PM. Tickets are available at the Scheels Arena Box Office, by calling 701.364.3672 and at all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800.745.3000 or online at ticketmaster.com.
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By, Whitney Baumgartner
