ECHL Executive of the Year Award named in memory of Blake Cullen

NORFOLK, Va. – The ECHL announced on Monday that the League is renaming the Executive of the Year Award the “Blake Cullen ECHL Executive of the Year Award.” Cullen, who was inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2009, founded the Hampton Roads Admirals in 1989, and owned the team for seven seasons through 1995-96. Hampton Roads drew more than 1.8 million fans during his tenure and led the league in attendance in 1989-90 and 1992-93 while ranking among the attendance leaders every year. Additionally, the Admirals won 37 or more games five times in his seven seasons and captured Riley Cup championships in 1991 and 1992. WATCH: ECHL Executive of the Year Award named for Blake Cullen “Blake Cullen was a very important part of the ECHL in the early days of the League,” said ECHL Commissioner Emeritus Patrick J. Kelly. “He always put the needs of everyone ahead of his own, and this naming of the Executive of the Year Award in his honor is a very well-deserved distinction.” Prior to his purchase of the Admirals, Cullen spent two decades in Major League Baseball, first with the Chicago Cubs and then as assistant to the president of the National League. Cullen passed away on March 8, 2021 at the age of 85. About the ECHLFormed in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 28 teams in 20 states and two Canadian provinces for its 35th season in 2022-23. There have been 734 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including seven who have made their NHL debut in the 2022-23 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 28 of the 32 NHL teams in 2022-23, marking the 26th consecutive season that the league has affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com as well as on Twitter and Facebook.