2010 ECHL Hall of Fame class announced.

The ECHL on Thursday announced its 2010 Hall of Fame inductees: Cam Brown, E.A. “Bud” Gingher, Olaf Kolzig and Darryl Noren.

Along with members of Gingher’s family (he died in 2002), Brown, Kolzig and Noren have been invited to the induction ceremony, which will take placeĀ in conjunction with the 2010 ECHL All-Star Game on Jan. 20, 2010 at the Hilton Ontario Airport.

In a statement released by the league, ECHL commissioner Brian McKenna said, “This is a unique and very worthy group of inductees. It is unique in that it includes our first inductee in the Development Player category.

“Cam Brown is the all-time leader in games played and helped pave the way for many of today’s ECHL players while Bud Gingher played a lead role in the early development of the ECHL as both an owner and Chairman of the Board.

“Olaf Kolzig got his start in professional hockey and key development time in the ECHL. As one of the first prospects to go on to a long and distinguished career in the National Hockey League, he helped bring credibility to the league and became an example for many young players to follow.

“Darryl Noren is always mentioned and recognized as one of the most skilled and consistent performers in league history.”

Here is a brief background of each, provided by the ECHL:

Cam Brown is the ECHL all-time leader with 789 regular season games and 2,425 penalty minutes. He played 13 seasons in the ECHL beginning in 1991-92 and ranks 22nd with 206 goals, 23rd with 499 points and 25th with 293 assists. He retired in 2002-03 to serve as head coach of Baton Rouge, but returned to the ice in 2003-04 and spent three seasons as a player/assistant coach for Gwinnett. He played two seasons with Columbus, three seasons with Erie and six seasons with Baton Rouge while also playing in the American Hockey League and the International Hockey League. He played one game in the National Hockey League as a rookie with Vancouver in 1990-91 and had seven penalty minutes. Brown was honored after the 2005-06 season by the Gladiators who created a replica of his locker with gear and sweater in a glass case on the concourse of The Arena at the Gwinnett Center.

E.A. “Bud” Gingher, who passed away in 2002, co-founded the Dayton Bombers in 1991 and served as President and Governor until he sold the team in 1998. He was Chairman of the ECHL Board of Governors from 1992-95 and is a member of both the Dayton Hockey Hall of Fame and the Peoria Rivermen Hockey Hall of Fame. The club that advances to the Kelly Cup Finals as the winner of the American Conference is presented with the E.A. “Bud” Gingher Memorial Trophy. Dayton was the inaugural recipient of the trophy after its renaming and the Bombers captured it again in 2006-07.

Olaf Kolzig, who is the first inductee in the Developmental Player category, was 11-9-1 and ranked third in the ECHL with a 3.41 goals against average in 21 regular season games and 1-2-0 with a 4.66 goals against average in three postseason games with Hampton Roads in 1990-91. In 1991-92 with Hampton Roads, Kolzig led the ECHL in the regular season with a .914 save percentage while going 11-3-0 with a 2.90 goals against average in 14 regular season games. He was selected as an NHL All-Star in 1998 and 2000 and became the first former ECHL player to win the Vezina Trophy in 1999-2000. Kolzig appeared in 719 career NHL games and ranks 21st all-time with 303 wins while posting 35 shutouts and having a goals-against average of 2.71 and a save percentage of .906. He played his first 15 NHL seasons with Washington where he was 301-293-86 with 35 shutouts and a 2.70 goals-against average in 711 regular season games and 20-24 with six shutouts and a goals-against average of 2.14 in 45 playoff games. He led the Capitals to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1997-98 registering four shutouts and a goals-against average of 1.95. He had 41 wins, five shutouts and a goals-against average of 2.24 in 1999-2000 earning a selection to the NHL All-Star Game and First Team All-NHL while winning the Vezina Trophy.

Darryl Noren began playing in the ECHL as a rookie in 1990-91 with Greensboro and played 10 seasons including his final six with the Charlotte Checkers. He ranks third in ECHL history with 685 points, fourth with 390 assists, seventh with 295 goals and 14th with 549 games. He finished his career in 1999-2000 as the ECHL all-time leader in games, assists and points. Noren scored 30-or-more goals five times including a career-high 46 in 1994-95. He tied the ECHL record with three consecutive three-or-more goal games in December of 1994 and had seven games with three-or-more goals in 1994-95. He helped the Checkers capture the Riley Cup Championship in 1996 and had 41 points (18g-23a) in 48 postseason games. He was selected to the 15th Anniversary All-ECHL Team in voting by coaches, players, front office personnel and media from the first 15 years of the ECHL and was inducted into the inaugural class of the Charlotte Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008. He was chosen to play in the ECHL All-Star Game in 1995, 1997 and 1998.

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About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.