ECHL selects Bill Ballou for Outstanding Media Award

ECHL selects Bill Ballou for Outstanding Media Award

Ballou covered the Worcester Railers HC in their inaugural season

PRINCETON, N.J. – The ECHL announced on Tuesday that Bill Ballou of The Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Massachusetts has been selected as the 2017-18 recipient of the ECHL Outstanding Media Award for his coverage of the Worcester Railers HC. 

The award is determined in a vote of league media members, media relations directors and broadcasters.

“Going into last season I was covering an expansion team in a league I was unfamiliar with, so I had no idea what to expect,” Ballou said. “It turned out to be one of the most enjoyable years I’ve ever had writing about hockey.”

A lifelong resident of Whitinsville, Massachusetts, Ballou graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 1970 and has been with The Telegram & Gazette since 1984. He has covered three different pro hockey teams in Worcester, including the IceCats from 1994-2005 and the Sharks from 2006-15, in addition to the Railers. He is a two-time winner of the American Hockey League’s Ellery Award for print journalism. Ballou is also a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America and is in his 32nd season of covering the Boston Red Sox.

ECHL Outstanding Media Award Winners

2017-18         Bill Ballou, The Telegram & Gazette

2016-17           Doyle Woody, Alaska Dispatch News

2015-16           Mark Monroe, The Toledo Blade

2014-15           Blake Sebring, TheNews-Sentinel

2013-14           Doyle Woody, Anchorage Daily News

2012-13           Andrew Miller, The Post & Courier

2011-12           Christine Troyke, Gwinnett Daily Post

2010-11           Pam Shebest, Kalamazoo Gazette

2009-10           Doyle Woody, Anchorage Daily News

2008-09           Mike Griffith, Bakersfield Californian

2007-08           Cleve Dheensaw, Victoria Times-Colonist

Doyle Woody, Anchorage Daily News

2006-07           Scott Linesburgh, Stockton Record

2005-06           Matt Nevala, Anchorage Daily News

2004-05           Mike Mastovich, The Tribune-Democrat

2003-04           Len Bardsley, The Times of Trenton

2002-03           Dave Eminian, Peoria Journal Star

The Worcester Railers HC 2018-19 home opener at the DCU Center is Saturday, October 20 vs. the Maine Mariners. The only way to secure your spot to opening night is by purchasing a season membership, flex package or a group outing by contacting the Railers HC front office at 508-365-1750 or by visiting www.RailersHC.com. 

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