Pankewicz Retires, Becomes Assistant Coach
Original Eagle Ends Long, Distinguished Career as Player

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The Governors' Cup champion Colorado Eagles announced today that longtime captain Greg Pankewicz is retiring and will take over the team's assistant coaching job. Pankewicz has been a member of the team since its inception, acting as an assistant captain in 2003-04 before assuming the team's captaincy ever since.

His retirement brings to an end an 18-year professional career highlighted by 21 games combined between the National Hockey League's Ottawa Senators and Calgary Flames, and two Central Hockey League championships with the Eagles (2005 & 2007) -- both as team captain.

Pankewicz retires as the second-leading point producer in franchise history, but with the highest points-per-game average in the team's record book (trailing Riley Nelson by 32 points with 65 fewer games played). His 464 points (207-257-464) in 304 career games for Colorado computes to a 1.53 points-per-game average.

He is also the all-time leading goal-scorer in team history with 207; last season, Pankewicz became the first player in Eagles history to record 200 goals. The former NHL player retires after leading Colorado in points last season (with 85) for the fourth time in seven seasons as a franchise (2003-04, 2004-05 & 2005-06 were the others).

Known for his blazing slap shot and scoring touch, last season, the Drayton Valley, Alberta native was the CHL's co-leader in goals with 38, compiling 15 of them via hat tricks. Of the 24 hat tricks in Eagles' history, Pankewicz is responsible for 11 of them. He also retires with the most game-winning goals in team history, as nearly 20 percent of his career tallies (41 of 207) were game-clinchers.

"Panks" also brought intensity and toughness to the team, always playing with an edge. He compiled 1,130 penalty minutes in six seasons on the team, second only to noted fighter Fraser Filipic (1,184).

His best complete season came in 2003-04 when he registered a career-high 96 points (46-50-96) with a +38 plus/minus rating and 11 game-winning goals. Those stats looked to be in jeopardy of being surpassed when Pankewicz got off to a blazing start in 2006-07, before a shoulder injury curtailed his regular season. Through the first 18 games of that campaign, #89 scored 20 goals and added 16 assists, with three hat tricks in the season's first seven games.

He returned for the Eagles' playoff run on the same torid pace, leading his squad to its second President's Cup title. In 25 playoff games, Pankewicz accumulated a league-leading 32 points (17-15-32) and a +21 plus/minus (second only to Nelson's +25) -- all career highs -- in earning CHL Playoff MVP honors.

In his seven seasons with Colorado, Pankewicz earned several league honors, topped by his 2004-05 CHL MVP Award. He was voted by his peers as the CHL's Best Overall Player in 2003-04 and 2004-05. And the four-time All-Star owns the CHL's career record for most points and goals in All-Star Games with 18 and 9 respectively (including his goal and assist in last season's game as a member of the host team).

Team Records Held By Greg Pankewicz:
Most career goals (207)
Most career game-winning goals (41)
Most career power-play goals (68)
Most goals in a game (4, tied with Riley Nelson)
Most career hat tricks (11)
Most penalty minutes in a game (37)
Most minor penalties in a game (7)
Longest goal streak (8 games, 13 goals)
Longest assist streak (10 games, 16 assists)

League Honors Bestowed Upon Greg Pankewicz:

2003-04
Voted league's Best Overall Player by his peers
Member of Northern Conference All-Star Team

2004-05
Named CHL's Most Valuable Player
Voted league's Best Overall Player by his peers
Voted league's Hardest Shooter by his peers
Named to All-CHL Team
Member of Northern Conference All-Star Team - Named Team MVP

2005-06
Named to All-CHL Team
Member of Northern Conference All-Star Team

2006-07
Named CHL's Most Valuable Player in Playoffs

2007-08
Member of Northern Conference All-Star Team
 
Quotes From Members of the Colorado Eagles Organization:
Greg Pankewicz:
"I've always been driven by the desire to be the best, and as a player, that drive led to a lot of success on the ice. Although this next step in my life will be a new one, I'm confident that that same drive to be the best will continue to push me in the right direction. I will definitely miss pulling on the skates on game day, but continuing to be around the guys and the game that I love will make this transition a smooth one."

Chris Stewart (President & GM):
"Greg truly loves the game of hockey and it's bitter-sweet to see him leave the ice; but the good news is that he's not leaving our locker room. Coaching Greg, I found that the more I challenged him, the better he played, and now his challenge is to become a great assistant coach and I expect him to succeed at that for a long time."

Kevin McClelland (Head Coach):
"Greg's loyalty and dedication to this organization have been important and impressive attributes since the beginning and they will continue to be into the future. He's always had a great passion and intensity for the game -- I saw it when we played against each other and it was evident even last season -- and I'm looking forward to him bringing that to the bench with me as our assistant coach."

Ralph Backstrom (Founder):
"Greg Pankewicz has been an icon for the Colorado Eagles and our fans since the team's inception and he'll continue to be linked to the team in this new role. He has held a position of leadership with this team since our inaugural season, and I'm sure that those qualities will carry over nicely into his coaching. Kevin McClelland and Greg Pankewicz will form a dynamic coaching duo behind the Eagles' bench."