Royals to Induct Gordon Kaye into Wall of Honor on PSU THON Night

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL, today announced that former general manager Gordon Kaye will be inducted into the team’s Wall of Honor on Saturday, January 23, 2016. The induction ceremony will take place immediately prior to the opening face-off (7:00 pm) of the Royals’ matchup that night against the Brampton Beast at Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania.

"Words cannot describe the emotion I am feeling right now for this amazing honor," commented Kaye, who is now the CEO of USA Table Tennis in Colorado. "I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined that this would happen. There are so many people who made Reading - and the Royals - such a special place, and I hope that they all know that this would not have been possible without them and that they too are on that wall with me."

The game night presentation on January 23 will be chocked full of activities including an appearance by the Zooperstars and a performance by Slapshot’s Cowbell Chorus, while the Royals will wear special jerseys to raise money for the Four Diamonds of THON in conjunction with the Berks County Chapter of the Penn State University Alumni Association. This marks the sixth season that the Royals have joined forces with the BCC PSU Alumni Association to raise money for THON, the largest student run philanthropy in the world which is dedicated to the eradication of childhood cancer. A portion of every ticket purchased through the BCC PSU Alumni Association or the event website (https://royals.isportstix.com/order/group/thon1516/) will be donated to the charitable cause.

GORDON KAYE – WALL OF HONOR

Kaye, who served as the team’s general manager from 2005-10, was known for his tireless work ethic, seemingly endless font of creative ideas, and an unwavering commitment to the team and the community. During his tenure, the Royals instituted a wide variety of community-based initiatives that remain an important part of the team’s efforts, including Pink in the Rink, Battle of the Badges, St. Hattrick’s Day, the long-running partnership with BCTV to televise Royals’ road games in Berks County, and—yes—the Wall of Honor. Kaye is expected to be in Reading for the game night ceremonies and likely to found, as was his long-time his habit, walking the concourse prior to the game to greet everyone in attendance.

The Wall of Honor project was undertaken to recognize persons who have made distinct contributions to the success of the Royals’ organization. Inductees are honored in a permanent display located on the concourse of Santander Arena. Kaye will join current Head Coach Larry Courville, Ryan Flinn, Athletic Trainer Brian Grogesky, Jon Francisco, Cody Rudkowsky, Regan Rome, the ‘Ten Year Season Ticket Holders’, former Equipment Manager Pat Noecker, Jonathan Quick, Chris Bala, and Malcolm MacMillan on the Wall.

Kaye’s plaque on the Wall of Honor concourse display will read as follows:

There is perhaps no more appropriate inductee into the Royals’ Wall of Honor than Gordon Kaye, who served as the team’s general manager from 2005 through 2010. After all, the Wall of Honor, which is dedicated to those who have made outstanding contributions to the Royals’ organization, is one of the many innovative ideas that originated with Gordon, whose enduring legacy includes so many important hallmarks of the Royals’ fan experience: Pink in the Rink, Battle of the Badges, St. Hattrick’s Day, and the telecast of Royals’ road games on community television to name a few. At times, it seemed the only thing that could match Gordon’s commitment to the success of the team, the growth of the organization, and the improvement of our community was his seemingly boundless creative energy. Not everyone always agreed with every decision made by Gordon, but no one could claim that Gordon wouldn’t listen to a countervailing view. He certainly wasn’t hard to find—whether it was front and center on the concourse during every home game or behind the scenes tirelessly working into the wee hours of the morning. It’s true that Gordon was recognized for the quality of his performance when he was named the ECHL’s Executive of the Year in 2009, but it never seemed that Gordon was driven by a desire for recognition. His true motivation was an overriding passion for “R-Team” and “R-Town”. But as we honor Gordon on the Wall that he “built”, we could probably sum up all of our collective feelings with what may have been his most heart-felt promotional slogan: “Proud to be a Royal”.

INFORMATION ON THON

In 1973, a small group of dedicated Penn State students held the first Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, which has become affectionately referred to as THON. The 1973 event featured 39 dance couples who raised around $2,000. Since then, THON’s presence in the Penn State community has grown exponentially. THON now has over 15,000 student volunteers, OVER 700 dancers, and has since its inception raised more than $125 million, benefiting The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital.

During the organization’s almost forty-year history, THON has evolved into a year-long effort to raise funds and awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer. With the support of students and supporters from all across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and PSU Alumni around the world, THON continues to make great strides towards assisting in the effort to find a cure for all childhood cancers.

NEXT UP FOR THE ROYALS

After the holiday break, the Royals head to First Arena in Elmira, New York on Saturday (December 26 @ 7:05 pm) where the team will face the Elmira Jackals for the third game in a row. The game night broadcast for Saturday’s matchup can be heard live on CBS SportsRadio 1240 am and 98.5 in Reading, Pennsylvania, starting with the pre-game warm-up show presented by Highmark Blue Shield at 6:35 pm Eastern Time. As with all Royals’ road games, next Saturday’s game will be televised live in Berks County, Pennsylvania, on BCTV courtesy of Boscov’s Travel and Apple Vacations. Streaming audio is available free of charge on the Royals’ website (follow the ‘headset’ icon); and streaming video is available on a pay-per-view basis through ECHL.TV. Season Tickets for the 2015-16 Reading Royals ECHL season are currently available.

For more information about the Royals, call 610-898-7825 or log onto www.royalshockey.com.

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