Hoist it high Al!

For most hockey players, young and old, the dream of hoisting the Stanley Cup is always in the back of their mind. X-Men hockey alumnus Allan MacIsaac got to live that dream recently, as a member of the senior management team with the 2010 Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.

“Winning the Stanley Cup is every young hockey players dream but for most that dream never becomes reality,” says MacIsaac. “I’m one of the fortunate kids that can now say the dream was real and the experience is even better than you can ever imagine.”

MacIsaac, a 1991 graduate of StFX University and former forward with the X-Men, has been with the Blackhawks organization for the past 10 years. In December, 2008 he was named the Senior Director of Hockey Administration/Assistant to the President, having previously served as the director of player evaluation. Prior to that, he was the general manager of hockey operations with the Norfolk Admirals, then the Blackhawks minor league affiliate.

MacIsaac’s playing days date back to four years (1987-1991) with the StFX X-Men, where he earned numerous accolades for his on-ice talents. Tallying 112 career points (54 goals, 58 assists), MacIsaac was a two-time AUAA all-star in the forward position, a three-time most valuable player for the X-Men and on two occasions was the team’s leading scorer. Upon graduating in 1991, MacIsaac was named the StFX Male Athlete of the Year. 

A native of Antigonish, NS and a 12th round draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 1987, MacIsaac continued his hockey career with the Hampton Road Admirals in the East Coast Hockey League as a defenseman for the 1991-92 season, where he led the team with a +33 rating. He represented the Admirals in the 1993 ECHL all-star game and also saw time in the same year with the Baltimore Skipjacks and Cape Breton Oilers of the American Hockey League.

Although MacIsaac didn’t skate to any championships as an X-Man, across his professional career he has won four titles including three as a player: the 1987 CHL Memorial Cup with the Guelph Platers, the 1992 ECHL championship with the Norfolk Admirals and the 1993 Calder Cup with the Cape Breton Oilers. His fourth title came as he was at the general manager helm with the Admirals in 1998 for another ECHL championship.

Allan and his wife Dawn reside with their three daughters in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. MacIsaac was happy to share his Stanley Cup experience with his family, friends and extended StFX family, as many immediate family members attended playoff games in the deciding round against the Philadelphia Flyers, including the Game 6 Cup clincher in Pennsylvania.

“The Chicago Blackhawks ended a 49 year Cup drought and in many ways rejuvenated a great hockey city in Chicago,” said MacIsaac. “I’ve been very fortunate to be part of that success and look forward to winning the Cup again. I appreciate all of the support from family and friends during the Stanley Cup playoff run and I’m proud to share this experience with all of the StFX family.”

MacIsaac plans on bringing the Stanley Cup to his hometown of Antigonish, NS at some point in time this summer.

Story courtesy Krista McKenna, StFX Sports Information
Photo courtesy Chicago Blackhawks