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WADE FLAHERTY JOINS WINNIPEG JETS STAFF

Flaherty wade
Rockford, Ill. - Chicago Blackhawks Developmental Goaltending Coach Wade Flaherty has accepted the goaltending coach position with the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League.

Flaherty, 43, has served as the developmental goaltending coach position for the past three seasons with the Blackhawks, working with Chicago's Goaltending Coach Stephane Waite to monitor all netminders in the organization.

Flaherty is a veteran of 120 National Hockey League games spanning 11 years with the San Jose Sharks (1991-97), New York Islanders (1997-2001), Tampa Bay Lightning (2000-01), Florida Panthers (2001-02) and Nashville Predators (2002-03). Originally the Buffalo Sabres 10th choice (#181 overall) in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, Flaherty has appeared in 677 career professional regular-season contests, which includes 283 in the American Hockey League, 247 in the defunct International Hockey League and 27 in the ECHL, racking up 301 wins along the way.

The Terrace, British Columbia native finished his career as a member of the Rockford IceHogs in 2007-08, notching a 13-8-1 record with a 2.54 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage in 31 appearances. Flaherty helped the Milwaukee Admirals capture the 2004 Calder Cup, earning the Jack A. Butterfield Award as the Most Valuable Player in the playoffs.

The 43 year-old heads back to Winnipeg after spending three seasons with the Manitoba Moose in the AHL from 2004-07. Flaherty will also be reunited with Jets head coach Claude Noel. Noel coached Flaherty in Milwaukee during the Admirals Calder Cup Championship season in 2003-04.

Flaherty broke into professional hockey in 1989-90 with the ECHL’s Greensboro Monarchs, helping the club win the Riley Cup that season while earning postseason MVP honors.

Season Tickets On Sale For 2011-12: It'll be a long summer without IceHogs hockey and season ticket packages for the 2011-12 season are now on sale. To find a ticket package that quenches your hockey thirst, call (815) 847-6399. Don’t forget to follow the IceHogs on Twitter (@goicehogs) and Facebook.