The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Hall of Fame was established to salute those players and builders who have made significant contributions to the team and the community, either on the ice or off.
The inaugural Hall of Fame class was inducted during the 2013-14 season, and consisted of former players Dennis Bonvie and Alan Nasreddine, as well as former State Representative Kevin Blaum in the builder category.
Former Penguins defenseman John Slaney joined the Hall of Fame during the 2015-16 campaign.
PLAYERS
Dennis Bonvie
Arguably the most popular player in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins history, Dennis Bonvie was a member of the Penguins’ inaugural team during the 1999-00 season. The rugged forward ultimately donned the Penguins sweater for parts of five seasons, and he made two Calder Cup Final appearances with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
During his time with the Penguins, Bonvie recorded 16 goals and 68 assists for 84 points to go with 1,284 penalty minutes in 285 regular season games.
Bonvie had a successful 15-year career in pro hockey, including 92 NHL games, where he skated with the Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche.
Bonvie still holds the AHL’s all-time record for penalty minutes with 4,493. Combined with his NHL totals, his mark of 4,804 penalty minutes is the highest ever in professional hockey.
Bonvie was named to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class in 2013-14.
Alain Nasreddine
Alain Nasreddine spent five seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Penguins and wore the “C” as captain from 2004-2006.
Nasreddine recorded 55 points and 302 penalty minutes in 249 regular season games, but was always regarded by his peers as a fierce, shutdown defenseman. He ranks second in Penguins history in playoff games played with a mark of 57 and was a member of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s Calder Cup Final teams in 2004 and 2008.
Nasreddine played 74 regular season games with the Chicago Blackhawks, Montréal Canadians, New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins.
After retiring in 2010, Nasreddine served as an assistant coach for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton from 2010-2015.
Nasreddine was named to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class in 2013-14.
John Slaney
A member of the inaugural Penguins’ team in 1990-00, John Slaney played parts of two seasons with the Penguins, totaling 110 points in 89 games. He led the team during the 1999-00 season with 30 goals and 60 points in just 49 games and was the first defenseman in AHL history to record 30 goals in a season. Slaney was selected to represent the Penguins in the AHL All-Star Classic that season.
Slaney was named captain for his second season with the Penguins and racked up 50 points (12G-38A) in 40 games. Once again he was selected to participate in the AHL All-Star Classic, which was being held in Wilkes-Barre. Despite being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers the day before the game, Slaney took to the ice in NEPA wearing a Penguins sweater one final time.
Slaney recorded a combined 166 goals, 353 assists and 519 points in 631 games between five different AHL teams. Slaney also skated in 268 NHL games as part of the Washington Capitals, Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers.
Slaney was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame in 2014 and was named to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Hall of Fame in 2016.