Chris Terry Named Griffins' 2019-20 IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins are proud to announce that Chris Terry has been named the team’s winner of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year award for his outstanding contributions to the Grand Rapids community during the 2019-20 season.

Terry, 30, has earned Man of the Year honors during both of his seasons in Grand Rapids and was also named Laval’s recipient in 2017-18. He is the third player to earn multiple Griffins Man of the Year awards, joining Jimmy Howard (2008-2009) and Tom McCollum (2014-2016, 2018).

While the season is suspended, Terry is helping spearhead the Griffins’ efforts to support Kids’ Food Basket’s COVID-19 emergency response and be a part of the local solution to childhood hunger. He contributed $500 to kick off the initiative and has frequently been encouraging others through the Griffins’ social media channels to consider donating. In addition, Terry and four teammates are each giving $500 to buy bagels and other food items that will be delivered over the next couple of weeks to medical personnel at both Metro Health and Spectrum Health hospitals, and he has begun reading children’s books on videos that are shared through the team’s social media platforms and will eventually be distributed to local schools.

Around the holidays, Terry donated several Thanksgiving meals and bought a number of gifts for use in the Christmas store of Family Promise, a Grand Rapids organization whose mission is to end homelessness.

For the second straight year, Terry purchased season tickets to donate to The ALS Association Michigan Chapter and then hosted those families at games.

Terry and several teammates visited Paws with a Cause on Oct. 22 to interact with and help train dogs that will, in the future, be used to enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities.

Last summer, he participated in the Griffins Youth Foundation Golf Classic and was a part-time instructor at the Griffins Youth Hockey Camp.

Terry, a native of Brampton, Ontario, who makes his offseason home in Northville, Mich., has been a proud ambassador for the Griffins, embodying the core values of both the organization and the city of Grand Rapids. Terry has participated in all of the team’s charitable events this season including waiting tables at the Tip-A-Griffin fundraiser for the Griffins Youth Foundation, skating with fans at the 17th annual Great Skate Winterfest to benefit the Griffins Youth Foundation, and taking part in the annual sled hockey game with the Grand Rapids Sled Wings. He also displayed his appreciation for the thousands of Griffins season ticket members by attending a members-only luncheon in January.

Terry is now one of 31 finalists for the AHL’s 2019-20 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, honoring the overall IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year. The league award is named after the former Hershey Bears forward and AHL All-Star who died in 1997 following a 16-month battle with leukemia. The winner of the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award will be announced by the American Hockey League at a later date.