KYLE CRISCUOLO HONORED AS GRIFFINS’ PERSON OF THE YEAR
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins are proud to announce that Kyle Criscuolo has been named the team’s winner of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Person of the Year award for his outstanding contributions to the Grand Rapids community during the 2021-22 season.
He was one of 31 team nominees for the AHL’s Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, which has been bestowed upon Iowa Wild defenseman Dakota Mermis.
Continuing a tradition started by Jimmy Howard in the mid-2000s, Criscuolo purchased four 2021-22 season tickets for donation to a Grand Rapids charitable organization. Criscuolo selected Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, which is the nation’s most comprehensive rehabilitation provider and largest not-for-profit, independent rehabilitation hospital system, offering more than 100 specialized medical and sports programs and services, including a junior sled hockey program that is co-sponsored by the Griffins Youth Foundation. Mary Free Bed patients and their families received enjoyable nights out through Criscuolo’s gift.
Criscuolo was also part of the team’s moustache battle during “Movember” to help raise funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men.
Presented annually since 1998, the AHL’s Yanick Dupré Memorial Award honors the late Yanick Dupré, who passed away in 1997 at the age of 24 following a 16-month battle with leukemia. A second-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in 1991, Dupré played four seasons in the AHL with the Hershey Bears and was an AHL All-Star in 1995.
Single-game tickets for the 2022-23 season will go on sale to the public later this summer through griffinshockey.com/tickets. Fans can secure their full-season, select-season or group ticket packages by calling (616) 774-4585 ext. 2 or visit griffinshockey.com for more information. Be sure to sign up to receive the Griffins Nation newsletters to be the first to know when tickets go on sale.
Photo by Bakersfield Condors