Highlights of the agreement, which was ratified by the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Board of Directors this morning, include:

• USA Hockey will assume the responsibility for the selection process and induction event related to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.
• The Gretzky Award, which recognizes extraordinary contributions to hockey in the United States from international citizens, will become the responsibility of USA Hockey.
• The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame will change its name to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame Museum, Inc., and intends to re-open its Eveleth, Minn., museum in late May or early June.
• The United States Hockey Hall of Fame Museum in Eveleth, Minn., will continue as the exclusive hall of enshrinement for American hockey and will retain the right to use the Hall of Fame name, logo and trademarks by way of a royalty-free perpetual license by USA Hockey.
• The United States Hockey Hall of Fame Museum will retain the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game and the proceeds from it in support of the Museum.

“We’re extremely pleased to be involved in this endeavor,” said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. “We’ll utilize our resources to help promote the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in its entirety, including both current and future inductees, as well as the United States Hockey Hall of Fame Museum. Overall, it’s a terrific day for hockey in the United States.”

“This agreement will raise the national profile of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame for all parties involved,” said Stan Hubbard, outgoing president of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. “We’re proud to have done our part to ensure the preservation and sharing of the rich history of hockey in the United States. With USA Hockey’s extraordinary commitment to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, we will have an unprecedented national footprint that this entity so richly deserves.”

“This agreement gives us an opportunity to build on the hard work and success of the past thirty years and applaud all those who generously helped build a foundation on which to continue,” said Chas Demm, a member of the newly elected U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Board of Directors. “We’ll focus our energies on acquiring the long-term financial support necessary to sustain this great shrine of hockey history in our country.”

NOTES: USA Hockey is planning a fall induction ceremony to honor a yet-to-be-selected Class of 2007. The site and date will be determined in the coming months … The current selection committee in place, with John Mayasich as chair, will select the Class of 2007 … Beginning in 2008, USA Hockey plans to establish a consistent calendar for recognizing future induction classes of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame … The current U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Board of Directors were replaced today by a new slate of eight directors who have been elected to govern the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum … The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame was founded in 1973. To date, a total of 130 individuals have been enshrined in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.