By Kim Dunbar

If you run into Finz, the Worcester Sharks’ mascot, walking around downtown with a few of his fuzzy colleagues this month, don’t be alarmed. It’s all part of the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic fun.

In December 2007, the Worcester Sharks announced that the city had been chosen to host the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic. The star-studded event will take place on Sunday, January 25th and Monday, January 26th and will feature the league’s top talent in the All-Star Skills Competition and the All-Star Game. Worcester, in its 14th season with the AHL, is a first-time host of the All-Star Classic, and Massachusetts’ first since 1959.

“After this event, Worcester will have a footprint on the hockey map across the world,” said Michael Mudd, Senior Vice President of Hockey and Business Administration for the Worcester Sharks. The game will be the only professional hockey game broadcast that Monday, and will be shown live across the United States on most regional sports networks ~ including NESN and TSN, Canada’s version of ESPN. “It will be tremendous branding for Worcester,” he added.

In the summer of 2007, Mudd and the Sharks, in a cooperative effort with the City of Worcester, the DCU Center and Destination Worcester, developed and produced the bid to the AHL Board of Governors in order to bring the 2009 AHL All Star Classic to the city of Worcester. After learning of their victory that fall, Mudd and the Sharks have spent the last 15 months preparing for the big event that has been a long time coming for the city’s faithful hockey fans.

“When the team came to Worcester in 2006, one of the things the fans wanted us to do was to put a bid in for the All-Star Game,” said Mudd. “We said that if we got up and running as an organization in the first couple years we would make a move.” True to their word, the Sharks have delivered on that promise in their third year of business.

The AHL All-Star Classic kicks off on Sunday with the All-Star Skills Competition followed by a VIP party at Mechanics Hall, which will feature live music from local U2 cover band The Joshua Tree, dueling pianos and the NHL All-Star Game on the big screen. “U2, hockey and beer all in the same room, how can you go wrong?” joked Mudd, who added that the players and many AHL dignitaries will be present at the events. “This is a very fan-friendly event. It gives them an opportunity to get up-close to their favorite players in the game,” he said.

The fun continues on Monday morning when players partake in the traditional community visits ~ which Mudd said will be tied to the Sharks’ “Be A Leader” program ~ followed by the Hockey Hall of Fame/AHL All-Star Classic Luncheon at noon and capped by The Game at 7:00 p.m.

“We expect 10,000-20,000 people to be coming to Worcester for the event,” said Mudd, who added that number includes about 20 AHL team mascots. “You will see them everywhere,” he said. So keep an eye out for your favorite and check out the future of the NHL when the game comes to town this month. “It will be entertaining, social, and affordable,” said Mudd.

Tickets are still available for all of the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic events, and can be ordered by calling the Worcester Sharks front office at (508) 929-0500, visiting the DCU Center Box Office, purchasing online at www.sharksahl.com, or at all Ticketmaster locations.