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Tonight at the Greater Raleigh Sport Council's annual Evening of Champions event, Carolina Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner was honored as the Capitol Broadcasting Company Sports Person of the Year.
Skinner faced stiff competition for the local award with finalists included Duke University men's basketball head coach Mike Krzyzweski and PGA Tour professional golfer Webb Simpson.
The press release from the team follows.
Hurricanes Press Release: Skinner Named Triangle's Sports Person of the Year
RALEIGH, NC – The Greater Raleigh Sports Council tonight announced that Carolina Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner has been named Capitol Broadcasting Company Sports Person of the Year. Skinner received the honor at the organization’s annual Evening of Champions event, held tonight at the RBC Center.
Skinner, 19, became the first player in Carolina’s franchise history to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie in 2010-11, ranking first among league rookies in points (63), second in assists (32) and third in goals (31). The Markham, Ont., native was tied for second among NHL rookies in power-play assists (12) and power-play points (18), and trailed only Eric Staal among Hurricanes skaters in goals and points. Skinner (5’11", 193 lbs.) scored his 30th goal on April 6 against Detroit, becoming the youngest player in franchise history and the seventh-youngest player in NHL history to score 30 goals (18 years, 325 days).
In January 2011, Skinner became the youngest All-Star in NHL history when he skated for Team Staal at the 2011 NHL All-Star Game at the RBC Center at the age of 18 years, 259 days, breaking the record set by Steve Yzerman (18 years, 267 days) in 1984. He made his NHL debut for the Hurricanes on Oct. 7, 2010, against the Minnesota Wild in Helsinki, Finland, and became the youngest player in franchise history to earn a point the next night. He became the youngest player in team history to score a goal when he beat Jonathan Bernier for his first NHL goal on Oct. 20 in Los Angeles. Skinner’s 31 goals ranked as the second-most by a rookie in franchise history, behind Sylvain Turgeon’s 40-goal rookie season in 1983-84.