FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 27, 2025

K-WINGS ASSISTANT BILLY MCCREARY NAMED TO DANBURY RING OF HONOR

McCreary honored by Danbury with naming to 2025 Ring of Honor class.

KALAMAZOO, MI — The Kalamazoo Wings, proud ECHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks, are proud to share the news that the Danbury Hat Tricks will induct K-Wings assistant coach Billy McCreary into the Danbury Ring of Honor this Saturday ahead of their Alumni Night game on March 29.

“I am truly humbled and honored to be inducted into the Danbury Ring of Honor,” McCreary said. This recognition is not a reflection of any personal achievements, but of the incredible support and encouragement I've received from my family, players, staff, mentors, and everyone who believed in me along the way. “

McCreary coached the Hat Tricks for three seasons, in 2019-20 and from 2022 to 2024, and won the franchise's first FPHL Commissioner's Cup title in 2023. He finished his Hat Tricks coaching tenures with a 106-38-14 record, including a 7-3 record in the Commissioner's Cup playoffs. 

The Southampton, ON native led Danbury to a 29-12-2-3 record and an Eastern Division title in his first season at the helm en route to the FPHL Coach of the Year award in 2019-20. McCreary holds the franchise record in career wins (106) and set a single-season high mark in wins (44) in 2022-23, which resulted in a first-place finish in the league at 129 points..

McCreary coached the Hat Tricks in their inaugural season, serving as the bench boss of the NAHL's Hat Tricks in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, and returned to the Hat Tricks' bench in 2022-23. In the 2021-22 season, McCreary also received the FPHL Founder's Award, an honor given to those who provide outstanding service and commitment to the league.

“I humbly share this moment with all of you, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have made a lasting impact in such a storied hockey community,” McCreary said. “Congratulations to the other ring of honor inductees and thank you again for the incredible honor that we all now share. Danbury will forever hold a special place in my heart.”

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The PAW Patrol / Pucks N’ Paws Game is coming up as Kalamazoo will battle the South Carolina Stingrays at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 29 at Wings Event Center. The goal horns will be turned off and the barks are sure to be turned ALL the way up! Plus, the first 1,000 fans receive a K-Wings Dog Leash, the first intermission will feature the pup race, and stick around after the game for the PAW Patrol jersey auction.

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The Kalamazoo Wings are a professional hockey team located in southwest Michigan that has been a staple in the Kalamazoo, MI professional sports landscape since 1974. The K-Wings compete in the ECHL and are the AA affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks and the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Canucks. Kalamazoo plays their 36 regular season home games at Wings Event Center from October through April.

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