Chicago Blackhawks team historian Bob Verdi will receive the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for excellence in hockey journalism by the Hockey Hall of Fame. Verdi will be honored alongside Sam Rosen, play-by-play announcer for the New York Rangers, who will receive the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster.
Verdi was a Blackhawks beat writer and columnist for the Chicago Tribune from 1967-97. He has been named Sportswriter of the Year for Illinois 19 times by the National Sports Media Association. In 2010, Verdi was named the Hawks’ official historian, and in that role he writes columns on the team’s website called The Verdict.
Past recipients of the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award include Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times and Bob McKenzie of TSN, who received the award in 2015.
The award presentation will take place Nov. 14 at the Hockey Hall of Fame NHL Media Awards Luncheon in Toronto. Verdi will be noted as a “Media Honoree,” which is a separate distinction from being elected into the Hall of Fame by the Hall of Fame Selection Committee.
The Hockey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016 will be announced June 27, with the induction ceremony taking place Nov. 14.