AMERKS TO INDUCT RORY FITZPATRICK INTO HALL OF FAME AS CLASS OF 2024
Former defenseman becomes first Rochester-born player to join prestigious club
Dec 15, 2023The Rochester Americans are pleased to announce today that the team will induct defenseman and Rochester native Rory Fitzpatrick into the Amerks Hall of Fame as the Class of 2024.
Unanimously selected for induction by the Amerks Hall of Fame Committee, Fitzpatrick will take his rightful place in the prestigious club during a pregame ceremony on Friday, Feb. 23 when Rochester hosts the Belleville Senators at 7:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena.
Hall of Fame Night is presented by the Bob Johnson Auto Group.
“Being inducted into the Rochester Americans Hall of Fame is a dream come true,” said Fitzpatrick, who becomes the first Rochester-born player to receive induction into the exclusive club. “To be enshrined among the many greats of my hometown team and be recognized with those I grew up idolizing is truly humbling and beyond words. I am forever grateful to be a part of the rich history of the Rochester Americans organization.”
Set to become the 68th member of the Amerks Hall of Fame, Fitzpatrick patrolled the Rochester blueline for parts of five seasons between 2001-02 and 2004-05 followed by another two-year stint from 2008-10 where he would serve as team captain in what would be his final two seasons. In 211 career games in the red, white and blue, Fitzpatrick amassed 50 points (14+36) and 240 penalty minutes while also adding two assists in 13 playoff appearances.
Fitzpatrick’s contributions were just as impactful off the ice as well. In his five seasons with the team, he was unanimously named the winner of the organization’s McCulloch Trophy for his commitment to the Rochester community on four different occasions, the second-most by any player in the 68-year history of the franchise. He was also twice named Rochester’s AHL Man of the Year for his community service, an award he won in back-to-back years in 2009 and again in 2010.
After spending his first five professional seasons with four different organizations, Fitzpatrick signed with the Buffalo Sabres ahead of the 2001-02 campaign, spending a majority of the season with his hometown Amerks.
Fitzpatrick made history that year as he became the first Rochester native to score a goal for the Amerks. Fitzpatrick finished his first season with the Amerks with 12 points (4+8) in 60 games and was named the co-winner of the McCulloch Trophy for his service to the Rochester community. He also made his Buffalo Sabres debut that season, picking up four penalty minutes while appearing in five games. In the playoffs, he led all Rochester defensemen in postseason points and was tied for third on the team in scoring.
Fitzpatrick recorded his best season in Rochester the following year, notching 16 points (5+11) in 41 games while skating in 36 games with Buffalo. After playing the entire 2003-04 season with the Sabres, the Irondequoit native completed his second stint in Rochester in 2004-05, registering two points (1+1) in 20 games while leading the Amerks to an AHL and franchise-best 112-point season thanks to a 51-16-4-6 record during the regular season. The team’s 51 wins that year were the second-most in team history.
After spending the next three full seasons in the NHL, including a career-high 60-game stay with the Sabres in 2005-06, Fitzpatrick returned to Rochester for his final two seasons under the Florida Panthers’ affiliation. The defenseman recorded 20 points (4+16) in 90 combined games between 2008 and 2010 while serving as team captain, again making history as the first Rochester native to serve in that capacity.
Fitzpatrick led the Amerks back to the Calder Cup Playoffs in 2010, the team’s first postseason appearance in three years, and was also named the playing captain of the PlanetUSA All-Star Team at the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic.
Originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the second-round (47th overall) of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Fitzpatrick made his NHL debut during the 1995-96 season after spending the early part of the season with the Fredericton Canadiens of the AHL. He tallied a pair of assists in 42 games for Montreal in his first appearance at the NHL level.
During the 1994-95 season, Fitzpatrick made his professional debut with Fredericton in the postseason and helped lead the Canadiens to the Calder Cup Finals. Before turning pro, Fitzpatrick served as a member of Team USA at the 1995 World Junior Championships.
He retired following the 2009-10 campaign having played 788 professional games, including 287 in the NHL with Montreal, St. Louis, Nashville, Buffalo, Vancouver and Philadelphia. He also piled up 158 points (39+119) in 474 career games at the AHL level with Fredericton, Worcester, Hamilton, Rochester and Philadelphia.