Hall of Fame honors Marc de Foy, Ron Weber

Marc de Foy, who has covered hockey in Montreal for nearly 30 years, will receive the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for hockey journalism, and Ron Weber, the original play-by-play voice of the Washington Capitals, will receive the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster.

Bill Hay, chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame, made the announcement on Tuesday. Weber and de Foy will receive the awards at a luncheon presentation on Nov. 8, 2010, as part of the Hall of Fame's Induction Weekend. The 2010 Hall of Fame inductees will be announced June 22.

De Foy is a 28-year veteran in one of the most competitive hockey-writing markets in the world -- Montreal. During that time, he has earned the respect of his colleagues by routinely breaking stories and by consistently producing honest and accurate copy. He is described by fellow Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award winner Yvon Pedneault as “a strong, diligent and hard working beat writer, more concerned with telling the story than being part of the story”. For the past 16 months, Marc has been following the Canadiens and the NHL for ruefrontenac.com.

"In Montreal's challenging, highly competitive media market, Marc de Foy has been a standout performer for more than two decades," said Kevin Allen, president of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. "He's an old school reporter who breaks big stories on a regular basis. He is a man known for his classy approach, his work ethic and his devotion to telling stories accurately and professionally."

When the Washington Capitals joined the NHL as an expansion team in 1974, the Caps hired Weber, then the Baltimore Clippers play-by-play announcer, to be the voice of the League's newest franchise. The Lock Haven, Pa., native called every one of the team's record-breaking 67 defeats that season. Over the next 23 years Weber never missed a regular season or playoff broadcast, talking Capitals fans through 1,936 consecutive games.

"Ron has been a key contributor to the growth of NHL hockey interest in the D.C. area over his two-plus decades as the original voice of the Capitals,” said Chuck Kaiton, President of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association. “He is very worthy of this honor.”

Named in honor of the late Montreal newspaper reporter, the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award was first presented in 1984 by the PHWA in recognition of distinguished members of the hockey writing profession whose words have brought honor to journalism and to the game of hockey.

The Foster Hewitt Memorial Award is named in honor of the late “Voice of Hockey” in Canada.  It was first presented in 1984 by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association in recognition of members of the radio and television industry who have made outstanding contributions to their profession and to the game of hockey.