Former Griffins star Michel Picard will be inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame

SPRINGFIELD, MA – A familiar face will be enshrined among some of the best players in American Hockey League history.

On Wednesday, the league announced the AHL Hall of Fame Class of 2025. One of the four players to be inducted is Grand Rapids Griffins legend Michel Picard.

Picard was one of the first members of the Griffins when they were born in the International Hockey League in 1996 and became the team’s first star player. In his first season at West Michigan, the Beauport, Quebec native scored 46 goals and 55 assists for 101 points, making him the first and so far only Griffin to reach the century mark in a single season.

He was one of the first Griffins to be named an All-Star. He represented the Western Conference in the 1997 IHL All-Star Game, held in Grand Rapids. Picard was also named to the all-star roster in 1998.

After four seasons with the IHL affiliate of the Griffins, Picard moved elsewhere but returned to Grand Rapids in 2002 as the team entered its second campaign in the AHL. In each of his five full seasons with the Griffins, he led the team in scoring, a feat no other player has accomplished.

In 364 games with the franchise, the former Trois-Rivieres Draveurs product scored a total of 158 goals and 222 assists for 380 points, all of which remain franchise records. He played a key role in Grand Rapids winning division titles in 1999-2000 and 2002-2003, with the Griffins reaching the IHL Turner Cup final in 2000.

Picard became only the second player to have his number retired by the franchise when he and former captain Jeff Hoggan had their jerseys lifted to the rafters at Van Andel Arena in February 2022.

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