Max Finley Named SPHL Athletic Trainer of the Year
April 21, 2020 - 11:45 am
Max Finley Named SPHL Athletic Trainer of the Year
Olympic Gold Medalist wins award after first season with Rivermen
Photo credits: Tim Lester Images
Peoria, IL – The Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) concluded its league-wide awards Monday afternoon, naming Peoria’s Max Finley the SPHL Athletic Trainer of the Year. Finley finished his first year as an athletic trainer with the Peoria Rivermen, and was awarded the honor on a vote by the SPHL’s equipment managers and athletic trainers.
Finley, 25, is the second Rivermen Athletic Trainer to take home the SPHL award. Michelle Novak was given the award at the conclusion of the 2014-15 season.
“This was a great first year as an athletic trainer in professional sports,” said Finley. “This honor is a nice gesture, but the athletes we worked with truly made my job easy. They put the work in to take care of their bodies and do what they needed to pursue a championship.”
In addition to Finley’s role with the Rivermen, the Peoria native has been a participant in the Deaflympics, and has captured gold multiple times with Team USA’s ice hockey team, including a gold medal win in December of this past year when the Winter Deaflympics were held in Italy.
