Hall of Fame inductions cancelled
This year’s St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame inductions have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. File Photo by: BERNIE PUCHALSKI.
The latest victim of the COVID-19 pandemic is the St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame.
The Hall’s yearly inductions, normally held in November highlighted with a ceremony at the Meridian Centre, home of the David S. Howes Wall of Fame, have been cancelled this year.
“It’s incredibly disappointing,” Hall of Fame chairman Peter Partridge said. “It’s been so much fun and it’s an evening of such positive energy. We have some great athletes and builders that come and we hear some of their stories and we see so many people from the sporting community that come to support them.”
Partridge said he didn’t feel holding the ceremonies virtually was the proper thing to do.
“It just didn’t seem right,” he said. “We always try to make it special for the inductee with the mayor and city staff and Jim Bradley, plus dropping the puck at an IceDogs game and getting the recognition in front of 5,000 fans.
“It just didn’t seem to make any sense. If we can’t do it live, how can we do it? The Meridian Centre isn’t open, the Hall of Fame isn’t open. What if they didn’t live around here? It just didn’t seem we would be giving them the true recognition that we would love to give them.”
The St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1990 to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of both women and men, athletes and builders who have significantly contributed to the development of sport in St. Catharines and went on to success at Provincial, National and/or International levels of competition.
Partridge is hopeful things will return to normal next year.
“It’s just a great hour and we can’t wait to do it again,” he said.
For the past several years, five inductees have been selected each year.
“I think that might be the plan (next year) but who knows? Maybe we do an exemption because we missed a year. That still needs to be discussed. We’ll see what the world brings in the new year and what it looks like and if we can go ahead,” Partridge said.
With no inductees this year, BP Sports Niagara plans to write a series of profiles on former inductees who may have been passed over for proper recognition in the past.
BPSN’s coverage of the St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame is brought to you by Peter Partridge of Partridge Wealth Management of RBC Dominion Securities (www.peterpartridge.com).
St. Catharines Hall of Fame Inductees.
2019
•Ron “Swede” Burak
•Wanita Dykstra-May
•Ellard “Obie”O’Brien
•Bill Schenck
•Tonya Verbeek
2018
•Buffy Alexander
•Pat McCready
•Paul Papineau
•Steve Toll
•John White
2017
•Henry “Hank” Ciesla
•David Gorman
•Diane Hilko
•Mark Johnston
•Tim Twaddle
2016
•John “Wandy” McMahon
•Les Bartley
•Richard Duncan
•Lynn Polson
•Rudy Wieler
2015
•Jim McMahon Sr.
•Earl McNeil
•Bob O’Doherty
•Wilfred Pruden
•Lee Randall
2014
•Sara Bauer
•Toady Bradshaw-Elvins
•Frank J. Hayden
•Jack Nicholson
•Sandra Sutton
2013
•Elizabeth Earley
•William Fitzgerald
•Larry Miller
•Keith Murphy
•Ronald Roy
2012
•Paul Fenwick
•Edward Howe Jr.
•George Korince
•Dan Meagher
•Todd Zavitz
2011
•John Macdonald
•Daryl Mahler
•Ken Murray
•Ron Winterbottom Sr.
•Kevin Neufeld
2010
•Hugh Cosgrove
•Richard DesChatelets
•Joyce Gray
•Jim Harrison
•Jamie Pagendam
2009
•Bruce Erskine
•Marianne Groat
•Robert McCready
•George Taylor
•Mark Walters
2008
•Kenneth Croft
•Norm Defelice
•Robert Gear
•John Mouradian
•Neil Stevens
2007
•Peter Berge
•Gloria Campbell
•Dean McBride
•Robert Stoddart
•Mathew Walters
2006
No inductees
2005
•Jimmy Joy
•Robert Luey
•Al McDonough
•Terry O’Malley
•Doug Robinson
2004
•Levio Ferracuti
•Donald O’Hearn
•Carl Smelle
•Tom Smelle
•Craig Woodhouse
2003
•Bill Allan
•Virginia Thompson
•David Dore
•Clint Page
•Chester Warchol
•Colin Hearth
2002
•Harry Argent
•Robert Davis
•James Douglas
•Ken Hodgkins
•John Stevens
2001
•Dennis Hull
•Harry Edmonstone
•Karen Strong
•Jim McNulty
•Jim Robertson
2000
•Brian Bellows
•Gil Boa
•William B. C. Burgoyne
•Gerry Hinton
•Ted Collins
•Jim Lomore
•Mike Martyk
•Jerry Fitzgerald
•Mark Pothier
1999
•Chris Critelli
•Dale House
•Marvin Edwards
•Ivan Little
•Ronald French
•Carl Madsen
•Douglas McNichol
•John Newman
1998
•Joan Gray-Brunshaw
•Dave Howes
•Armand Difruscio
•Harvey Hutcheon
•J. Stanley Elliott
•Benny Newman
•Jack Rountree
•Ross Wilson
•Bill Sadler
•Elmer Vasko
1997
•Helen Chyplik
•Edward Howe
•Douglas Court
•George Stauffer
•Susan Erskine
•Edgar L. Moir
•Davey Moore
1996
•Peter Bicknell
•Alen Kelogg
•Marty Calder
•Steve Oneschuk
•Wilfred Garrett
•Timothy Rigby
•Marg Schram
•Wendy Wiebe
1995
•Fred Conradi
•Bill Frick
•Ed Dixon
•Douglas Hill
•Doug Favell Jr.
•Frank Martin
•Joseph McCaffery
•Angie Pastore
1994
•Marilyn Bodogh
•Christine Jurgenson
•Douglas Cove
•Frank Madsen
•George Hope
•Jim Minards
•Walter Marsh
1993
•Peter Cameron
•Rose Engemann
•Bill DeMars
•George Howard
•Joe Engemann
•Robert Thorpe
•Craig Swayze
1992
•Marianne Allen
•George Manoogian
•Joe Cheevers
•Douglas Favell Sr.
•Brian Cullen
•Warren Dell
•Tom Garriock
1991
•Lloyd Alguire
•Vic Teal
•Neil Campbell
•Bill Whitaker
•Gerry Cheevers
•Rex Stimers
•Dennis Diggins
•Jack Lowrey
1990
•Jack Gatecliff
•Peter Neumann
•Walt McCollum
•LeRoy Pickard
•Rudy Pilous
•Stan Mikita
•Ashton Morrison
•Roy Morton
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