Lethbridge, AB – The Lethbridge Hurricanes-Lethbridge Broncos Alumni Hall of Fame committee is pleased to announce the inductees for 2010 to be honored prior to the Hurricane’s home game with the Kootenay Ice on Saturday February 20th. This year’s inductees include former Lethbridge Hurricane Wes Walz, and former Lethbridge Bronco Bryan Trottier and in the builder category the Lethbridge Hockey Hounds. This year’s inductees will be following in the footsteps of Steve Tambellini, Jamie McLennan, Steve Fallwell, the Six Sutter Brothers, and John Chapman.
WESLEY “WES” WALZ (Born May 15, 1970 in Calgary, Alberta)
Walz joined the Lethbridge Hurricanes in 1988-1989 and had 75 assists and 104 points as a WHL rookie and won WHL Rookie of the Year. He was also a part of the franchise’s first appearance in the WHL Championship Finals. In 1989-90, Walz was one of five Lethbridge Hurricanes to score 50 or more goals in the season – a WHL record. He had 54 goals and 140 points and was named a WHL East 1st Team All-Star, he then followed this up with a league-best 24 assists and 37 points in 19 playoff games as the Hurricanes advanced to the WHL Championship Finals. That year, the Hurricanes set club records for points with 104 and goals scored with 465, both records which still stand to this day.
Walz also won a gold medal with Canada at the 1990 World Junior Hockey Championships.
In the 1989 NHL Entry Draft the forward was selected 57th overall by the Boston Bruins and during his NHL career, he played 607 NHL games in 11 seasons with Boston, Philadelphia, Calgary, Detroit and Minnesota. It was with the Wild that Walz became one of the premier defensive forwards in the NHL and in 2002-03 he was a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy awarded to the NHL’s best defensive forward. He retired from the playing ranks of the Minnesota Wild in November of 2007 and has since joined the Tampa Bay Lightning as an Associate Coach where his wife Kerry-Anne and their five children now call home.
BRYAN TROTTIER (Born July 17, 1956 in Val Marie, Saskatchewan)
Trottier played for three seasons with the Lethbridge Broncos from 72-75 including his third year in 74-75 when the Broncos were purchased and moved from Swift Current to Lethbridge. Lethbridge hockey fans were to be treated to one of the most skilled forwards to ever put on a Bronco uniform. Although Trottier only skated on the Canada Games Sportsplex ice for one season, he put up the kind of numbers that got the attention of his teammates and opposition teams throughout the WCJHL. In his third year, Trottier led all the Broncos in scoring, averaging over two points per game with 46 goals and 98 assists for 144 points in just 67 games played.
His speed, scoring touch, and grit caught the eye of New York scouts and at the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft he was selected 22nd overall by the Islanders. His career in the NHL as a player is well documented – he has played on six Stanley Cup Championship teams, four with the Islanders and two with the Penguins. He then earned his first behind the bench as an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche. Trottier is the Islanders franchise leader in games played (1,123), points (1,353) and assists (853) and is second behind Mike Bossy in goals (500). Over the course of his career, Trottier won the Calder Trophy in 1976, won both the Art Ross and Hart Trophies in 1979 and the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the 1980 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He was also named to NHL All Star teams on 7 separate occasions. His was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997 and is now the Executive Director of Player Development for the NY Islanders and resides in Pittsburgh with his wife Jennifer and their 4 children.
LETHBRIDGE HOCKEY HOUNDS
The Hockey Hounds were started in 1971 by Rex Johnson, John Kobal, Ralph Guzzi and Bob Snowden. There were 8 to 10 members - two of which are still active - Garry Robinson and Gordon Carpenter. Their duties were selling programs for the Sugar Kings, Longhorns (Junior A), Native Suns (Junior B) and the 1975 Winter Games. They also worked with the Lethbridge Broncos from 1974 to 1985. In 1987 they continued their volunteer efforts with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. In 1990, the Hockey Hounds were inducted into the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame in the Special Award Category. In 2007, they were inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame at Red Deer in the Builder's Category which Garry and Gordon attended. In the same year the Hockey Hounds were recipients of the Hockey Alberta Centennial Award in recognition of their significant amounts of time and resources to support the growth of hockey in Lethbridge.
The mandate of the Hockey Hounds is to support amateur hockey, Lethbridge Minor Hockey, Lethbridge Athletic Association and the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns. The organization's volunteer responsibilities include taking tickets at the doors for all hockey games, as well as concerts and other events at the Enmax. They also sell 50/50 tickets and programs for the Hurricanes and have sold over $1.2 million in 50/50 tickets in support of the Lethbridge Hurricane Education Fund.
Current President Jim Issak along with the two original members Garry Robinson and Gordon Carpenter will represent the Lethbridge Hockey Hounds at the Induction Ceremony.
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