The Fort Frances Sports Hall Of Fame inducted its class of 2019 on August 10th in a wonderful ceremony that took place over a delicious dinner at La Place Rendez-Vous!
The organizing and selection committee’s should be commended for planning a fantastic evening. Thanks to Terry Ogden, Dave Egan, Larry Patrick, Glenn Witherspoon and Jean Bujold for all of their hard work and dedication.
( Just as a side note…I’ll always remember Larry Patrick fondly for helping to bring Duncan Keith and the Stanley Cup here in 2015. The Chicago Blackhawks have always been my favourite NHL team and Duncan is my favorite player. The good fortune of being a member of the “media” on a day like that granted me a once in a lifetime experience. Larry went above and beyond to make the day extra special.)
On to the inductees…
Scott Fawcett – Builder – A football coach who has won on every level. Scott won NWOSSA titles with the Fort Frances Muskies in 1978 and 1979. He picked up a Manitoba Junior Championship with the Winnipeg Hawkeyes in 1982. He helped lead the University of Calgary Dinos to a Vanier Cup win in 1985. Scott returned to Northwestern Ontario in 1986 to help manage his families radio stations…including CFOB! He later joined high school coaching staffs in both Kenora and Fort Frances where he won NWOSSA regional crowns with The Broncos in 1990 and 1991 and with The Muskies in 1994 and 1996. Scott also coached in the CFL with Edmonton, Hamilton and Winnipeg. He won a Grey Cup with the Tiger Cats in 1999.
David Mitchell – Athlete – A weight lifter with 3 Canadian titles to his name. He finished first above everyone else in 1988, 1989 and again in 2001 after coming out of retirement after an 8-year absence from the sport. Dave entered 20 compositions over the course of a decorated career. He was named “Best Lifter” 5 times and he set 11 records!
Ken Christiansen – Builder – Ken has been involved with hockey in many ways. He played as a defensemen in the Fort Frances Minor Hockey system as a youth. He played for the International Falls Broncos in high school. He went on to play for the Fort Frances Royals junior team and for the Fort Frances Canadians Intermediate team. Ken then moved on to a coaching career that has spanned well over 50 years! Most of that time has been spent with the Muskies. His son Rick was on hand to accept the on his behalf.
Bob & Mary-Beth Tkachuk – Builders – Both have been mainstays in the game of squash in Fort Frances for almost 40 years! In the 80’s they helped to create both the Boxing Day and La Place Rendez-Vous tournaments. Both events have become incredibly popular. Bob and Mary-Beth founded the Junior Squash Program in Fort Frances in 1997 and they have guided countless players on to greatness all across Canada at tournaments like the Ontario Winter Games and the Junior Nationals. Bob has also received the Ontario Coaching Achievement Award.
1996 Police National Curling Championships – Team – Skip Clint Barton, Lead Steve Maki, Second Don Robertson and Third Scott Gobeil from the Fort Frances Police Service won the title with a thrilling last rock victory in the final! The match was played on home ice in front of a capacity crowd at the Fort Frances Curling Rink! No other Northern Ontario team had won before! This foursome amassed over 30 National Championship appearances with 15 podium finishes. Members of the team also picked up several national all-star awards along the way.
1953-1954 Fort Frances Jaycees – Team – They became champions of the Thunder Bay Amateur Hockey Association by defeating Fort William East End Athletic Association, Kenora and our local Greens team. The Jaycees then went on to defeat the Manitoba Champion, Winnipeg Monarchs to become champions of Northwestern Ontario and Manitoba. Team captain Julian Brunetta spoke on behalf of the team. Seven players were on hand to accept the honour while two others had family members accepting on their behalf.
Bruce McLeod – Builder – Bruce started playing hockey at various levels in minor league before moving on to play midget in Fort Frances and two years of junior with the Royals. He picked up several awards along the way. He then accepted a scholarship to play for The University of Minnesota/Duluth in 1965 where he finished second in league scoring as a sophomore and captained the team in his junior and senior years. After graduating, Bruce stayed with the UMD athletic department for 25 years which included 15 years as Athletic Director! He then went on to become Commissioner of The Western Collegiate Hockey Association, a post he held for a quarter of a century! Bruce has sat on committees and boards with the NCAA, College Hockey Inc. and USA Hockey. He is also a member of the US Hall of Fame and a winner of the American Hockey Coaching Association’s Jim Fullerton Award.
Barney Maher – Builder – Barney began teaching at Fort Frances High School in 1960 where he also coached basketball for 5 years before becoming Athletic Director. During this time in his career, he helped to establish the Muskies hockey program as it’s manager as well as NorWOSSA league hockey. He played a role in creating the passionate rivalry between The Muskies and The International Falls Broncos. Barney helped to oversee All Ontario wins for the Muskies in 1986 and 1989, the latter taking place on home ice in front of packed crowds! He spent 45 years with the black and gold and earned the nickname”Mr. Muskie!” His children Cathy, Ellen and Jeff were on hand with Cathy accepting in her dad’s honour.
What an amazing evening to pay tribute to the impressive athletic past of our community.
