Red Deer, Alta. - Hockey Alberta and the Hockey Alberta Foundation announced Thursday the candidates that will be inducted into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame for 2012.
 
“We look forward each year to recognizing those who have made significant contributions to hockey in Alberta, Canada and around the world,” said Scott Robinson, executive director, Hockey Alberta Foundation. “The Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame is an important showcase of our game’s history in Alberta and all of these inductees are well-deserving of this honour.”
 
The following four individuals and two teams were selected by the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee to enter the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012:
 
Inductees:
 

• 1994 University of Lethbridge Pronghorns Men’s Hockey Team
• 1984-85 NAIT Ooks men’s Hockey Team
• Allan Ferchuk – Red Deer College Kings
• Wally Popik – Past Hockey Alberta Referee-in-Chief
• Ross Perkins – Former Edmonton Oiler and amateur hockey coach
• George H. Harvie (Deceased) – Former AAHA President (Pioneer Category)

 
The University of Lethbridge Pronghorns Men’s Hockey team had been around for nine seasons when the 1993-94 campaign began, and in those nice seasons, the team had never managed a winning record. By the end of this special season, the Pronghorns were crowned Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union (CIAU) National Champions; a Cinderella story to say the least.

Coached by one of the game’s sharpest minds, Mike Babcock, the team put together an impressive 34-11-3 record through pre-season, season, and tournament play. They also managed to finish first in the Canada West Conference, had the best home and away records, scored the most goals that season, and held the best special teams statistics in their conference.

Team members also crowded the trophy case with a big number of individual accomplishments:

Trevor Kruger – Canada West MVP & CIAU All-Canadian
Trevor Ellerman – University Cup MVP & CIAU’s Most Sportsmanlike Player
Jarret Zukiwsky – Canada West Scoring Champion & CIAU Rookie of the Year
Colin Baustad – University Cup All-Star
Travis Kelln – CIAU All-Rookie Team
Mike Babcock – Canada West Coach of the Year

The U of L Pronghorns 1993-94 team was inducted into the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame in 1995 and into the University of Lethbridge Hall of Fame in 2000.
 
These inductees were chosen from nominations based on select criteria. Nominees must have lived in Alberta for at least 5 years, must have personal and or professional accomplishments in the game of hockey, must have made an impact in the game beyond a local or regional level and must have received significant other recognitions. Nominations could be made for either an individual or team active or retired.
 
The Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame gallery is located within the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Red Deer. The Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame gallery is designed to preserve and celebrate Alberta’s hockey history. Items that are on display date back to the beginning, to those first days of Hockey, including old jerseys, autographed photographs and other items. The Hall of Fame maintains legacies of professional and amateur hockey in Alberta for people to enjoy forever.
 
This year’s inductees will be recognized at the Hockey Alberta Awards Gala taking place on Saturday, June 9, 2012 at the Sheraton Red Deer Hotel - 3310 50 Ave, Red Deer, Alberta.
 
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