The 2015 Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame induction class includes four athletes, two builders, and one team. The Induction Awards Night will take place at the World Trade and Convention Centre on Saturday, November 14. Tickets are available at the Hall of Fame (contact Karolyn Sevcik: 902-404-3321).

Ray Downey
Boxing, Halifax
•Bronze medal at 1988 Olympics
•Silver medal at 1990 Commonwealth Games
•Silver medal at 1990 World Cup of Boxing
•Gold medal at 1990 President’s Cup
•Gold medal and Best Boxer at 1987 Canada Winter Games
•3 Bronze and 2 Gold medals at the Canada Cup
•3 Gold and 1 silver medal at the Canadian Senior Boxing Championships
•Competed at 1992 Olympics

Andrew Haley
Swimming, North Sydney
•Bronze medal at 1992 Paralympics
•2 Bronze medals at 1996 Paralympics
•Gold medal and Bronze medal at 2000 Paralympics
•Gold medal at 1994 Commonwealth Games
•3 Bronze medals at 1994 IPC World Championships
•2 Gold, 1 Silver, and 1 Bronze at the 1998 Worlds
•Gold medal and Bronze medal at 2002 Worlds
•World Record in 100m Butterfly (2002)
•3 Bronze medals at 2007 Para Pan Am Games

David Kikuchi
Gymnastics, Fall River
•Competed at 20 consecutive Canadian Championships
•Competed at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics
•Competed in 5 World Championships
•20th in the world in 2003 and 2007
•Back to back Senior National titles in 2006/2007
•2nd All-Around at 2002, 2004, and 2008 Canadian Championships
•3rd All-Around at 2003 and 2005 Canadian Championships
•Helped Canada achieve best ever results at 2006 Worlds

Chris Flynn
Football, Buckingham, PQ
•Starter for the St. Mary’s Huskies, 1987-1990
•Top 2 single-season performances in university football history for passing touchdowns (27 & 30)
•CIS record of 87 career touchdown passes
•Only player in history to receive 3 Hec Crighton Trophies
•Inducted to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
•4 AUS championships
•4-time AUS All-Star
•3-time CIS All-Canadian
•Played for Montreal Machine, NFL Europe, 1991-92
•Played for Ottawa Roughriders, 1996
•Played 4 seasons in France

Lowell Cormier
Builder: Basketball/Baseball New Waterford
•Baseball and basketball coach for almost 50 years
•Organizer, founder, and Past President of New Waterford Minor Basketball and Baseball Associations
•Founding member and Vice Chairman, New Waterford Coal Bowl Classic
•Founder of the New Waterford Wellness Society and project lead for numerous first-of-their-kind community athletic facilities
•Associate Coach of CBU men’s AUS basketball champions, 2010
•Assisted with many major sporting events
•Frank Baldwin Award, 2010
•Hugh Noble Award, 2012
•Ricoh Award (Chair), 2013

Jim Bottomley
Builder: Hockey Halifax
•The winningest coach in Maritime Junior A hockey history— 10 MJAHL titles
•Junior A hockey coach for over 30 years
•Head coach, Halifax Lions
•Head coach & GM, Bridgewater Lumberjacks
•Head coach & GM, Amherst Ramblers
•Coached the first and only NS team (Halifax Oland Exports) to a national title (2002 Royal Bank Cup)
•2-time winner of the Coach of the Year award from Hockey NS
•Fred Fox Award for Male Team of the Year (2002)
•First ever player to have his number (#8) retired by Dalhousie University hockey

1995 Dalhousie Tigers Men’s Soccer Team
◆ First and only men’s soccer team from a Nova Scotian university to win a CIS Championship
◆ Undefeated regular season (1995)
◆ 2 previous AUS wins, 1990-95
◆ Defeated Golden Bears 3-1 in a snow storm
◆ 5 AUS All-Stars, AUS Rookie of the Year, 2 CIS Tournament All-Stars, and CIS Tournament MVP
◆ Team Members: Trevor Chisholm, Mike Hudson, Sean Pedersen, Graeme Allardice, Stephen Cormier, Marc Rainford, Matthew Serieys, Jeff Hyles, Mike Ayyash, Chris Devlin, Paul English, Ante Jazic, Dave McFarlane, Gregor MacAskill, Eric Pinfold, Chad Denny, Chad Thorpe, Mark Ellis, Jeff Hibberts
◆ Coaching Staff: Ian Kent, Keith Souchereau, Jamie Sawler, Darrell H. Cormier, Paul Repp

The biggest annual celebration of sport in Canada took place on October 21, 2015 with Canada’s corporate and sport elite in attendance. The Class of 2015 inductees received Canada’s highest sporting honour during Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame 2015 Induction Celebrations presented by Canadian Tire. Michael Medline, President and CEO of Canadian Tire Corporation, was the Honourary Chair of the event. The Induction Celebrations took place at the Ryerson Mattamy Athletic Centre, know, formerly as the Maple Leaf Gardens. There were 828 guests in attendance to celebrate with the Class of 2015 and 37 Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame’s Honoured Members present. Doug Anakin, Don Awrey, Donovan Bailey, Marilyn Bell, Jean-Luc Brassard, Petra Burka, Sylvia Burka, Michelle Cameron Coulter, Murray Costello, Gary Cowan, Bill Crothers, Ron Ellis, Laurie Graham, Wayne Gretzky, Curt Harnett, Sandy Hawley, Don Jackson, Maria Jelinek, Dr. Bruce Kidd, Catriona Le May Doan, Kerrin Lee-Gartner, Alwyn Morris, Debbie Muir, Dr. Susan Natrass, Cindy Nicholas, Anne Ottenbrite, Sandra Post, Karen Percy, Gareth Rees, Pat Stapleton, Marlene Stewart Streit, Dr. Ron Taylor, Mark Tewksbury, Linda Thom, Cliff Thorburn, Bill White and Jim Young.

EDE Completes Draft Ops Fantasy Lounge at Verizon Center

When Aramark and Monumental Sports & Entertainment wanted to transform a 5,500 sq ft space at the Verizon Center into an engaging destination for their visitors and fans, EDE was called in. The space had been left un-finished, so it was our task to renovate and remodel the space to become a 400-level destination for all fans as part of the game-day experience. EDE designed, engineered, fabricated and installed the bar, along with all related accessories. They produced the sponsor identification/logo for the entrance, buffet stations, high-top tables, a fully-stocked back bar with coolers, branded barrels, and turned a glass elevator shaft into a video-screen area, complete with environmental graphics of the city of Washington D.C. The lounge includes daily fantasy games, special guest appearances and an all-inclusive ticket package with food and beverage. The finished project adds excitement and dining opportunities for the fans and visitors on both game days and concert dates.

About EDE: EDE has been helping clients bring exhibit ideas to life since 1979. We’ve helped them tell their stories, breathe new life into their brands, and make the seemingly impossible – possible. Our diverse experience with marketers, museums, and architects enables us to see a broader picture in order to find the perfect solution to realize your vision. This experience is proven through our award winning craftsmanship, focused attention to detail and an intense commitment to service. To learn more about EDE please visit edecorp.com

Hockey Hall of Fame 2015 Induction Weekend
Friday, November 6 – Monday, November 9, 2015

The Hockey Hall of Fame is set to welcome its newest Inductees – Sergei Federov, Phil Housley, Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Pronger and Angela Ruggiero in the Player Category, and Bill Hay and Peter Karmanos Jr. in the Builder Category.  Be a part of the excitement all weekend long with tributes to the Class of 2015 including special guest appearances, Q&A fan forums, autograph signings and the annual Legends Classic (Team Gilmour  vs Team Bure at Air Canada Centre), plus more.  The weekend’s events will culminate with the Induction Celebration Gala taking place during the evening of Monday, November 9.

Visit HHOF.com for full weekend itinerary, VIP Packages and Induction Gala ticket information.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Back in 1951, at the age of 16, Mel Potter began his journey in the Rodeo Cowboys Association, now known as the PRCA.

Fast-forward 65 seasons, and Potter, 80, is still competing as a team roping header.

At his peak, back in 1959, Potter competed in the inaugural National Finals Rodeo in Dallas as a tie-down roper, finishing 14^th in the final standings. He is now the only original NFR competitor still active in the PRCA.

As recently as 2010, he qualified for the RAM Great Lakes Circuit Finals Rodeo as a team roper and on July 17, 2013, Potter and partner Garrison Dixon won the Green County Fair ProRodeo in Monroe, Wis. He also won a team roping check at a Great Lakes Circuit event this year.

Combine Potter’s longevity as a competitor with his decade of success – 1964-73 – as a stock contractor with Rodeos Inc., and his time served on the PRCA Board of Directors and it adds up to his being selected Oct. 5 by the ProRodeo Hall of Fame as the 2015 Legend of ProRodeo.

“I was very surprised to get this honor,” said Potter, who also is a highly-successful businessman. “Being involved with rodeo was one of the neatest things of my life because all of the great people I’ve gotten to know and be good, good friends with all over the country. We also put together a heck of a string of livestock (at Rodeos Inc.) and we treated the cowboys as good as any stock contractor there was. I’m also going to keep competing in rodeos as long as I can get on a horse and stay on a horse when he runs out of the barrier.”

Potter is the 10^th man to be honored with the award, following Jake Barnes, Jim Shoulders, Clem McSpadden, Harry Vold, Larry Mahan, Dean Oliver, Shawn Davis, Donnie Gay and Benny Binion.

“Since joining the PRCA in 1951, Mel Potter’s career has been one of longevity and consistency. He has competed for an amazing 65 seasons and has gone from an NFR qualification in 1959 to earning a check this year at a Great Lakes Circuit event at the age of 80,” said Kent Sturman, director of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. “Mel has also given back to the sport in many ways and he cares deeply for the PRCA and its success. His talents, experience and knowledge of the sport helped raise a four-time World Champion Barrel Racer, his daughter Sherry Potter Cervi. Mel has done a lot for the professional rodeo industry and we are honored to have him as this year’s Pro Rodeo Legend.”

In addition to qualifying for the first NFR, Potter also won some big rodeos in his prime in tie-down roping, including the Calgary Stampede (1962), National Western Stock Show Rodeo in Denver (1959), SandHills Stock Show & Rodeo in Odessa, Texas (1958), Helldorado Days Rodeo in Las Vegas (1957-58), and the Klamath Falls (Ore.) Great Northwest Rodeo (1957).

Potter has competed in tie-down roping, steer wrestling and team roping during his PRCA career. As a team roper, he has paired with guys like Bum Post, Bob Padilla, Eddie Schell and Dale Smith.

Although Potter had some solid success as a PRCA rookie in 1959, he knew he had to have a back-up plan for work. His family had been cranberry farmers since his grandfather started the family business in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., in 1880. The Potters are one of the largest producers for the Ocean Spray co-operative of growers.

Potter and his wife of 59 years, Wendy, also operate the Potter Ranch in Marana, Ariz., with their middle daughter, Jo Lynn, and her husband, George Alexander. The ranch has produced some of the sport’s top timed-event horses since 1973. Wendy competed in the NFR in barrel racing in 1970 and ’72.

“I’ve had an interesting life, and it has been like an 80-year vacation,” said Potter, who was an airplane pilot for 50 years before he stopped flying in 2011. “Everything I’ve done I have enjoyed doing and I have just had fun. I have a great family, and I’ve gotten to know so many great people. To me, the best thing in my whole life is all the people who I’ve met and become friends with. It’s hard to believe it has happened this way for me.”

Mel Potter photo “Courtesy of Walter Workman”

The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame’s newest exhibit, Dixie on Ice: Minor League Hockey in Georgia, is now on display in the museum’s rotunda.  Tracing the history of minor league hockey in Georgia from the 1973 Macon Whoopees to the state’s handful of professional hockey teams of today, the exhibit features game-worn jerseys and hockey equipment from such teams as the Columbus Cottonmouths, the Gwinnett Gladiators, the Augusta Lynx, the Macon Trax, and the Atlanta Knights.  Just in time for the start of hockey season, Dixie on Ice: Minor League Hockey in Georgia will remain on display through January.

The KSHOF Class of 2015 consists of eleven members: University of Kansas and Seattle Seahawk linebacker Terry Beeson from Coffeyville; Topeka native and two-time Gold Glove Award winner Ken Berry; University of Kansas All-American softball player and the school’s all-time softball coaching wins leader Tracy Bunge; Kansas State University tight end and three-time Pro Bowl selection of the Green Bay Packers, Paul Coffman from Chase; two-time Benedictine College All-American and four-time state basketball championship coach Mathew “Chic” Downing of Atchison; 1996 U.S. Olympic gold medalist in the triple-jump Kenny Harrison from Kansas State University; twelve-time KCAC women’s basketball Coach of the Year at Sterling College Lonnie Kruse from Sterling; three-time Big 12 Conference basketball selection and Kansas State University’s all-time assist leader, Shalee Lehning of Sublette; fourteen-time All-American in football and track at Pittsburg State University and two-time Pro Bowl selection Brian Moorman from Sedgwick; three-time National Championship coach and two-time National Coach of the Year at Butler Community College Troy Morrell from Atwood; three-sport athlete from Wichita State University and long-time major conference official in football and basketball Dick Sanders from Wichita.

The eleven-person class raises the total number of Kansas Sports Hall of Fame inductees to 248. The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame is in its 54^th year of operation.