YORKTON - The Yorkton Sports Hall of Fame (YSHF) will hold its 2024 induction evening on Saturday, September 7 at the Gallagher Centre, and it will be a very special occasion.
To mark the 30th anniversary of the organization, the evening’s program will include guest speaker and former Detroit Red Wing Dennis Polonich, who after his NHL career was the Terrier coach and general manager for six years starting with the 1986-87 season. His 1990-91 Terrier team lost only four of 23 playoff games, but the losses included two in the national Centennial Cup competition to the defending champion Vernon Lakers.
Master of ceremonies will be Curt Keilback, the radio and television broadcast play-by-play voice of the first edition of the Winnipeg Jets, and then of the Phoenix Coyotes. Curt started his radio career with CJGX in Yorkton in 1970, following on the heels of his father Jim. He broadcast more than 2,400 NHL games over his career.
Both Polonich and Keilback are members of the Yorkton Sports Hall of Fame.
As well, plans are being made to invite all former inductees to attend as guests of the YSHF, in the hope that the evening will also serve as a reunion of Hall of Fame members. Details about that will be announced next month.
Nominations are still being accepted for inductees, as are nominations for the Yorkton Lions Support for Sports Award. Information about the nomination process for both are available at www.yorktonsportshalloffame.ca.
The YSHF was founded in 1994, spearheaded by Vern Pachal and a dedicated board, many of whom still live in Yorkton. The organization was largely inactive for about six years until it was revived in 2020 by a new board under the leadership of Don Pfeifer. This will be the third induction evening since then, the first one planned for 2021 having been cancelled because of COVID-19.
