BCHHOF Induction Gala Friday

The BC Hockey Hall of Fame is hosting its annual induction gala on Friday, July 19th, at the South Okanagan Events Centre. This year’s induction class is highlighted by former NHL players in Carey Price and Shea Weber. Tickets are $85 and available at the Valley First box office and online at www.valleyfirsttix.com. Below is the the 2024 induction class. To learn more about the BC Hockey Hall of Fame, head over to their website.

Shea Weber – Player Category

Shea Weber went from playing for his hometown Sicamous Eagles in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, to the WHL with the Kelowna Rockets, where he won a Memorial Cup championship, to the NHL, drafted 49th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2003 NHL Draft. Weber won gold four times with Team Canada, first at the World Junior Championship in 2005, the World Championships in 2007, and Olympics in at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.

Among his many accomplishments, Weber received the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2015-16 and has 589 career regular season points with the Predators and Montreal Canadiens in 1,038 career games. He added 42 points in 97 career Stanley Cup playoff games, helping the Canadiens reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2021.

Carey Price – Player Category

Carey Price, who grew up in Anahim Lake, British Columbia, began his junior hockey career with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, where he eventually became the WHL Goaltender of the Year in 2007.

Price represented Canada and earned a silver medal at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in 2004 and the 2005 World Under-18 Championship. In 2007, he won gold with Canada at the World Junior Championship. In 2014, Price won Olympic gold with Weber on Team Canada posting a .972 save percentage and a 0.59 goals against average in five games earning him the tournament’s top goaltending award. In 2016, Price went undefeated to win the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

He was selected by the Montreal Canadiens fifth overall in the 2005 NHL Draft. Two years later with the Americans, he was named the Canadian Major Junior Goaltender of the Year, then joined the Canadiens American Hockey League affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs, where he won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy (AHL – Playoff MVP) award in 2007.

In 2015, Price did something that hadn’t been done since Dominik Hasek in 1998 – he won the Hart Trophy, Vezina Trophy and Ted Lindsay Trophy – plus he shared the William H. Jennings Trophy with Corey Crawford of the Chicago Blackhawks. Price went 361-261 in 712 career NHL regular season games, and added 43 wins in 92 career Stanley Cup playoff games. He led the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final in the 2020-21 season with Weber.

Fort St. John Flyers – Team Category

The 2010 Flyers won their first ever Allan Cup, the 102nd National Senior Championship with a 3-1 win over the Bentley Generals. Fort St. John went through the tournament undefeated. The Flyers became the ninth host team to win the Allan Cup since the tournament went to a round-robin format in 1992. The national title was the 12th all-time for British Columbia, second only to Ontario’s 48. The Allan Cup is one of the oldest club-team hockey competitions in North America, having been first competed for in 1908.

Tom Kowal – Officials Category

Kowal officiated minor and amateur hockey while growing up in Vernon. After officiating in amateur and Junior hockey, including the Western Hockey League and a Memorial Cup, Kowal was hired by the NHL as a referee in 1998 and officiated until the 2017-18 season having worked 1,094 regular season NHL games and 12 Stanley Cup playoff games. After retiring from the NHL, Kowal joined the WHL Officiating Development staff in 2018 and is currently the WHL Officiating Development Coach, based out of High River, Alta.

Scott Bradley – Builder Category

Bradley is the senior advisor to Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney, and has been with the Bruins for three decades. As part of the scouting department, the Bruins drafted key players like Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Before working his way into the pro ranks, the B.C. native coached for five seasons with the Tier II Junior A and Senior AAA League teams in Abbotsford, including an Allan Cup finalist squad in 1989-90.