By Hockey Alberta Foundation

Sutters among 2017 Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame inductees

Jul 25, 2017 | 1:32 PM

CANMORE – Five outstanding individuals, and perhaps one of the most celebrated families in all of hockey comprise the 2017 Induction Class for the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame (AHHF).

Mel Davidson, Bill Hay, Tony Kollman, Perry Pearn, Glen Sather, and the Sutter family were enshrined in Alberta’s hockey history on Sunday night at the AHHF Awards Gala, held at the Coast Hotel in Canmore.

Mel Davidson is probably best known for her work behind the bench of the Canadian Women’s national team that won Olympic gold medals in 2002 (Salt Lake City, Assistant Coach), 2006 (Torino, Head Coach), and 2010 (Vancouver, Head Coach). She was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 2011. 

Bill Hay arguably enjoyed a hall of fame career at the junior, collegiate and professional levels, with many significant achievements over his 16 years on the ice. But when his accomplishments and work off-the-ice are included, he has had a major impact on the sport of hockey – in Alberta, across Canada and around the world. 

Few have matched the legacy left by Tony Kollman on amateur hockey in Alberta in the 1960s and 70s. In another era, he might have been a star at the professional level. For Kollman, his profession as a hospital administrator meant that his hockey skills would be largely on display in Alberta, with appearances at the national and international levels. 

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Perry Pearn was a national champion as a player. But it is through his continuing role as a coach at the collegiate, international and NHL levels for more than four decades that he made his biggest impact on the Alberta hockey community. 

With 18 games remaining in the 1976-77 World Hockey Association season, Glen Sather assumed the dual role of player-coach with the Edmonton Oilers – a rather unheralded start to one of the most successful careers as a head coach, general manager and president in the National Hockey League. To date, Glen has been enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame (1997), the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame (1996), and the World Hockey Association Hall of Fame (2010). 

For any hockey fan in central Alberta, and especially in their hometown of Viking, when you say the names Brent, Brian, Darryl, Duane, Gary, Rich, Ron, Grace and Louis, the last name isn’t necessary. They are, simply, the best known, most recognizable and most famous hockey family in the world – the Sutter Family. Six brothers played in the National Hockey League. Four of them went on to become coaches and/or general managers.

Sunday’s AHHF Gala kicked off in the afternoon with a VIP reception for the 2017 inductees, and included dinner and the awards presentation. The 2017 Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame Awards Gala is presented by the Hockey Alberta Foundation, Hockey Alberta, and ATB Investor Services.

The 2017 Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame Awards ran Sunday evening at the Coast Hotel in Canmore, and is held in conjunction with the Hockey Alberta Foundation Golf Classic, a key fundraiser for the Hockey Alberta Foundation’s Every Kid Every Community Program.

The 12th annual Golf Classic also takes place in Canmore, beginning Monday evening with a special reception for all participants, as well the celebrity golfers. The tournament takes place Tuesday at the Stewart Creek Golf Club. Celebrity golfers include Mel Davidson, Perry Pearn, Jamie McLennan, Rob Brown and Curtis Glencross. For the 11th consecutive year, ATB Investor Services is the presenting sponsor of the Golf Classic.

In addition to the Golf Classic, Stewart Creek will also host the first half of the Hockey Alberta Foundation’s annual Rinks to Links program on Tuesday morning, where 30 first-time hockey players will take part in a golf lesson. From there, the participants will head to the Canmore Recreation Centre to be outfitted head-to-toe with new equipment, and take to the ice for the very first time.