Raiders superfan Trevor LaPlante’s legacy lives on at Art Hauser Centre
Prince Albert, Sask.- There’s a heartfelt addition to the Art Hauser Centre.
A new plaque dedicates section 14 to late Raiders superfan Trevor LaPlante, a beloved member of the Prince Albert community.
“Friendly, excited, passionate, everything you’d want to be around,” Raiders Executive Director of Business Operations Cliff Mapes said of LaPlante. “If you love to have positive people in your life, he would be somebody that was like a magnet.”
LaPlante was well known around town for his Raiders pride and cheerful demeanor at the local McDonald’s, where he worked.
Ken Malenfant, who grew up with LaPlante and used to own that particular McDonald’s, recalled how LaPlante seemed to forge familial connections with nearly everyone he met.
His passion for hockey was so well-known some people would drop by the restaurant to give LaPlante Raiders tickets or specialty jerseys won at auctions and offer him rides to the rink on game nights.
LaPlante’s resounding ‘WOO’ cheers rose above the din of the Art Hauser and even got picked up on game broadcasts over the years.
“When we won the championship a few years ago, he was on cloud nine,” Malenfant recalled. “He just thought that was the greatest thing- so did we all, but Trevor took it to another level and wore his Raiders gear more than ever.”
Tragically, LaPlante was killed on July 22, 2024.
He was 52 years old.
His accused killer’s preliminary inquiry is set for March of next year, while LaPlante’s family and the community have rallied for justice in his memory.
“It was brutal,” Mapes recalled of the shocking loss. “No family should go through that. No community should go through that. A senseless act that takes away so much from all of us.”
The Raiders honoured LaPlante’s memory in a special ceremony on the night of their season-opening match against the Regina Pats.
Not only has his favourite section been dedicated to his memory, but two season tickets in his name will also be shared among staff, volunteers and families utilizing local Ronald McDonald House services.
Additionally, the team raised $10,000 in a special 50/50 for Ronald McDonald House Saskatchewan.
The organization provides spaces for families with children receiving medical treatment in Saskatchewan- including the Ronald McDonald Family Room in Prince Albert’s Victoria Hospital.
Efforts to build a Ronald McDonald House in Prince Albert that would provide families with an affordable, comforting place to stay while a child is in hospital are currently underway.
“The Ronald McDonald House thing, that’s another level. Nobody expected that,” Malenfant added. “I think that’s just fantastic. One of his (Trevor’s) favourite days of the year was McHappy Day (which supports Ronald McDonald House Charities), and that’s when he got to showcase his restaurant. He would be smiling up there right now just knowing that somehow he made a difference that way.”
“It was a good moment to all be on the ice together after the game and take that photo with the cheque,” Mapes added. “There was lots of tears, lots of hugs, and I’m sure Trevor was up there watching all of it.”
And every time LaPlante’s beloved team wins a game- or even another WHL Championship- the team and the fans can still look to the stands and see LaPlante’s smiling face- commemorated in a space where he found so many happy memories.
