WHL Alumni heavily featured in Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024

Red Deer, Alta. – The Western Hockey League was well represented at the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame (AHHF) Gala on Saturday, July 20.

Held at the Gary W. Harris Centre in Red Deer, Alta., WHL icons Jarome Iginla, Dave King, and Kelly Kisio, along with hockey trailblazer Shannon Szabados, and the Memorial Cup-winning, 2000-01 Red Deer Rebels were honoured as members of the incoming Class of 2024.

Iginla enters the AHHF following a famed hockey career at both the WHL and NHL levels. An alumnus of the Kamloops Blazers, Iginla is a two-time WHL Champion and Memorial Cup Champion – scooping up the set of titles in back-to-back seasons (1994 and 1995). Before he took his talents to the National League, Iginla honed his craft with the Blazers for three seasons. In 183 appearances, he boasted 236 points (102 goals–134 assists) along with a trophy case bursting with individual achievements. At the conclusion of his third and final season in the WHL, Iginla was named the recipient of the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s Player of the Year. The Blazers’ legend boasted posted an impressive 136 points (63 goals–73 assists) in 63 games to claim the prestigious award.

The story was no different when the junior hockey superstar jumped into the professional ranks. From 1996 to 2017, Iginla spent his days lighting the lamp regularly. And, as the dust settled following his 21-season career, the sharpshooter hung up the skates with 1,300 career points (625 goals–675 assists) in tow. He is a recipient of the King Clancy Trophy (NHL Leadership-Humanitarian Award), the Ted Lindsay Award (NHL MVP Award selected by the NHLPA), the NHL’s Mark Messier Leadership Award, the Art Ross Trophy (NHL Most Points, and is a two-time winner of the Maurice Richard Trophy (NHL Most Goals). Iginla was also inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame alongside the Class of 2020.

Hockey Alberta also celebrated Dave King’s illustrious 40-plus-year coaching career at this year’s AHHF gala. Before King was behind the bench for NHL clubs and international tournaments, the North Battleford, Sask. local was taking command of teams in the then-WCHL. He was first found behind the bench of the Saskatoon Blades, serving as an assistant coach in 1976-77, before he took the title of head coach for the Billings Bighorns from 1977-79.

King was an early recipient of the WHL’s Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy for Coach of the Year, as he tied Victoria Cougars’ head coach Jack Shupe for the award in the 1977-78 season. It was during that season that King commanded the Bighorns to the WCHL Final. King went on to have stints as a bench boss in the National League, and leading Team Canada in several international tournaments. He retired from his life of coaching as a two-time medal winner at the Olympic Games.

When it comes to the long list of past and present WHL executives, Kelly Kisio is among the best. Having acted as the general manager, and, at times, the head coach for the Calgary Hitmen over a 15-season span, Kisio helped transform the franchise into one of the most successful organizations in WHL history. Through his guidance and insight, the Hitmen were crowned WHL Champions in 1998-99 and 2009-10. Kisio, a product of Wetaskiwin, Alta., was also a two-time recipient of Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s Executive of the Year (2004 and 2009).

His playing days were not too shabby either. Before turning to a life of hockey operations and management, Kisio was a crafty forward. First taking to the ice with the then-Calgary Wranglers, Kisio was awarded the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s Rookie of the Year in 1978-79. In his 70 appearances with the club that season, the junior hockey great recorded 121 points (60 goals–61 assists). After a two-season stint with the Wranglers, he took his talents to the NHL. Kisio played a total of 13 seasons in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, and Calgary Flames. From 1987-91, the forward held the mantle of captain for the Rangers organization.

“It’s an honour to be associated with some of the people going in here, like Jarome, and Dave, and Shannon, and Billy,” Kisio shared in an interview with Hitmen TV.

“I’m very happy.”

Rounding out the list of WHL alumni to recently enter the AHHF is trailblazer and women’s hockey legend, Shannon Szabados. In 2002, Szabados made WHL history by becoming the first woman to play a game in the WHL. She took the crease for four exhibition games with the Tri-City Americans at just 16 years old. With Szabados on their pre-season roster, the Americans short-lived netminding tandem consisted of women’s hockey pioneer Szabados and future Vezina Trophy winner, Carey Price.

After her stint in the Western League, Szabados went on to tend the crease for Team Canada. For the next 15-plus years, the netminder would rack up countless medals at the international level. She enters the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame as a two-time Olympic gold medalist, an IIHF Women’s World Champion, and a two-time nomination for Best Goaltender and the Olympic Games.

It was only fitting to have the 2000-01 Red Deer Rebels inducted into the AHHF in the same year the annual gala returned to the city of Red Deer. The 2000-01 WHL season was a memorable one for the Rebels franchise as it marked the first time the Club was crowned WHL Champions and Memorial Cup winners. On the 35th anniversary of the WHL, the Rebels, led by bench boss Brent Sutter, headed into the 2001 WHL Playoffs after capturing the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as the League’s regular season champions. The team, spurred on by leading scorer Justin Mapletoft, made quick work of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Calgary Hitmen, and Swift Current Broncos to meet the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL Championship. After toppling the Winterhawks in five games, the Rebels hoisted the Ed Chynoweth Cup in franchise history.

However, the job was not done for Red Deer, as they travelled to Regina, Sask., for the 83rd Memorial Cup. It was at the year-end tournament where the Rebels posted a round-robin record of 2-1, capturing a spot in the Memorial Cup Final. On May 27, 2001, the Rebels hoisted the Memorial Cup for the first time, defeating the QMJHL’s Val D’Or Foreurs in an overtime classic. The tournament-clinching goal came off the stick of Doug Lynch.

“We had size and skill. We could win 1-0, we could win 6-5, we could go play in the back alley and get into the nitty-gritty of the game too,” shared Red Deer Rebels alumnus, Colby Armstrong, at the gala.

“It was a really special group.”