NEWS RELEASE
PENETANGUISHENE SPORTS HALL OF FAME
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The Penetanguishene Sports Hall of Fame is pleased to announce its 2023 Inductees into the Sports Hall of Fame. The four athletes and one team will be enshrined at a dinner and ceremony to be held on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023 in the Brian Orser Hall at the Penetanguishene Memorial Arena.
The Penetanguishene Sports Hall of Fame has been in existence since 1987. This will be its 18th Induction Dinner and Ceremony. With these newest Inductees, the Penetanguishene Sports Hall of Fame will now boast 81 Inductees. These include 40 Athletes, 11 Teams, and 30 Builders, for a total of 280 individuals.
Tickets for the event will be $70 each and available through Waxy Gregoire at 705 549-7912 or 705 528-9230. Don’t hesitate, as the the induction dinner always sells within a week or two.
1994 Toanche Fastball Team - Team
Under the tutelage of coaches Larry Patenaude, Lonnie Lewis and Fred Paterson, these young men won the 1994 OASA provincial Junior C Men’s Championship in Merlin, Ontario. They did so by defeating Goderich, Colborne, and Merlin twice without losing a single game. It was the culmination of a team that had grown up, played and developed into a powerhouse together.
Players were Grant Patterson, Roy Patenaude, Mike Marchand, Tim Maheu, Don Pilon, Joel Robitaille, Art Duval, Rob Johnston, Jason Phillips, Sean Hook, Steve Lafreniere, Todd Weatherell, Greg Cadeau, Steve Dubeau, Tim Ronald, Darren Kaus and Chris Leonard.
Bruce Hook - Athlete
Born in Penetanguishene, Bruce Hook emerged out of the late 1940s Penetang Minor Hockey system to be a much sought-after All-Star goaltender in the area. Besides toiling for the Midland Huskies Jr C team, the Collingwood Shipbuilders, and the Elmvale Harvesters, Hook would be instrumental and be the backbone of provincial championship teams, such as the Collingwood Greenshirts Jr. C team in 1950, and the Bracebridge Bears Intermediate B team in 1953.
Andre Benoit - Athlete
Having moved to Penetanguishene from St. Albert, Ontario, Andre played one year with the Penetang Jr. C Kings before going to the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL Jr. A team where he led them to a Memorial Cup win in 2003. He would turn pro with the Hamilton Bulldogs where he would win a Calder Cup and win a second Calder Cup later with Binghamton. He played hockey for various teams in Europe, and would win a Spengler Cup with Team Canada. He would amass almost 300 games in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues and the Buffalo Sabres.
John Dubeau - Athlete
Born and raised in Penetanguishene, John excelled at many sports. As a high school coach of many sports, it was on the tennis courts where he would be instrumental in developing a young 10-year-old tennis sensation Anne Merkley to the junior girls Canadian Tennis championship in 1975. As a senior player in his own right, John represented Ontario at many Canadian championships with various doubles partners. With his brother Brian, he won a silver and two bronze. In 2022, he reached the pinnacle of success as he and partner Earl Bachman of Midland, won the Canadian doubles tennis 75+ gold medal in Kamloops, B.C.
Melissa Lacroix - Athlete
Born in Penetanguishene, Melissa played on minor hockey boy’s rep teams. She joined the Toronto Aeros and won a provincial women’s junior championship in 2006 and an intermediate women’s title. Following a gold medal in 2007 with Team Ontario at the Canada Winter Games, she received a scholarship to attend Mercyhurst University where she starred for five years. Graduating with a Master’s degree in Exercise Science and Athletic Training, she embarked on a career as a physiologist with the Vancouver Canucks, and the Canadian Sports Institute. In this role, she led many Canadian teams to the PanAm Games, and the world Paralympics with Wheelchair Rugby Canada.
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