By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

breaking barriers and exceptional success

Passion for province shines at 2024 Alberta Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony

May 24, 2024 | 9:10 PM

What does it mean to be inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame?

That was the primary question for inductees who officially made their way into the Hall Friday night in Red Deer, where the facility (ASHOF) is located.

An induction ceremony was held at Red Deer Polytechnic, celebrating the accomplishments of 12 very accomplished athletes and sport builders.

Robert Utendale, son of the late great Dr. John Utendale, who was one of the first to break the colour barrier in the NHL during the 1950s, says his father would’ve appreciated being inducted into his home province’s Hall of Fame the most.

“Growing up, the plan was always to come back to Canada. He was through and through a Canadian and Albertan,” says Robert of his father, who signed with the Detroit Red Wings in 1955, at a time when non-white players simply wasn’t a thing.

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“He grew up here, trained here, and played every sport under the sun, including junior hockey with the Oil Kings. Not ever having lived through his hockey career, it was interesting whenever we were around people from or in Alberta, because they’d recognize my name.”

From Edmonton, Utendale was, in recent years, inducted into the Western Washington University Hall of Fame, where he taught for three decades after getting his doctorate. He was also recognized by the NHL’s Seattle Kraken and Edmonton Oilers during Black History Month, and acknowledged by the Washington State Legislature. He was inducted last year into the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame.

Utendale, who passed in 2006, was passionate about helping people achieve their best, his son says. He earned national recognition as a professor and was a pioneer in not just hockey, but in education and civil rights.

Dr. John Utendale’s son Robert Utendale (right), and wife Mickey Utendale, at the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Red Deer on May 24, 2024. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

In 1992, Drumheller and Morin, Alberta’s Patrick Jarvis showcased his talent at the Paralympic Games in Barcelona, competing fiercely in the 800 metre and 1,500 metre races. He went on to become a team manager, and served as chef de mission at the 1998 Paralympic Games in Nagano.

“It’s an incredible honour to join the alumni who’ve previously been inducted, because many are individuals who have been my direct mentors, or folks I saw as a mentor from a distance,” says Jarvis, who at the age of eight, suffered a workplace accident in a butchery that caused him to lose his left arm.

“Sport is important, and sport is important for everyone,” he says. “That for me means athletes with disabilities, but my legacy is around opportunity and equity for everyone, regardless of gender, race, creed, ability or disability. We have come a long way, but there’s still much to be done.”

Jarvis currently serves with the Canadian Paralympic Committee, and is a member of the Order of Canada.

Olympian Patrick Jarvis, who goes into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame as a Paralympic builder. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

Then there’s Ken Hitchcock, whom many will know for his illustrious career as an NHL head coach with the Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues.

A Stanley Cup champion (1999) and Olympic Gold Medallist (2010), the Edmonton native’s favourite Alberta memories are from his time with the Sherwood Park U18 AAA Chain Gang during the early 1970s.

The team, under Hitchcock’s tutelage, accumulated an otherworldly record of 575 wins and 69 losses over 12 years.

“I’m a product of so many people who volunteered their time. For me to follow my passion, I needed a lot of help; I needed people at the community level, in minor hockey, in junior. When I got to be a professional coach, I needed even more,” Hitchcock told rdnewsNOW.

“I learned valuable lessons when I started, including that if you’re going to gather information, you better be prepared to share it. That’s what a builder does — shares his expertise. I promised the people of this province, especially guys I coached in university hockey, that I’d share with anyone who needed it. I owed that to minor hockey and volunteer coaching.”

Stanley Cup champion, Olympic Gold Medalist, and coach of the illustrious Sherwood Park AAA Chain Gang, Ken Hitchcock, was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in Red Deer on May 24, 2024. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

Enter Shelley Vettese-Baert, another Edmontonian who is the first ever taekwondo athlete to be inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.

Vettese-Baert took up the sport at 25, and has competed for 40 years, including in a world championship as recently as two years ago.

A sixth-degree black belt, she won bronze at the 1990 World Cup in Spain, silver at the 1991 edition in Yugoslavia, and then bronze at the 1992 Olympics, among others. In 2011, she became the first Canadian medalist at the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Russia, then repeated in 2013 in Indonesia.

“It’s a huge honour, but also a very humbling experience to be in there with previous hall of famers. I’ve visited and it’s inspiring. I think more sports boards have to become aware of the athletes and builders they have in their discipline, and look to nominate people,” she says.

“Taekwondo is a total passion. I haven’t missed a day in 40 years. It’s a lifelong thing.”

Vettese-Baert is also a member of the Canadian Taekwondo Hall of Fame.

Shelley Vettese-Baert, the first ever taekwondo athlete in the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

Tom Three Persons, who was from the Kainai Nation, sent shockwaves through the rodeo community when he won the saddle bronc at the 1912 rodeo world championships — also known as the inaugural Calgary Stampede.

He was the sole Canadian to win in a timed event at the competition, solidifying his place as a trailblazer in Indigenous athletics.

Three Persons was inducted into the Canadian Professional Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1983, and then in 2007 was put into the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. In 2016, he was named to the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame.

“This means everything, and it should’ve been done a long time ago,” says Roy Three Persons, one of Tom’s three grandsons, along with Sheldon and Wendell, who were on hand with other family to represent him.

Roy, Wendell and Sheldon Three Persons spoke lovingly and proudly Friday night about their rodeo world champion grandfather and new Alberta Sports Hall of Fame inductee Tom Three Persons. (Contributed)

“Our grandfather was the first world champion. It means everything to our family, and it’s absolutely incredible. I’m sure he’s watching over us and that he’s happy we’re representing him. We don’t go out and start bragging about our grandfather, but our community is aware and they’re very happy.”

Tom Three Persons died in 1949.

The 2024 class also includes volleyball builder Theresa Maxwell, handball builder Julius Fodor, Paralympic builder Ozzie Sawicki, athletics builder Ron Thompson, horse racing athlete Chris McGregor, curling builder Darwin Davidiuk, and alpine skiing builder Darrel MacLachlan.

Their bios can be found here. Learn more at albertasportshall.ca.

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