Allison proud to accept son’s honour

It was a moment that would have made any mother teary-eyed.
Joan Allison was more than glad to accept on behalf of her son, Mike, when the Fort Frances native and 11-year NHL veteran formally was inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in Thunder Bay on Sept. 27.
She just wasn’t sure she would be able to keep herself together.
“It was absolutely overwhelming,” recalled Allison, who had to take her son’s place at the ceremony because of his mandatory attendance at a two-week training seminar related to his job with Canada Customs here.
“Mike had sent an e-mail for me to read at the presentation,” she noted. “I managed to get through that, but when it came time to add a few anecdotes about him, I just couldn’t do it.
“I had to sit down.”
The e-mail spoke about the younger Allison’s gratefulness for the support of his family and other people behind the scenes who helped him get as far as he did in his hockey career.
It was a common theme for the evening.
“The wrestler that came up after me that was being inducted [Thunder Bay native George Saunders] went to the podium and said, “Well, Mike Allison just stole my entire speech,’” laughed Joan.
As was done for each of the athletes at the induction ceremony, a three-minute video montage of Allison’s achievements was shown to the audience, followed by the presentation of a plaque bearing his likeness that will hang in the hall.
A miniature version also was given to each inductee to keep.
Although the mood of the evening was drenched in celebration, it was a double disappointment for the Allison family that Mike’s dad, Bill, also couldn’t attend the ceremony due to his battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
“I know Bill would have enjoyed it very much, had he been able to attend and comprehend what was going on,” Joan Allison said, her voice quivering with emotion.