The Town of Fort Frances has a new set of Hall of Famers.
After the evening was kicked off with an Honour Song by the Rainy Lake Drum and the singing of the National Anthem by Cassandra Armstrong, Fort Frances Mayor Andrew Hallikas greeted those in attendance at the fifth Fort Frances Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held at La Place Rendez-Vous on Saturday, August 9, 2025.
Hallikas praised the inductees for their athletic prowess but also for their continued legacies.
“Sport has a unique and powerful way of bringing a community together,” Hallikas said.
“Here in Fort Frances, we have always rallied behind our athletes, coaches, officials and teams. Whether it’s a packed arena, a lively gymnasium or a cheering crowd braving the elements on a sports field. We show up because of the power of sport to lift our spirits and bring us closer together, to unite us as a community and to celebrate our champions.”
Inductions into the Sports Hall of Fame were conducted alphabetically, with Gary Beck starting off the evening’s honorees.
Beck was named to the Hall of Fame for his ice hockey prowess, having played on two NAIA championship teams with the St. Scholastica Saints.
Beck thanked those who helped him get to play hockey at such a high level.
“I accept the honour and must thank every teammate I have had the honour to play with through Fort Frances Minor Hockey, Fort Frances High Muskies, International Falls Broncos and the College of St. Scholastica Saints,” Beck said.
“I am thankful to Kenno Christiansen for coaching me on my first all-star team Bantam B and for not accepting me handing in my sweater and socks after the first game at Bantam A when I thought I wasn’t playing enough.”
During his speech, Beck recognized Bozo Pearson, Julian Brunetta, and Bob Peters among many others.
“Last but not least I would like to thank Benny and Maxine Beck, my mom and dad for giving me the opportunity to live with my grandparents John and Dorothy Gilbertson in International Falls to chase my hockey dream. To my brother Larry, my sisters Linda Steele, Kathy Kaemingh, and Nancy Brown for their love and support throughout my hockey career. I’ll always remember this day because today is the same day as my sister Nancy and Rocky’s anniversary.”
The second athlete inducted was Erin (McIvor) Howe, who becomes the first female hockey player inducted into the Hall of Fame. In his introduction, Hall of Fame emcee Scott Fawcett called Howe a trailblazer.
“Given all of the prominent young women who have followed in her footsteps, I have a funny feeling she will be the first of many female hockey players to be inducted into the Hall of Fame,” he said.
Howe started by thanking her Hall of Fame nominator.
“First I’d like send a big thank-you to Mr. John Pierce [for the] nomination as well as the committee for this incredible honour,” she said.
“When I first heard the news, I was genuinely surprised. There’s so many deserving athletes in our community. I never thought that I would be recognized in this way, especially since I didn’t really light up the stat sheet when it came to my playing days, unless you were talking about penalty minutes.”
Howe praised the community for giving her the opportunity to play hockey.
“Growing up, I never saw myself as a girl playing boys hockey. I was just a kid who loved the game. Hockey was my passion, and Fort Frances gave me every opportunity to chase it,” she said.
“When I left home to attend York University, I took a piece of Fort Frances with me. In fact, for four years, I was affectionately referred to as ‘Frannie,’ a nickname given to me by my teammates and reminded me daily of where I came from. I owe a lot to the Fort Frances Girls and Women’s Hockey Association. It was through that organization that I began to develop the leadership skills that eventually led me to being named an assistant captain at York (University), that experience shaped me, not only as a player, but as a person. We’ve certainly come a long way from beginning dressed in boiler rooms and broom closets.”
Howe went on to thank her parents and children as well.
“I also need to thank my parents, Stuart and Theresa, for their unwavering support throughout my minor hockey and varsity hockey careers, from early morning practices to long road trips, they were always there. If it hadn’t been for their involvement in the creation of the Fort Frances Girls and Women’s Hockey Association, I probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to pursue University hockey. And who can forget those countless hours spent with me on the East End rink. To my own children, thank you for letting me relive the magic of the game through your eyes. Sharing hockey with you has brought me more joy than I have ever imagined.”
Hall of Fame inductee Elov Seger passed away at the young age of 27 from a brain tumour in 1967. Seger was represented at the Hall of Fame induction by a number of family and friends, including Seger’s nephew Konrad Sobkowicz who was on hand to accept the induction on his uncles’ behalf.
“It’s an honour to accept this award on behalf of the Seger family and a special thanks to Bill Selman for nominating Elov,” Sobkowicz said.
“If there’s anyone who can attest to Elov’s ability as an athlete it would be Bill. They were very close friends growing up. I also would like to thank Terry Ogden for his commitment in getting Elov inducted. Special thanks to all the cousins that travelled from out of town to be here. To all the family members that aren’t with us today I just want to say ‘he made it.’ He is gone but not forgotten, he lives in our hearts and in our memories.”
Inducted as a builder, Rick Wiedenhoeft was a coach, athletic director and remains an official for local sports.
Wiedenhoeft recounted the events that led him to his coaching career, starting as a Phys. Ed. teacher, coach and official in Red Rock to his time in Fort Frances. Wiedenhoeft’s first thank you went to his wife, Linda.
“She allowed me to do my thing for over 50 years without whining or complaining about the long days, often gone on the weekends coaching and refereeing,” he said.
“She did this while keeping our house in order and raising two wonderful sons who are here tonight as well. Without your support, understanding, and love I guarantee you I wouldn’t be here tonight, I guarantee you. So thank you, love.”
Wiedenhoeft also thanked the student-athletes he has coached over the years.
“I’d like to say thank you to… literally, the 1000s of male and female athletes that I’ve coached to referee over the years,” he said.
“You know, sometimes you have a lousy day at work, and you come to practice at the end of the day, and you’re working with young people, young athletes who are respectful, enthusiastic, they care about the sport. They’re eager to learn. They work hard, they’re dedicated, and all of a sudden, the frustrations and the stress of the day just disappear, and you’re in your happy place. It was my happy place. And any of the coaches in the room know of what I speak because I’m sure you’ve experienced the same thing.”
The first team inducted as part of this year’s ceremony was the 1977-78 Muskie Boys Basketball team. Head coach Brad ‘Bucky’ Bodnarchuk accepted the induction on behalf of the team, recounting their exceptional season.
“As their coach, I had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the determination, heart and unity that they define, not just as athletes, but as people and friends,” Bodnarchuk said.
“This team was not just built on talent alone. It was built on practice, hard work and commitment. This team was built by trust and a huge desire to win for each other together. We had a belief that we could achieve something very special. We had adversity, we had hardships, we had setbacks, but these obstacles only made us a stronger team. This team did not just play to win the game. They elevated it. This team inspired fans, challenged opponents and left a legacy, a legacy that goes far beyond the scoreboard to the players.”
Bodnarchuk also issued thanks to his late wife, Brenda, and his son who was witness to many basketball practices as a child as well as assistant coach John Bock who was recovering from cancer, and former Times editor Rich Glennie.
The final inductee of the evening was the 1989 Fort Frances High Muskie Boys Hockey Team, which was represented at the induction by head coach Terry Ogden.
Ogden recounted how full the arena was that night with the Muskies hosting OFSAA and having reached the finals. They were forced to lock the arena doors as the fire marshal didn’t want anyone else in the building.
Ogden thanked Mayor Andrew Hallikas, who in his former job as a teacher set up a dryland training regime for the team in the fall.
“You kicked off the season teaching them how to work hard and you’d have them rolling around in the mud and other things like that,” Ogden said.
Ogden also recognized Kenno Christiansen who was a coach with the Muskie hockey program for over 30 years and saw the team to nine medals.
Ogden capped off the presentation by playing the final minutes of the gold medal game as broadcast on CFOB in Fort Frances called by John Pierce and Doug McBride.
In wrapping up the evening’s celebrations, committee member Scott Fawcet encouraged those in attendance to continue nominating great sports heroes of Fort Frances history. Forms are available at the Memorial Sports Centre.
“Don’t complain about people who aren’t in,” Fawcett told those in attendence.
“Do something about it.”
The next Fort Frances Sports Hall of Fame Induction ceremony will take place in 2028.
