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![\"Mike](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4296938_web1_HockeyHallofFameInductees_MikeSudoma_June9_2026-6.JPG\")
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Mike Sudoma \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
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The 1975-1989 Canadian Polish Athletic Club Women’s Team was announced as the Class of 2026 Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame dynasty team Tuesday at the Hockey For All Centre.<\/p>\n
She was a founding member of the women\u2019s hockey team built through the Canadian Polish Athletic Club, which first hit the ice in 1975 and will be enshrined in the \u201cdynasty\u201d category.<\/p>\n
The CPAC squad involved a core group of young players from the Border Community Club who had been playing together since childhood. They secured funding, began organizing late night outdoor practices and faced plenty of challenges, including small rosters.<\/p>\n
They began to dominate women\u2019s hockey in the province \u2014 winning eight consecutive city championships \u2014 and even through Western Canada, which was lagging far behind the men\u2019s game at the time.<\/p>\n
They represented Manitoba at the Western Canadian Championships for five straight years, reaching the final each time and winning twice. They also were frequent competitors in the Sweetheart Tournament in North Battleford, Sask., and played in the first-ever National Women\u2019s Hockey Championships in Brantford, Ont.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to think we were pioneers,\u201d said Lower, who was joined on Tuesday by a dozen other former teammates and marvelled at the current state of the women\u2019s game.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow you look at things and it\u2019s just go, go go. It\u2019s been awesome to see where hockey has gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
PLAYER CATEGORY:<\/p>\n
Arron Asham: From his hometown Portage Terriers of the MJHL to parts of 12 NHL seasons on five different teams, Asham was as tough as they come. He now continues to support and promote hockey within Indigenous communities in Central Manitoba.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Mike Sudoma \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Former professional hockey player Jordy Douglas hosted the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2026 inductees ceremony at Hockey For All Centre on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Ken Baumgartner: A 12-year NHL career with five different teams was followed up by earning a business and finance degree from Hofstra University and serving as NHLPA vice-president, then later completing an MBA at Harvard.<\/p>\n Larry Brown: The Brandon product spent 10 years in the NHL, with the majority of it patrolling the blue line for the Los Angeles Kings during the 1970s.<\/p>\n Delaney Collins: A terrific defender from Pilot Mound who attended Notre Dame College in Saskatchewan, then embarked on an outstanding university career with Concordia and the University of Alberta before turning pro. She is the coach of the Hungarian national women\u2019s hockey team and a skills coach for the IIHF and the Nashville Jr. Predators.<\/p>\n Mike Leclerc: The Winnipegger starred with the Victoria Cougars and Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL, ultimately getting drafted by Anaheim \u2014 and spent five years playing with the likes of Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya. Also played for Phoenix and Calgary.<\/p>\n Bryce Salvador: Another Brandon native, the shutdown defenceman played 14 seasons with the St. Louis Blues and New Jersey Devils where he still works now as a television studio analyst and rinkside reporter for home broadcasts.<\/p>\n 1968\/69 Flin Flon Bombers: Led by future NHLers Bobby Clarke and Reggie Leach, they dominated junior hockey for several years in Western Canada, including a national championship that spring over the St. Thomas Barons.<\/p>\n GRASSROOTS CATEGORY:<\/p>\n Don Bouchard: The Fisher Branch resident helped build the sport in his community, including forming the Fisher Branch Blades for the Interlake Hockey League in 1969. He spent 15 years serving as captain, leading scorer and team president.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Mike Sudoma \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Bob Caldwell is applauded Tuesday as he is announced as a builder inductee into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2026.<\/p>\n Ivan Strain: The pride of Boissevain has been bringing games to life for more than half a century, with a broadcasting career dating back to 1973 on CJRB radio.<\/p>\n BUILDER CATEGORY:<\/p>\n Bob Caldwell: The long-time high school teacher from Deloraine has done just about everything imaginable in the game \u2014 from coaching little kids, NCAA players and a national team in Poland to creating Hockey Canada\u2019s National Coach Mentorship Program and working with future bench bosses in Romania and Russia.<\/p>\n Caldwell has also worked with the IIHF as a skills instructor. He has also contributed to Hockey Canada\u2019s national programs, including serving as a skills coach for the under-17 development program.<\/p>\n He also founded the Deloraine Breakfast Club in 2004 \u2014 a weekly program that combines skill development with a welcoming environment for players of all ages, with similar programs now operating in other provinces and internationally.<\/p>\n In addition to coaching, Caldwell has held leadership roles within the sport, including chair of Sport Manitoba\u2019s Advisory Board and positions with Hockey Canada\u2019s coaching and safety initiatives. His contributions have been recognized with several honours, including the Gordon Juckes Award in 2015 and Hockey Manitoba\u2019s Volunteer of the Year in 2012.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cThe neat thing about hockey is all the opportunities,\u201d said Caldwell. \u201cI\u2019m very honoured by this. It\u2019s a very prestigious group to be a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n OFFICIAL CATEGORY:<\/p>\n Ryan Galloway: The former minor-hockey league official \u2014 who jokes that he started working at the age of 12 in St. James in exchange for hot chocolate and hot dogs \u2014 went on to have a 22-year NHL career as a linesman spanning 1,409 games. That includes the first-ever 2.0 Jets game in 2011 and the 2016 NHL Heritage Classic in his hometown. He now serves as an officiating coach with the NCHC, mentoring and evaluating officials at the NCAA Division I level.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Mike Sudoma \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Referee Ryan Galloway smiles as he is announced as an inductee into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame Tuesday.<\/p>\n VETERAN CATEGORY:<\/p>\n Percy Galbraith: Known to friends and colleagues as \u201cPerk,\u201d the Toronto-born, Winnipeg-raised Galbraith made it to the NHL and was a member of the \u201cThunderbolt Line\u201d on the Boston Bruins along with Marty Barry and Harry Oliver, winning the Stanley Cup in 1929.<\/p>\n MEDIA CATEGORY:<\/p>\n Patti Dawn Swansson: Swansson began her journalism career at the Winnipeg Tribune in 1969 as a mailroom clerk and copy runner, eventually becoming a sportswriter and columnist who covered the Jets during the World Hockey Association and 1.0 era days. She moved on to the Winnipeg Sun in 1986, staying there until 1999.<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/mikemcintyre<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Mike McIntyre Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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