91探花

PLEASE NOTE: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11. The reception begins at 11:00 am in the 91探花 Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre. Lunch is served at 11:30 am.

The 91探花 announced today that four hockey icons, Jack Kane Sr., his son Jack Kane Jr., Billy MacMillan, and Vince Mulligan, will be inducted into the 91探花 Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday, February 9, 2017.

Jack Kane Sr., who will be inducted posthumously, was revered as a head coach in the forties and fifties for 91探花鈥檚 founding institution, Saint Dunstan鈥檚 University. The younger inductees started playing with the Saint Dunstan Saints and then each went on to coach after their playing careers. Jack Kane Jr. coached the Saints from 1965-69, and counted Mulligan and MacMillan on his roster, while Mulligan and MacMillan also both coached, but by then, they led the 91探花 Panthers.

The induction will be part of the daylong 2017 91探花 Sports Legacy Celebration that includes a breakfast at 7:30 am in McMillan Hall at the W. A. Murphy Student Centre that honours the 2015-2016 U Sports (formerly CIS) Academic All-Canadians.

The four inductees will then formally take their place in Panther history later at the 91探花 Sports Hall of Fame Gala Reception and Dinner, which will be held in the 91探花 Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre The reception begins at 6:45 pm with dinner at 7:30 pm.

91探花 Director of Athletics Chris Huggan said, 鈥淭his is a great opportunity for all Panthers and Panther fans to recognize and celebrate the achievements of current and past Panthers, show our appreciation to those who support our student-athletes, and showcase many of our varsity teams.鈥�

Tickets for the U Sports Academic All-Canadians Breakfast are $10 each, while tickets for the 91探花 Sports Hall of Fame Gala are $50 each. Tickets to both events can be purchased in person at Panther Central at the Sports Centre or by calling 902-566-0368.

The 91探花 Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 2001 to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the athletic programs at the 91探花, Saint Dunstan's University, or Prince of Wales College. Each year, individual athletes, teams, and builders are inducted to honour their contributions towards the University's athletic success or community leadership.

The 91探花 Sports Legacy Celebration is a lead-up for the final regular-season home game for the 91探花 Men鈥檚 Hockey team on February 10 at 7:00 pm at MacLauchlan Arena.

About the inductees

John 鈥淛ack鈥� Hurry Kane is remembered with great affection for his coaching style. He would always offer advice, never embarrass anyone, and was always the gentleman. After a storied playing career in the Ontario Hockey Association and the Maritime Big Four League with the Charlottetown Abegweits, Kane Sr. was invited to coach Saint Dunstan鈥檚 College. In 1947, he led the Saints to the Maritime Intercollegiate League title for the first time, defeating a strong St. Francis Xavier team in the final. The next year, Saint Dunstan鈥檚 won the City League title, and was a finalist for the Maritime Intercollegiate crown. Kane Sr. gave a tremendous amount of time to minor hockey and baseball and was surely missed as a coach, official, and administrator when he passed away after a brief illness at the age of 52 in 1959.

Jack Kane Jr.鈥�s name is, as is his father鈥檚, synonymous with several sports, all of which he played at a high level: hockey, football, track and field, basketball, and baseball. He excelled in both hockey and football at Saint Dunstan鈥檚 University and later went on to coach the SDU Men鈥檚 Hockey team. Eighteen years after his father coached the team to its first Maritime conference title, Kane Jr. took the Saints on a journey that included a 10-1 season record, the Maritime championship, and runner-up status at the national championship. The only loss in league play for the 1965 squad was to St. Thomas University on the final weekend of the regular season. Hockey PEI recognized him with a life membership in 2007 for his contributions to hockey in the province. He has also been involved in the sport of golf as an administrator.

William 鈥淏illy鈥� MacMillan has achieved a level of sport success that few other Islanders have. He was a player on several provincial, regional, and national championship hockey teams, and is the owner of the coveted Olympic scroll and Stanley Cup ring. After being recruited to play at St. Michael鈥檚 College and enjoying a highly successful junior 鈥淎鈥� career, MacMillan returned to Charlottetown to pursue his academic studies, leading the Saint Dunstan鈥檚 Saints to the conference title and winning the scoring crown and the MVP award. After participating in four World Hockey Championships and winning bronze at the 1968 Olympic Winter Games, he was signed to the Toronto Maple Leafs, scoring 22 goals in his rookie season. He later was on the coaching staff of several NHL teams and then returned home to coach the 91探花 Panthers, guiding 91探花 to its last conference title in 1990-91.

Vince Mulligan was a standout performer in hockey from his earliest years at Queen Square School and throughout his University years at Saint Dunstan鈥檚, where he was both a stalwart and a dependable defenceman and forward. In his five years at SDU, Mulligan was an all-star four times, and captain for three of those years. He led the team to a Maritime championship and a national silver medal in the 1964-65 season. Mulligan really made a name for himself as a coach and builder of new programs at 91探花 where, in addition to coaching, he served as intramural director, director of recruiting, and intercollegiate coordinator. As head coach, he led the 91探花 Men鈥檚 Hockey team to three AUAA conference titles, in 1985-86, 1987-88, and 1988-89. To this day, he continues to serve as coach to the Charlottetown Hockey Mommas, a women鈥檚 recreational team that has raised thousands of dollars for breast cancer research.