The Bobby Orr Hall of Fame has announced its second group of inductees. The class of 2004 will be officially inducted during a celebration here on June 10, 2005. The six inductees, all with strong ties to Orr’s home town, range from the world of ladies golf and the original beginnings of the National Hockey League to the growing popularity of ‘Canada’s game’ at the American collegiate level.
 
Bobby Orr took part in the announcement and offered his congratulations to former NHLers Neil Belland, Floyd Thomson, and Dave Burrows, outstanding golfer Lynn Hurd, international hockey ‘builder’ Bill Beagan, and relatives of the late Frank Carson, who was a Stanley Cup champion in 1926.

"These are great citizens from our community," said Orr. "I congratulate them not just on their selection for induction into the hall of fame, but for what they’ve accomplished to earn the respect of their family, friends, and colleagues who have put forward their nominations. We’re all looking forward to next summer’s official induction ceremony. That’s when we’ll truly honour these people for their outstanding accomplishments."

Orr made it clear that the Hall of Fame is meant to celebrate all of his home community’s sporting achievements.

"Dave, Floyd, Neil, Lynn, Bill, Frank... they’ve all earned their place in our hall of fame. This is the community’s way of saying how proud we are of them. They all deserve this recognition."

The inductees were officially announced by three-time Stanley Cup winner and Olympic medalist Terry Crisp, who was inducted into the hall as a member of the founding class in 2004. He and Orr congratulated the inductees on their selection during the awards dinner for the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame Golf Classic held on July 9 at the Georgian Bay waterfront sports and entertainment facility.

"Being inducted into a hall of fame, especially one in your own home town, and even more special than that, one named after one of the greatest athletes in sports is an honour, and especially so for a local boy," Crisp said about his own induction. "I will take this opportunity on behalf of the first group of inductees to congratulate and welcome the newest selections for the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame."

The inductees earned their place in the hall of fame through outstanding athletic accomplishments and/or support as builders in the world of sports.


About Parry Sound & the Charles W. Stockey Centre

Parry Sound is a town of 6,000 people located on a deep and well protected Georgian Bay port that attracts visiting cruise ships from abroad as well as cruising boaters from around the Great Lakes. The harbour is now home to the newly opened Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts and Bobby Orr Hall of Fame. It was officially opened during the summer of 2003, and annual inductions into the hall are now expected to take place.

This multi-million dollar facility sits on the Georgian Bay shoreline with a western exposure overlooking the Big Sound. The international hockey legend is the community’s most famous son, and the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame has quickly become a popular attraction. A great place for children and sports fans of all ages, the hall includes trophies and memorabilia from the career of hockey’s greatest player, as well as interactive games to clock your slap shot or put you in net to face an automated puck-firing machine.

The year-round centre also includes a 480-seat concert hall with outstanding acoustics, and it attracts international-class performers from around the world. From mid-July to early August the centre is home to Canada’s acclaimed Festival of the Sound, a presentation of chamber music that also offers choral, brass, piano, winds, strings, and jazz music.