The Milton Sports Hall of Fame (MSHOF) will be inducting five new members this year!
Announced on Wednesday morning, the seventh induction class will feature two ‘builders’ and three ‘athletes’. For the second time in three years, two women will be recognized in the same class, increasing the number of female inductees in the Hall to seven overall.
“The Milton Sports Hall of Fame is pleased to welcome five new outstanding inductees who have put Milton on the map, both on the field of play and off it,” says Joe Yaworski, Chairman of the Milton Sports Hall of Fame. “Since our first inductee class in 2016, we have been blessed with successive classes of incredible athletes, builders and teams year after year, and the Class of 2023 is no exception.”
A series of voting rounds took place in May and June, until a final vote was held at a recent meeting of the Board of Directors in Milton, where nominations submitted by the wider public were assessed and examined.
This is the seventh induction class elected by the MSHOF, with 31 previous inductees having been bestowed with Milton’s highest athletic honour.
In the builder category, two nominations were elevated to inductee status:
In the winter season of 1980-81 the “team from Milton” made their debut in a hockey tournament in eastern Ontario. The group was a mix of players of varying ability however, they banded together to find success in their first tournament as a team.
Besides their athletic ability what was more apparent was the group’s desire to make a difference in the community. Led by Bruce Dolson who provided hockey equipment to the entire team in the form of a sponsorship, the team made a commitment to find ways to raise funds to donate to local community institutions of health and care, sports teams, as well as organizations and individual causes.
Since 1981, The Milton Oldstars Hockey Club has remained dedicated to that original vision via an annual invitational charity hockey and golf tournament. In all, the donations made by the club have now exceeded $1 million and the group has represented Milton in many parts of Ontario.
Dan Loiselle started working for The Ontario Jockey Club on August 1, 1967 and for almost 30 years was the voice of Canadian horse racing. In that role, his unique grasp of quickly developing storylines within an event was very evident. Clarity, accuracy, comedic jargon, and a sure grasp of improvisation were staples when Dan was at the mic.
Loiselle’s dedication to his craft was always evident, whether he was calling a weeknight race or announcing the Queen’s Plate on national television.
Loiselle retired a year ago from The Ontario Jockey Club and Woodbine Entertainment after an incredible 48 years in the industry (19 years in the standardbred division and 29 years in the thoroughbred division).
Over his career Loiselle announced more than 55,000 thoroughbred races, 28 editions of the Queen’s Plate and called the first million-dollar race in 1988.
Loiselle was recently honoured at the Milton Chamber of Commerce 14th Annual Sports Celebrity Dinner and Auction.
In the athlete category, the Hall of Fame elected three nominees for induction:
David Anderson began bowling with his grandfather in St. Lambert, Quebec at the age of nine and started competing at the age of 12. He won his maiden provincial event at the age of 16, which earned him his first of many trips to the Canadian National Championships.
Anderson moved to Milton in 2000 and chose the town primarily because of the Milton Lawn Bowling Club, which he felt was progressive and welcoming to his ideas for promoting lawn bowling as a true sport.
Anderson has mastered all the various disciplines of lawn bowling, which is evident by the numerous provincial and Canadian medals he has won in each discipline.
Anderson was on the Canadian National Team from 2000-2010 which allowed him to compete at the highest level against the best players from around the world.
Anderson was inducted into the Ontario Hall of Fame for Lawn Bowling in 2019, but his time competing is far from over. Now in his late 50’s, he continues collect medals at both the provincial and national levels.
Leigh Armstrong started curling at the Milton Curling Club in the late 1980’s and quickly became enthralled in the sport. Amstrong participated in novice bonspiels within the club and started touring to other clubs to participate in inter-club bonspiels.
Armstrong’s love for the sport only grew as she was a staple at the local club sparing and participating on the ice as much as possible. Her name became known within the greater curling community in time for bantam and junior curling where she played second, winning three Ontario Junior Women Championships.
From there, Armstrong joined Team Sherry Middaugh at the lead position and had much success on the World Curling Tour winning many tournaments and travelling across the world.
Her goal was to represent Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and her dream was almost realized. Armstrong’s team lost in the gold medal final at the 2013 Roar of the Rings Olympic Trials in Winnipeg to Team Jennifer Jones, the eventual Olympic gold medallist.
Born in 1924, Mildred “Millie” Evans was one of three children of Fannie Cowan and Alfred Evans. Evans attended Bruce Street School and Milton High School where she was always an outstanding athlete taking part in various school-related sports.
However, Evans’ true love came on the bowling alley. She was named the top female Five-Pin Bowler of the Century by the Ontario Masters Bowling Association (MBA). Over three decades on the circuit Evans racked up the accolades. She held a 250-point average and enjoyed the rare feat of a perfect game in 1970 with the Olympia Mixed Major League.
Evans was at her best when it counted the most, winning 13 Masters Tournament titles – a record that still stands today. She was inducted into the Canadian 5-Pin Bowlers’ Hall of Fame in 1986 and is a recipient of nine Ontario Bowling Championships between 1955-1972.
Traditionally, the Milton Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony has been held at the Milton Sports Centre. A change for this year is in the works, with ceremony and Inductee Panel Unveilings tentatively scheduled for Thursday, November 16th at the FirstOntario Arts Centre Milton.
Online ticket sales will open later this summer and will be publicly announced. More information is expected to be released soon, and updated can be followed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the Hall’s website.