BC Hockey Hall to add four

Photo: Contributed

The BC Hockey Hall of Fame inductee reception will take place on Thursday in Naramata, honouring the four new members who will be inducted the following day.

The private reception takes place at Red Rooster Winery from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. A shuttle to and from the venue will be available at the Penticton Lakeside Resort beginning at 4:30 p.m.

This year's class includes former pro players Willie Mitchell, Scott Hannan, Gerry Sillers and the 1979-80 Burnaby Lakers.

Hannan, who was born in Surrey and raised in Richmond, played three years with the Kelowna Rockets before being a first-round NHL draft in 1997 to the San Jose Sharks. The defenceman played 1,055 NHL games in parts of 16 seasons.

Mitchell, a blueliner from Port McNeill, played parts of 16 NHL seasons with six teams, including four years with the Vancouver Canucks. He won Stanley Cups with the Los Angeles Kings in 2012 and 2014. His first year of junior hockey was spent in the Okanagan, with the BCHL's Kelowna Spartans in 1994-95.

Sillers played with the WHL's Vancouver Canucks in 1968-69 — two seasons before the team joined the NHL — and played four years with the Canucks' minor league affiliate, the Rochester Americans. He was the president of the Canucks Alumni Association for 28 years, and won an award in 2005 for his longtime contributions.

The 1979-80 Burnaby Lakers won the Hardy Cup that season as national Intermediate 'A' champions.

The formal induction for Hannan, Mitchell, Sillers and the 1979-80 Lakers takes place July 20 at the Penticton Lakeside Resort. Tickets are $90 for the gala which includes a dinner, and further details can be found here.