It was a night of reflection for a number of people, reflecting on what they had done and where they had been.
This reflection took place during the 11th Night of Champions celebration on June 24.
The celebration saw five new inductees into the Humboldt and District Sports Hall of Fame, bringing the total of inductees to 59.
Throughout the course of the evening Kelly Bates, Jerome Engele, Brad Lauer, Wendy Toye, and the 2007-2008 Humboldt Broncos all received their place in the hall.
In addition to welcoming home five former members of the Humboldt and district community, the sports hall of fame also welcomed home a sixth member, former HCI grad Brian Munz, who introduced each of the inductees.
Sports hall of fame president Mark Seidel says bringing Munz back to help with the induction ceremony was awesome.
“Because of his personality, being a student in Humboldt and coming from Humboldt, his mom and dad still live here, to come back to our town and do the inductions in his very media professional way, it just made our evening that much better. So it was just a great thing and being a local boy was even better.”
Munz, who has a connection to most of the inductees, including Kelly Bates, Brad Lauer, and former Broncos head coach Dean Brockman, noted it was great to be able to come back and be apart of the evening.
“It’s a great opportunity to come home and see some familiar faces that I don’t get a lot of opportunity to just with how busy our winter is.”
Munz shares a large connection with Bates, as the two went to HCI together and have remained close friends, making it special for him to take part in Bates’ hall of fame induction.
Kelly Bates
Bates noted that getting up on the stage was great, because it gave him a chance to express publicly how grateful he is for his time in Humboldt.
“I had tremendous people put a lot of time in with me and I know that I would not have what I have today from my family to my job to anything without the people that helped me along the way.”
A number of former teachers, and coaches from his time in Humboldt were in attendance during the evening which was really important to Bates.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for them to hear that it does matter when you go the extra mile for people...You want them to know that what they did was appreciated.”
Of course having his family in attendance was also special because while his wife knows how he feels about her it is still nice to be able to share those feelings publicly and to share his feelings for his children as well.
“It was a great opportunity for them to see daddy up talking and I think that somewhere down the line that’ll make some kind of impact.”
Bates says having Munz in attendance was also tremendous.
“It just goes to show you those relationships matter and he’s a true friend and I’m very happy it was him here tonight.”
Jerome Engele
Engele says getting up on the stage was a nerve-racking experience, but was humbling at the same time.
“You still don’t feel that you should be in the same area as some of these people. You look at Glenn Hall you’re set in the same setting, I’m really honoured.”
Engele notes that having his family in attendance was really special, especially being able to have all three of his sisters there.
“I know that they had to give up some things that money should have went their way so they could have been able to do something but it all went to me for my hockey. So it was important for me and I wanted them to know that. So it was very touching and sort of emotional at the same time.”
Engele also got to share the moment with his co-worker with the Saskatoon Blades, Dean Brockman, as the two of them were each inducted during the evening, which was a special moment, says Engele.
“It’s good because he’s a special man… he’s a phenomenal coach and he really does a good job of surrounding himself with good people...I’m really proud to be on the same stage with him at the same time.”
Engele says he cannot thank Humboldt enough for all they done for him and his life.
Brad Lauer
Like Engele, Lauer says getting on the stage was a nerve-racking experience because of all the friends and family in attendance, but says it was fun.
“I feel honoured for a town to recognize what you’ve done in your career and not only me but all the guys who got nominated. It was a good night, it was exciting, it was emotional.”
Lauer got the opportunity to share the moment with his family and friends, and said anytime you get the chance to spend time with family it is important, especially an important moment like his induction.
“I’m very fortunate my mom and dad are still in town here. My wife and kids are able to come out and my father-in-law.”
Lauer says it is also nice to be able to come back to Humboldt and always enjoys his time with friends.
Wendy Toye
Toye says getting on the stage to be honoured by the community for her volunteer work throughout the years was an exciting moment.
Toye got to share the moment with most of her family including her children, some of her in-laws, and her sisters and their husbands.
In addition to her family coming Toye also had members of Skate Canada Saskatchewan on hand, as well as many friends.
“It’s something I’ve done for a long time and everybody’s kind of been part of it, even if they’re in the background. To have them here with me is great.”
Toye noted it was a good night and said she is still surprised she was inducted.
“The other guys have done all kinds of athletic things and I’ve just made checkmarks,” she laughed.
2007-2008 Humboldt Broncos
Former Broncos head coach Dean Brockman, who gave the induction speech on behalf of the team said he felt honoured when he took the stage.
“I think that the group of young men that I had the opportunity to coach, I was very fortunate. You just felt thankful and grateful for the opportunity that you had.”
Being able to have 14 members of the team return to enjoy the evening was a special moment, says Brockman.
“A lot of these guys kind of grew up and some of them are married and some of them have kids and you know that they’re going in the right direction. So hopefully we were a little bit of a part of that in helping them succeed in their life.”
Of course having his own family there to enjoy the moment with was also special, he says, noting they have been supporting him every step of the way through his hockey career.
“You’re only as strong as your support and their support is fairly huge.”
Seeing Engele, one of his assistant coaches with the Blades, was great as well, says Brockman, who notes he is a special guy and one who deserves to be recognized.
“He’s kind of a legend in his own right. I think what he’s given to the game of hockey, what he’s done for young men, not only in hockey but in his real job that he retired from, he’s just a very special person...he deserves to be recognized.”
Overall evening
Overall, Seidel says the evening was a huge success, noting it was stressful leading up to the event but was one that once it was all over was one of the better ones they have had.
“The inductees all gave speeches from the heart, that were excellent and delivered the same way.”
In addition to the induction ceremony the committee also had a silent auction, which featured items from Brianne Theisen-Eaton, Ashton Eaton, Kelly Bates, and Brad Lauer, among others, and a dutch auction with items donated from local businesses, which was awesome to see, says Seidel.
