Hurricanes/Broncos Hall of Fame

The Lethbridge Hurricanes and Broncos Hall of Fame made it's inaugural inductions on January 19th, 2008 at the ENMAX Centre prior to a game with the Tri City Americans. Members in the three catagories (Lethbridge Broncos Alumni, Lethbridge Hurricanes Alumni, Lethbridge Hockey Builders) are selected by the Hurricanes/Broncos Alumni Committee and are then immortalized in the rafters of the ENMAX Centre.

Lethbridge Broncos Alumni:
Steve Tambellini played with the Lethbridge Broncos for three seasons from 1975-1978. A native of Trail, BC his offensive skills were obvious from the get go. In his first season, Tambellini played all 72 games, scoring 38 times and adding 59 helpers, leading the team in total points. In his second season, Tambellini tallied 42 goals and 42 assists in just 55 games. In his third season, he set a Lethbridge Bronco single season scoring record with 75 goals, and 155 points. During his three years with the Broncos, Tambellini’s leadership skills both on and off the ice were most apparent. Playing along side the likes of Brian, Darryl, and Duane Sutter, Rocky Saganiuk, Lindy Ruff, Darcy Regier and Willie Desjardins. During the 76-77 and 77-78 seasons he was a back to back winner of the WHL’s most sportsmanlike player award since renamed the Brad Hornung Trophy. Tambellini was drafted by the New York Islanders in 1978 and was selected in the 1st round, 15th overall. His NHL career spanned 553 games with the Islanders, Colorado Rockies, Calgary and Vancouver. He has been with the Canucks organization for 16 years and currently serves as Vice-President and Assistant General Manager.

The Sutter Brothers

Brian Sutter, is the second oldest of the Sutter brothers and the first to play his junior hockey in Lethbridge. During his career with the Broncos he amassed 173 points and 70 goals in 125 games before being drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the second round of the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft. Brian would play his entire career in St. Louis where he would be named captain and totaled 636 points and 1786 penalty minutes in 779 NHL games. He went on to coach four separate NHL teams in St. Louis, Boston, Calgary and Chicago over a span of 13 seasons and was the recipient of the Jack Adams award for the NHL’s best coach in 1990-91.

Darryl Sutter,is the third oldest of the Sutter brothers and the second to play his junior hockey in Lethbridge. During his career with the Broncos, from 1977-1978, he amassed 82 points and 34 goals in 69 games before being drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the eleventh round of the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. Darryl would play his entire career in Chicago where he was named captain and totaled 279 points, 161 goals and 118 assists, in 406 NHL games. He went on to coach three separate NHL teams in Chicago, San Jose and Calgary over a span of 11 seasons. He is currently the General Manager of the Calgary Flames.

Duane Sutter, is the ‘middle child’ in the Sutter family and the third Sutter to play junior hockey in Lethbridge. Duane played two full seasons with the Broncos, during his time in Lethbridge he amounted a total of 166 points, 69 goals and 97 assists, in 98 games. Duane was drafted 17th overall, to the New York Islanders, in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. Duane played a total of 731 NHL games, had 342 points, 139 goals and 203 assists and 1333 penalty minutes. Duane is currently the Director of Player Personnel for the Calgary Flames. Before moving to Calgary he spent 11 seasons with the Florida Panthers; during his time in Florida he held numerous positions including head coach, assistant coach, pro scout and most recently director of player development.

Brent Sutter, third youngest in the Sutter family and was the fourth Sutter to play junior hockey with the Lethbridge Broncos. Brent played one full season with the Broncos, sharing a line with his twin brothers Rich and Ron. He tallied 109 points, 55 goals and 54 assists, and had a total of 116 penalty minutes in 73 games. He was drafted to the New York Islanders in 1980 NHL draft; the same team his brother Duane played for. Brent played with the Isles for 10 years, helping the team to two Stanley Cup championships before being traded to Chicago. He spent seven years with the Blackhawks, serving as the team’s captain for five years before retiring at the end of the 1997-1998 season. During in his time in the NHL Brent amassed 1111 regular season games, 829 points, 363 goals and 466 assists, and 1054 penalty minutes. Following his retirement Brent and his wife, Connie, bought the Red Deer Rebels. Brent was the owner, president, general manager, and head coach. Brent guided Red Deer to their first-ever league championship in 2001 and three consecutive WHL Eastern Conference Championships from 2001-03. Brent has also coached internationally, guiding Canadian National Junior team to consecutive 6-0-0 marks and Gold Medals in 2005 and 2006, becoming only individual to ever accomplish feat. He led the Canadian junior squad to 7-0-1 mark in 2007 Super Series versus Russia; and as a player, helped his country to first-place finishes at 1984, 1987, and 1991 Canada Cup Championships. Brent is currently the head coach of the Calgary Flames.

Rich Sutter and his twin brother Ron Sutter are the two youngest brothers in the Sutter family. They both played for the Broncos from 1980-1983. Together they helped to lead the Broncos to the Memorial Cup in 1983. While playing in Lethbridge Rich was able to tally 193 games, 177 points, 98 goals and 79 assists, and racked up 718 penalty minutes. Ron tallied a total of 189 games, 220 points, 86 goals and 134 assists, and had 457 penalty minutes. They were both drafted in 1982, Ron by the Flyers and Rich by the Penguins. Rich and Ron were reunited in Philadelphia when Rich was acquired by the Flyers in a trade shortly into their second season in the NHL. The twins played together for three years in Philly before Rich was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in the summer of 1986. Ron remained with the Flyers for nine years, serving as the team’s Captain from 1989-1991.Rich played four seasons with the Canucks before being traded to the St. Louis Blues. Ron and Rich were reunited in St. Louis in 1991; where they were coached by big brother Brian. They played together until the fall of 1993 when Rich was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. Rich played for the Blackhawks for two years, spending his last season in the NHL with the Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs before retiring in 1995. In 1994, Ron was on the move again, heading to the Nordiques who, in turn, sent him to the Islanders the next year. Ron signed with the Bruins after only one season in New York, but left the team after the 1995-96 season to join the Sharks. His brother, Darryl, became the head coach the next season, but he was once again on the move, signing with the Flames for the 2000-01 season. Ron was the last of the Sutters to play in the NHL when he retired at the end of the 2000-01 season. Rich totaled 874 regular season games, 149 goals, 166 assists and 1411 penalty minutes. Ron played 1093 regular season games, had 205 goals, 329 assists and 1352 penalty minutes. Since he retired Rich has continued to be involved with the game of hockey he has scouted for the Minnesota Wild and Phoenix Coyotes. He is currently involved with the Lethbridge Hurricanes organization. Ron also continued to remain involved in hockey since retiring; he is currently a scout for the Calgary Flames.

Bryan Trottier of Val Marie, Saskatchewan played three seasons with the Broncos including his third year in 74-75 when the Broncos moved from Swift Current to Lethbridge.  Lethbridge hockey fans were to be treated to one of the most skilled forwards to ever put on a Bronco uniform. In his third year, Trottier led all the Broncos in scoring with 144 points in just 67 games. Trottier was the first underage junior to be drafted as he was selected 22nd overall by the New York Islanders in 74. Trottier’s career in the NHL as a player is well documented. He played on 6 Stanley Cup Championship teams, 4 with the Islanders and 2 with the Penguins and earned another as an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche. Trottier is the New York Islanders franchise leader in games played, assists, points and with 500 goals he is second only to Mike Bossy.
He won the Calder Trophy in ‘76, the Art Ross and Hart Trophies in ‘79 and the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1980. He was named to 7 NHL All Star teams and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997. He is currently the Executive Director of Player Development for the Islanders.

Lethbridge Hurricanes Alumni:
Jamie “Noodles” McLennan came to the Lethbridge Hurricanes via Spokane in the 1988 season. His value to the Canes rose greatly over the next two seasons as he backstopped the Hurricanes to consecutive trips to the WHL Championship. Always popular with his teammates and fans, McLennan was a natural leader both on and off the ice. 1990-91 marked his best season, as he posted a 32-18-4 record en route to winning the Del Wilson Trophy as the WHL’s top goaltender, and being named to the WHL Eastern Conference All Star team. The New York Islanders had closely scouted McLennan and in the 1991 NHL entry draft he was selected in the 3^rd round and 48^th overall by the Isles.  During his career in the NHL, he has made stops with the Islanders, St. Louis, Minnesota, New York Rangers, Florida and two ventures with the Calgary Flames. He was awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy for the NHL player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

The Kraft Dinner kid loved his days in Lethbridge and has always had high praise for the organization and the city. “Noodles” once said that the organization taught him how to grow up and prepared him for the next level of competition. As for Hurricane hockey fans, McLennan states that, “The city embraces you and you’re playing in front of thousands of fans a night.” He is proud to be a Hurricane and remains a loyal part of the Hurricanes tradition as an active alumni member.

A native of Calgary, Wes Walz joined the Lethbridge Hurricanes in 1988 and he amassed 104 points earning him WHL Rookie of the Year honors. The following season, Wes was one of 5 Lethbridge Hurricane players to score 50 or more goals. Wes had 54 goals and 140 points and was named to the WHL East All-Star team. In the playoffs, he scored a league-best 37 points in 19 games as the Hurricanes again advanced to the WHL Championship Finals. Walz won a gold medal with Canada at the 1990 World Junior Hockey Championships. In the 1989 NHL Entry Draft Wes was selected 57th overall by the Boston Bruins. He would go on to play 607 NHL games over 11 seasons with 5 different teams including Minnesota. With the Wild, Walz became one of the NHL’s premier defensive forwards and in 2003 he was a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward.  Walz retired in November of 2007 and has since joined the Tampa Bay Lightning as an Associate Coach.

Builder Catagory:
Steve “Foggy” Fallwell, the voice of the Lethbridge Broncos and the Lethbridge Hurricanes was listened to by hockey fans all over southern Alberta for 20 years on CJOC radio.  Fallwell took over the play-by-play broadcast of the Lethbridge Broncos for their second season in 1975-76. Fallwell logged hundreds of hours on the bus and traveled thousands of kilometers to bring fans his professional, honest interpretation of the game. The highlight of his coverage of the Broncos came when they won the WHL championship and advanced to the 1983 Memorial Cup in Portland. Fallwell’s involvement with the Broncos was cut short, when the Broncos returned to Swift Current in 1985.

However, his break from play-by-play lasted only one season as WHL hockey returned to Lethbridge in the form of the Hurricanes in 1986. Fallwell’s passion for the game was rekindled and once again his voice described the highs and lows of the Hurricanes for the next 11 seasons. Unfortunately, his broadcasting career was cut short due to a heart attack suffered while traveling with the Canes thru Saskatchewan. Ironically, that season the Hurricanes advanced to the Memorial Cup Final. “Foggy’s” professional approach to play-by-play brought him the respect and accolades of his peers throughout the league. He was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 as a recipient of the Bell Memorial recognizing journalists and broadcasters.

John “Chappy” Chapman, was the Head Coach of the Lethbridge Broncos from 1980 – 1986, during that time he posted a career winning percentage of 0.563 and over 200 wins. His best regular season record came as coach of the ’81-’82 Lethbridge Broncos who notched 50 wins and 100 points. The next year, he guided the Broncos to a 15-5 record in the playoffs en route to a berth in the Memorial Cup. “Chappy” was known as a hard nosed, competitive and flamboyant coach who coached three of the Sutters during his time in Lethbridge; Ron, Rich and Brent.
Brian Sutter, is the second oldest of the Sutter brothers and the first to play his junior hockey in Lethbridge. During his career with the Broncos he amassed 173 points and 70 goals in 125 games before being drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the second round of the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft. Brian would play his entire career in St. Louis where he would be named captain and totaled 636 points and 1786 penalty minutes in 779 NHL games. He went on to coach four separate NHL teams in St. Louis, Boston, Calgary and Chicago over a span of 13 seasons and was the recipient of the Jack Adams award for the NHL’s best coach in 1990-91.

The Lethbridge Hockey Hounds were started in 1971 by Rex Johnson, John Kobal, Ralph Guzzi and Bob Snowden with an 8 member group which now numbers 32 volunteers. They supported the Sugar Kings, Longhorns, Native Suns, and the 75 Winter Games.  Their focus turned to the Lethbridge Broncos after their arrival in 1974.  In 1987 their efforts were rekindled with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. In 1990, the Hockey Hounds were inducted into the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame.  In 2007 they were inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in the Builder's Category and were recipients of the Hockey Alberta Centennial Award in recognition of their support of hockey in Lethbridge. Through their 50-50 sales they have contributed over $1.2 million in support of the Lethbridge Hurricane Education Fund.