By Scott
Haddow
The final three selections for the major awards portion of the
40th annual House of Kin Sports Celebrity Dinner have been
finalized. Three finalists have been selected for each category
based upon their efforts in their respective sport over the
past year.
The winners will be announced at the sports celebrity dinner on
Wednesday, June 11 at the Caruso Club. The event begins at 5:30
p.m. Tickets are now on sale at the House of Kin. Cost is $40
for adults and $20 for youngsters under the age of 10.
The final selections are as follows along with a brief
description of what each finalist accomplished:
Amateur Male: Sheldon Burton (wrestling), Andrew Ellerton
(track & field) and Denis Vachon (power tumbling).
Burton won a gold medal at the Pan American Championships in
the 63-kilogram division and also won gold medals at the 2008
SDSSAA, NOSSA and OFSAA levels. Ellerton won his first NCAA
Division I track championship in the final race of his
University of Michigan career and was named the school's 2007
Male Athlete of the Year.
Vachon won gold medals in both the senior power tumbling and
double mini trampoline events at the Canadian Championships and
a silver in mini trampoline at the world championships.
Amateur Female: Leila Angrand (cross-country running, track
& field), Amber Konikow (boxing), Alicia Violin
(gymnastics). Angrand won a bronze medal at the 2007 CIS
championships, followed by winning gold in the 3000-m race at
the 2008 OUA indoor championships along with bronze medals in
the 1,500-m and 1,000-m races. Konikow defended her Canadian
title in the 75-kilogram category in December 2007 and will
represent Canada at the 2008 world championships in China this
October. Violin, a student at Confederation, won four gold
medals at the OFSAA gymnastics championship in vault, bars,
floor and beam.
Amateur Import: Cassandra Carpenter (Laurentian University -
basketball), Jody Carruthers (Cambrian College - badminton),
Stephanie Kuhn (Laurentian University - swimming). Carpenter
set new records in the CIS for career scoring and was named OUA
East Player of the Year for the fourth year in a row.
Carruthers won gold in women's doubles at the OCAA badminton
championships and was the 2007 OCAA women's singles champion.
Kuhn won medals at three OUA championships and made the CIS
nationals four times, winning a silver medal at the OUA event
in the 50-metre butterfly event and bronze medals in the
100-metre butterfly and 100-metre freestyle.
Amateur Elite: Jeffrey Buttle (figure skating), Rebecca
Johnston (hockey), Devon Kershaw (cross-country skiing).
Buttle, a two-time winner of this award, won a silver at the
Canadian championships and then became world champion in Sweden
at the World Figure Skating Championships in March 2008.
Johnston, another two-time winner, won gold with the Canadian
women's national team at the Four Nations Cup, made Team
Canada's Under-22 squad, named Ivy League Rookie of the Year in
the NCAA while competing for Cornell and won a silver with Team
Canada at the world championships.
Joe Drago Coach of the Year: Al Arbour (hockey), Dave Clancy
(hockey), Peter Michelutti Jr. (hockey). Arbour coached the New
York Islanders in 2007 to reach his 1,500th game and won his
740th game of his career.
Michelutti Jr. guided the Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves to
their first ever national AAA midget championship - a first for
Sudbury. Clancy coached the Sudbury Junior Wolves to the NOJHL
title.
Bill Roman Administration: Don Brankley (hockey trainer), John Grant (lacrosse), John Roberts (track & field, Special Olympics). Brankley just finished a storied 37-year career as trainer for the London Knights. Roberts is the current community co-ordinator for the Sudbury chapter of the Ontario Special Olympics and a local, national and international track and field official for more than 35 years.
Professional: Andrew Brunette (hockey), Andrew Desjardins
(hockey), Mike Saftic (harness racing).
Brunette scored 59 points for Colorado in the NHL this season
and has played in 463 straight regular season and playoff
games. Saftic won his 4,000th race in 2007 and has 18 straight
seasons of winning more than $2 million.
Desjardins recorded 59 points with the Laredo Bucks of the
Central Hockey League in 2007-08 and was named the team's
Rookie of the Year.
Sheridan Family Team of the Year: College Notre Dame Alouettes senior girls' hockey, Sudbury Lady Wolves Midgets, Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves midget 'AAA' boys' hockey. The Alouettes won their sixth straight NOSSA Championship in March and then won their first ever OFSAA gold medal at the A/AA Championships. The Nickel Capital Wolves won the GNML, Ontario and national AAA midget championships, becoming the first team from Sudbury to ever accomplish the feat. The Lady Wolves won four club tournaments in 2007-08 and then the Ontario midget AA title in April.
Fans can now cast their votes for the 2008 Fans' Choice
Award. Votes can be cast on the House of Kin Sudbury Sports
Hall of Fame website at hoksudburysportshalloffame.ca.
Fans can cast their votes for either Jeffrey Buttle, Devon
Kershaw, Rebecca Johnston, Leila Angrand, Denis Vachon, Andrew
Brunette, Team Chiropractic dragon boat paddlers, College Notre
Dame Alouettes senior girls' hockey, Sudbury Lady Wolves
midgets or the Sudbury Nickel Capitals Wolves 'AAA' Major
Midgets.
Votes can be cast until Monday, June 9 at 9 a.m. The winner
will be announced at the sports celebrity dinner and awards on
June 11.
For further information, contact Chris or Norm at 522-3600.
