(By the Broadcast Center News Team)
Wednesday, July 31
On July 26, Colin Patterson was enshrined into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame in Penticton.
Joining the longtime coach were former NHL players Paul Kariya, Mark Recchi, former Vancouver Canucks coach Marc Crawford and the first woman to be inducted; Nancy Wilson.
Patterson says the highlight of the induction was getting the chance to talk to some fantastic hockey people.
"I was involved in the BC Amateur Hockey Under-16 programs, we had Paul Kariya and Mark Recchi go through some of those and we were familiar with one another but, not really familiar," says Patterson. "We had a good chat and it was interesting to talk to Marc Crawford."
At the induction ceremony, Nancy Wilson became the first woman ever to be inducted into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame.
Wilson was the captain of the women's hockey team at the University of Western Ontario and played with the Vancouver Senior Teams.
Her coaching career has seen her lead such teams as the UBC Thunderbirds, BC Breakers, Vancouver Griffins, Team BC at the Canada Winter Games and Kazakhstan's national women's team.
Wilson also worked as an assistant coach with Team Canada at the Four Nations Cup and World Championships.
Patterson says it's special to be in the same class as Wilson.
"What will stick out is being inducted in a great group," says Patterson. "Nancy Wilson was the first female ever to be inducted into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame; she's done a great deal of work with ladies hockey."
The 1994 and 1995 Memorial Cup winning Kamloops Blazers were inducted into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame in the team category.
In total, five people and two teams were inducted into the Hall and Patterson says this honour really hit home at one moment in particular.
"When you walk through the Hockey Hall of Fame in Penticton and you see people like Seth Martin and a few of these guys from the Kootenays', you realize what an honour it is to be there," says Patterson.
As is the case with any major honour, people helped Patterson to become a Hall of Famer.
"I want to thank all the people from around Cranbrook that have helped me along the way," says Patterson. "[From] the coaching, to the player's who played with me and the parents that put up with me."