OLDS — Olds Grizzlys officials are hoping to obtain memorabilia as the induction of the induction of the 1991-1994 editions of the team into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame (ASHF) gets closer.
That induction ceremony is scheduled to be held May 26 at the Red Deer Polytechnic Cenovus Centre.
The plan is to utilize photos and artifacts to showcase the 1991-1994 editions of the team and the Olds community in both the video presentation and in the historical displays at the banquet.
“Anyone who with memorabilia who is willing to loan it to the Grizzlys for the event (is) invited to reach out to the main Grizzly office at 403-556-1121,” a Grizzlys news release says.
Fans are also invited to submit their Grizzly photos from 1991-1994 to alumni@oldsgrizzlys.com.
The club says borrowed items will be itemized, then returned to their owners after the induction banquet.
“While it is the 1991-1994 Grizzlys being inducted, this honour belongs to the community that makes our team possible, so we want to reach out to our fans for their pictures, programs, jerseys, flags and other memorabilia to showcase our community and region at the induction,” Grizzlys president Josh Erdman said in the release.
“The Olds Grizzlys are proud to be a part of the incredible community that supports our team and which makes Junior hockey possible in Olds.
“The alumni being inducted in the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame have personal memorabilia to build our display at the induction banquet, but we thought it would be great to reach out to the community as well to see if they have any artifacts from 1991-1994 that we could borrow to add to our display.”
The 1991-1994 Grizzlys teams are among 11 teams or individuals to be inducted into the ASHF this year.
In the early 1980s, the Taber Golden Suns moved to Olds and became the Grizzlys for the 1981-82 season.
In their 10th season in Olds, the Grizzlys won their first Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) championship and went on to win the AJHL championship three years in a row, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1993-94. They remain one of only two teams to do so.
During the 1993-94 season, they went on to win the Centennial Cup, making them the top junior A hockey team in Canada that season.
They were coached and managed at that time by the late Bob Clark, Chris Stewart, and Cliff Murphy.