PEI Sports Hall announces new inductees for 2023
A renowned hockey player and coach, a field hockey player who played more than 100 times for her country, respected builders in rugby and bowling, and one of the most iconic teams ever to come from this province, are the latest to be named to the PEI Sports Hall of Fame.
Kinkora’s Dave Cameron, Argyle Shore’s Katie Baker, Raymond Moore and Rickey Burns (both Charlottetown), and the 1969-70 Charlottetown Islanders hockey team will all be inducted into the Island Sports Hall when it holds its next induction ceremony in early 2024.
“We look forward to welcoming Dave, Katie, Rickey, Ray and the Islanders into the Hall of Fame,” said long-time Hall Chair Paul H. Schurman. “Those four individuals, and that great Islanders team, have given so much to Island sport over several years. They are all truly deserving of this recognition, and each has created a legacy that deserves to be celebrated.”
All five inductees were chosen from nominations sent in by the public, and reviewed by a selection committee appointed by the Hall of Fame board. The PEI Sports Hall of Fame welcomes nominations at any time, and details can be found on the PEI Sports Hall of Fame website at www.peisportshalloffame.ca
Details on the induction ceremonies, which once again will be sponsored by the PEI Mutual Insurance Company, will be announced at a later date. More information on the Hall of Fame can be found on its website, Facebook page, or by contacting Executive Director Nick Murray at 902-393-5474.
Following are short bios on each of the inductees:
Katie Baker (Field Hockey)
Katie Baker is one of the finest field hockey players Canada has produced, playing 114 times for her country, and serving as captain.
Katie was recruited by Saint Mary’s University after she had captained Bluefield High School to provincial titles, and while at SMU she continued to stand out, winning AUS and all-Canadian honours, as well as helping her team win a national bronze medal. During this time she became the only athlete east of Ontario to make the Junior National team, where she played for two years before making her full senior debut in 2006.
She was a mainstay of the senior team for six years, playing in Pan-Am Games, Commonwealth Games, and Olympic and World Cup qualifiers. She was team captain from 2010-2012, and was also recognized as being one of the best players in Pan America. She retired in 2012, eighth all-time in appearances for Canada. Katie was a two-time winner of the Sport PEI Senior Female Athlete of the Year award, and has continued to give back to the sport in the region with High Performance Camps, and clinics for aspiring young female athletes.
Rickey Burns (5-Pin Bowling; Special Olympics)
Charlottetown’s Rickey Burns has been a life-long, dedicated volunteer for more than four decades.
An inspirational individual who was great respect amongst athletes and peers alike, Rickey has been the face of 5-pin bowling in the province, running the YBC (Youth Bowling Council) program in Charlottetown for more than 40 years, and coaching at numerous national tournaments, where his athletes have often won medals and titles.
He is known throughout the national bowling scene, and in 2018 he was recognized with the Canadian 5-pin Bowlers Association’s Grass Roots Coach of the Year.
Rickey is equally as dedicated to the Special Olympics, and as a volunteer for 20-plus years he has coached in both the bowling and floor hockey programs, where he has been twice named Special Olympics PEI’s Male Coach of the Year, and the Volunteer of the Year.
A familiar face around Charlottetown organizing fundraisers and always looking to support young athletes, he was recognized with a Natal Day award on two occasions, and was the Forbes Kennedy Volunteer of Year award winner in 2019.
Dave Cameron (Hockey)
Kinkora’s Dave Cameron needs little introduction to Island sports followers, as he has enjoyed a stellar career both as a player and coach.
Cameron was drafted by the New York Islanders in 1978 while enjoying a fine career with the UPEI Panthers (89 points in 49 games), and after being trade to Colorado in 1981, he made his NHL debut with the Rockies, contributing 11 goals and 23 points in his rookie season. After the move to New Jersey, he played two further seasons with the Devils, and his NHL playing career concluded with 168 games played (53 points, 25 goals).
Coaching was always in Dave’s future, and his excellent man-management skills combined with an outstanding work ethic has seen him coach at the highest levels. After successful spells in the AHL and OHL (most notably with Toronto St Michael’s Majors (4 Conference finals appearances), and Mississauga (an appearance in the 2011 Memorial Cup final), he found himself back in the NHL as part of Paul MacLean’s staff at the Ottawa Senators.
In December 2014 Cameron was named the Senators head coach, and he led the team to a berth in the Stanley Cup play-offs before losing to Montreal in the first-round. In total he coached 137 games with the Senators, recording 70 wins.
After a spell as an assistant with the Calgary Flames, Cameron led the Canadian Junior team to a gold medal in 2022, and he currently coaches the Ottawa 67s, where he was named the OHL’s Coach of the Year for the 2022-23 season.
Ray Moore (Rugby)
The incredible success enjoyed by Island rugby in the last few years can be laid at the door of the late Ray Moore, who almost single-handedly revived the sport’s fortunes, transforming it into one of the most popular sports in the province.
Practically dormant for 20 years before he arrived on Island shores in 1976, Moore set about reviving the sport he loved, setting up the Abegweit Rugby Club with some fellow devotees, and forging connections with Rugby Canada and Rugby Ontario.
He was instrumental in getting the sport back into high schools, and in 1981 he guided and coached the first Island team to compete at the Canada Games.
In addition to his own coaching and refereeing, Ray was successful in setting up the structure which saw coaching and officiating standards improve, and the game grow across the province, where it is now played from tip-to-tip.
Since its reintroduction to the Island sporting landscape, PEI has produced players for both the men’s and women’s national teams, and Island teams of all ages are competitive at both the regional, and national levels.
It was Ray Moore’s vision that has seen the sport grow immeasurably, and it is fitting he becomes the sport’s first inductee into the PEI Sports Hall of Fame. All island players owe him a huge debt of gratitude.
1969-70 Charlottetown Islanders (Hockey)
The 1969-70 Charlottetown Islanders are one of the most fabled teams in Island sports history, with many long-time fans able to recall their incredible run to the Memorial Cup semi-finals, and their never-to-be-forgotten match-up with the Guy Lafleur-led Quebec Remparts.
The Jack Hynes-coached team started the year with nine returnees, with outstanding balance and depth with the likes of captain Hilliard Graves, Angus Beck, Bobby MacMillan and Alan MacAdam.
The team went 37-6-3 in the Maritime Junior A League, before defeating the Cape Breton Metros 5-2 in the League final, before defeating the Fredericton Chevies 3-1, earning the right to represent the Maritimes in the Memorial Cup play-offs.
The Islanders then met the Ottawa M&W Rangers in the Eastern Memorial Cup quarter-final, who boasted future Hall-of-Famer defenseman Larry Robinson in their ranks. Five competitive games saw the Islanders win the series 4-1, with Ray Gibbs providing stellar goal-tending.
The semi-finals saw the star-studded Quebec Remparts come to town, in a match-up that will be forever remembered. When the dust settled, Charlottetown led the series 2-0, but Quebec in the end proved to be too strong, taking the series 4-2. Columnist and future PEI Sports Hall of Famer Bill Ledwell called it “the province’s greatest hockey story, or in any other sport, for that matter,” and their feat will long be remembered by anybody who loves Island sport.
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