The Belleville Sports Hall of Fame will induct 4 individuals and the 1998-99 OHL champion Belleville Bulls during its 24th Induction Ceremony Saturday afternoon.
(J. Ross Robertson Trophy)
On display will be the Memorial Cup which was won by Lou Crawford and the Kitchener Rangers in 1982, the J. Ross Robertson Trophy won by the Belleville Bulls as OHL champions in 1999 as well as the Ontario Women’s Amateur Golf Championship trophy won by Kristen MacLaren in 1998.
Ceremonies begin at 1 in the gymnasium at the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre and is open to the public. There is no admission charge
LOU CRAWFORD – ATHLETE/COACH – HOCKEY
As a pro Crawford played for 12 seasons, including 26 games in the NHL with the Boston Bruins, 661 games in the American Hockey League and was on American Hockey League Calder Cup Champions twice – in Rochester and Adirondack.
Following his retirement as a player, Crawford entered the coaching ranks and built a career that included 4 years as the coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs American Hockey League Team – the St. John’s Maple Leafs – and 7 years with his hometown Belleville Bulls. As the Head Coach of the Bulls in 1998-99 he guided the team to the Ontario Hockey League Championship.
In 2013 Crawford joined the Vancouver Canucks as a Scout and continues in that role today.
JACK MILLER – BUILDER
Born in Cornwall, Jack Miller has been a fixture in Belleville sports and public life for over 45 years. He arrived in Belleville in 1974 to work with Quinte Broadcasting – CJBQ Radio – with an afternoon show. The formation of the Tier ll Belleville Bulls in 1979 opened the door towards Jack becoming the ‘Voice of the Belleville Bulls’ and taking over as the Sports Director for Quinte Broadcasting in 1982. Jack continued as the Play by Play announcer for the Bulls up to their departure in 2015 and in 2017 he took on the same role with the American Hockey League Belleville Senators.
In 1988 Miller assumed the role as ‘Studio Host’ for the Ontario Hockey League Game of the Week and from 1991 to 2002 he handled the play by play for the game.
He worked with the Ottawa Senators – play by play and color analyst – from 1998 to 2002 and was the color analyst for the World Junior Hockey Championships from 2004 to 2011 on the Sportsnet Radio Network and again from 2014 to 2018 on the TSN Radio Network.
Miller has served his community as a member of City Council from 2006 to 2018 and over the years has been recognized for his contributions – Paul Harris Rotary Award, 1996 Belleville Volunteer of the Year, recipient of the Howard Caine Provincial Award – and has served on a wide range of charitable committees.
KRISTEN MacLAREN – ATHLETE – GOLF
Kristen MacLaren dominated Women’s Golf in the Belleville and Kingston areas from 1993 to 1999. Her accomplishments included winning each of the Bay of Quinte Junior Girls and Women’s Club Championship on 3 occasions, winning the St. Lawrence Junior Tour twice, the Kingston District Junior Championship twice and the Kingston District Women’s Championship 3 times.
From Junior golf Kristen went on to an Amateur career that is unmatched in Belleville. In 1998 she was the best in Ontario, winning the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship, then leading the Ontario Team to the National Team Championship. Kristen competed on 3 occasions in National Championships, finishing 10th as a Junior in 1995 and 13th as an Amateur in 1998.
Kristen’s performance as a Junior opened the door for a 4-year golf scholarship at the University of Texas El Paso and it was there that she really put her name in the books. Kristen won 3 individual NCAA, Division 1 Championships, played in two NCAA National Championships, was selected to the All Conference Team twice and was a 4 Year Letter recipient. She was inducted into the El Paso Golf Hall of Fame in 2000.
Kristen joined the PGA of Canada following graduation and in 2004 won the PGA of Ontario Playability Tournament. She has given back to the game through support of a wide range of Golf Ontario Player Development Programs and serving as both the Assistant and Head Coach for the Queen’s University Men’s and Women’s golf teams.
Her accomplishments have been recognized through the Belleville High School Athlete of the Year (1995), recipient of the Robinson Kelleher Memorial Award (1995), entering the Centennial SS Sports Hall of Fame (2011), and the Top PGA of Ontario Association Golf Professional (2010, 2016).
CHRISTINE WALT – OLYMPIC STYLE WEIGHTLIFTING
The name ‘Walt’ is synonymous with Olympic Style Weightlifting and the Apollo Bar Bell Club. Christine’s list of accomplishments, over a career that began in 1968 and continues today, includes: 8-time Canadian Masters Champion, 5-time Pan American Masters Champion, 2-time Ontario Masters Champion and 12 Masters Records at the Canadian, Pan American and World levels.
In addition to her prowess as a lifter, Christine is a Level 4 Olympic Weightlifting Official, coaches’ members of the Apollo Barbell Club and helped to produce the Masters Weightlifting Magazine for 7 years.
She was inducted into the Canadian Masters Hall of Fame in 2019, and now joins her husband Bob in the Belleville Sports Hall of Fame.
1998-1999 BELLEVILLE BULLS – TEAM – HOCKEY
1998-1999 was a magical year for the Belleville Bulls Ontario Hockey League Team. Under the ownership of the Vaughan Family and with coach Lou Crawford behind the bench, the Bulls won the Ontario Hockey League Championship and advanced to the Memorial Cup.
On the way to the Memorial Cup the team and individuals won the Bobby Orr Trophy (Eastern Conference), the J. Ross Robertson Trophy (OHL), the Leo Lalonde Trophy (Overage Player of the Year – Ryan Ready) and the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award (MVP of the Playoffs – Justin Papineau).
At the Memorial Cup Belleville went 2 and 1, losing in the semi-finals to Ottawa who went on to win the Championship. Goalie Cory Campbell won the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy as the top goalie, with Campbell and Glenn Crawford being selected to the Tournament All Star Team.
In 2019 local film producers – Aaron and Angela Bell of LOT48 Film Company – released the Documentary Movie ‘Charging Bulls’ to memorialize the 1998-1999 season.
