Kris Versteeg among inductees at Lethbridge Sports HoF

Some recognizable athletes are this year’s inductees to the Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame.

The class of 2026 includes seven members who have been either retired from their sport for at least five years, plus two Kinsmen Sports Persons of the Year.

The list includes Ross Bekkering, a five-year member of the University of Calgary Dinos and a staple with the Dutch Basketball League, also representing the Netherlands in 3-on-3 basketball during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The most recognizable name, however, may be Kris Versteeg, who in his 11-season playing career in the NHL, won two Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks, before retiring in 2020. He says the people surrounding him during his time in minor and junior hockey in the city made him proud to represent Lethbridge.

Other inductees include include Wacey Rabbit, Dr. Alan Poytress, the Ralph Family, the 2016-2017 Women’s Kodiak Basketball National Championship team, and a historical award to Pearl Violet Borgal.

The two Kinsmen Sports Persons of the Year awards went to Racquetball athlete, Coby Iwaasa, for the male award; and mixed martial arts fighter Shannon Clark for the female award.