Cam Moon, Joey Kenward and I were fortunate enough to be the on-air broadcast team for the 1998 Royal Bank Cup Championship event in 1998 that was played in the City of Nanaimo.

Locally the team representing the BCHL was the Surrey Eagles under the guidance and patience of Head Coach Mark Hollick defeated the Weyburn Red Wings in the 1998 championship game.

The Eagles punched their way to the Championship winning the Doyle Cup which was first awarded in 1985 to the winning Phttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penticton_Veesenticton Vees who defeated the Rhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Deer_Rustlersed Deer Rustlers by a 4-1 margin.

The Royal Bank Cup was competed for by the winners of the Doyle Cup, Anavet Cup, Dudley Hewitt Cup, the Fred Page Cup in addition to the host city.

We are hearing that the first and ONLY Surrey Eagles team to capture the Royal Bank Cup National Title will be inducted into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame.

A year prior the Eagles were coached by former Surrey Eagle star and Semiahmoo Minor Hockey coach and all-time BCHL scoring leader Shane Kuss and also advanced to the RBC final managing to finish second after a tough 4-3 loss to Summerside in the final game.

In addition to the Eagles the BC Hockey Hall of Fame will induct former Vancouver Canucks Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Barret Jackman (St. Louis Blues), Canuck Scout and Executive Ron Delorme, Shane Heyer (Retired NHL Linesman and last but not least former Delta resident Karen Wallace who was instrumental in getting the Women’s program off the ground.

Karen played a major role in the growth of Women’s hockey in BC and was also Secretary of North Delta Minor Hockey, Pacific Junior ‘B’ Hockey League, Director of BC Female Hockey and the winner of the 1999 Breakthrough Award.

Along with others who helped her from various areas she managed to be a part of the launch of the U-18 Women’s Championships and Hockey Canada’s Girls Program of excellence.

She also was on the Female Council that was a huge part in bringing the Women’s program into the Olympics.

Karen was the mother of triplets living on 112th Street in Delta and first got involved with the North Delta MHA where her two Daughters Teri and Aimie.

Others on the team included Lisa Spencer, Tammy Blinkhorn, Sharon McMillan, Paula Griffith, Nancy Williams, Wendy Burkhard-Craighead, Kelly West, Jody Burt-Snead, Lori Botterill as well as my Daughter Annette who was the goaltender of the team

In addition to a high-profile on the international stage – with the Olympics and world championships – there are also currently two professional women’s leagues in North America.

In addition she was the BC Amateur Hockey Association Provincial Director to which we had several conversations as I was the Referee Committee Member dealing with the officials program.

After her stint with the hockey world finished she was heavily involved in golf as an Administrator at the Morgan Creek Golf Course as well as the Adam Hadwin Charity Golf Classic.

The 1998 Royal Bank Cup title is the only National Junior ‘A’ Championship that the Surrey Eagles have ever won, to date and are still on the verge to rebuild a Championship team.

The BC Hockey Hall of Fame induction dinner is set for  the Lakeside Resort in Penticton Friday, July 19.