The London Sports Hall of Fame announced its class of 2018 (five inductees) in June: Craig Billington, a long-time NHL goalie and executive; Allan Coulter, an Olympic volleyball player; Tom Partalas, a London soccer builder; Adam Purdy, a para-Olympic champion swimmer; and the Oakridge Secondary School boys hockey team (provincial champs in 1971, 1972 and 1973). The inductees will be honoured at the Spirit of Sport and Hall of Fame induction event, in early November, at the Western Fair District.
Billington was named OHL Scholastic Player of the Year in 1984-85 with the Belleville Bulls. He won a gold medal with Team Canada (and was named best goaltender) at the World Junior Hockey Championships in 1985 in Helsinki. A second-round draft pick (New Jersey Devils), Billington enjoyed a lengthy NHL career (332 games with a 3.55 GAA), suiting up for the Devils, the Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche and Washington Capitals.
Coulter led Banting Secondary School to back-to-back city championships. In 1978, he led the Western Mustangs to an OUAA championship as a rookie. Coulter joined Canada’s National Men’s Volleyball team and went on to have the longest competitive career (1979 to 1992) on record for a Canadian. He captained the team for four years and competed at the Olympics in 1984 (Los Angeles) and 1992 (Barcelona).
Partalas, who was born in Greece, was named a soccer all-star in 1973 at Western University. He played professionally for London City (1969-70), and in 1971, along with John Henderson, organized the first youth competitive soccer league in London. Today, more than 17,000 young people play soccer in London. Partalas is President and CEO of the London Optimist Sports Centre, which runs the BMO Centre on Rectory Street.
Purdy, at age 13 in 1994, placed 6th in the 100 metre backstroke at the first IPC World Championships held in Malta. At the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics, he finished 4th in the 100 metre backstroke, and then won gold in the same event (in world record time) at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics. He returned after seven years in retirement to compete at the 2015 Toronto Para Pan Am Games, winning three medals and setting a Canadian record in the 50 metre butterfly.
The Oakridge Secondary School boys hockey team won three straight OFSSA hockey championships (1971-1973), an accomplishment that has not been repeated. The 1972-73 team went 40 straight games without a loss (still a local record). Overall, the team went 72-9-5. Jack Gulka, Gary Hubbell and Bill Watkin (and coach Fred Israels) were on all three championship teams. Bill Robinson, Ken Petitt and Paul Porter went on to play college hockey in the U.S.
www.londonsportshalloffame.com
Contributions by Tom Creech
