McLean, Francis lead B.C. Sports Hall of Fame class of 2020 inductees
Former Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kirk McLean, B.C. Lions linebacker Brent Johnson and Major League Baseball pitcher Jeff Francis are among the 2020 class of athletes being inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame.
McLean played 11 seasons for the Canucks and is best remembered for backstopping the team to the 1994 Stanley Cup final.
Johnson, who won two Grey Cups during an 11-year career with the Lions, retired in 2011 as the franchise’s all-time sacks leader with 89.
Francis, a product of North Delta and former UBC Thunderbird, played 11 seasons in the big leagues with the Colorado Rockies, Kansas
City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays.
Joining the trio of pro sports greats are three-time gold medal Paralympic curler Sonja Gaudet and Olympic/Tour de France cyclist Alex Stieda.
Entering the hall as a pioneer is one-time Canuck Robin Bawa of Duncan, the first South Asian to play in the NHL when he suited up for the Washington Capitals in the 1989-90 season.
Inducted into the builders/ coaches category are former Canadian national wrestling coach Bill Mitchell, trampoline coach Valerie Johnson and junior golf instructor Harry White.
The 1979-80 University of Victoria Vikings men’s basketball team, which won the school’s first of six straight CIAU championships, will get long-overdue recognition with an induction in the team category.
Victoria Times Colonist sports reporter Cleve Dheensaw enters the hall as a media member, and Kathy Newman, executive director of B.C. Wheelchair Sports Association, will receive the W.A.C. Bennett Award for outstanding contribution and leadership in sport.
Ceremonies are set for June 4 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.