Flyers hall of fame induction “feels great,” says club president

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Fort St. John Senior Flyers president Paul van Nostrand says the upcoming induction of the 2010 roster into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2024 “feels great” and he looks forward to the ceremony this summer. 

“It has rekindled so many memories,” said van Nostrand. 

“I’ve talked with quite a few of the [2010 roster members], and there’s a real buzz right now, and it’s going to become more apparent as we get closer [to the ceremony].”

The 2010 Flyers team won the organization’s first Allan Cup, competing in the national senior hockey championship. 

Van Nostrand says he was contacted by Fort St. John’s Jim Hughson, BC Hockey Hall of Fame Chair and former NHL play-by-play commentator, who suggested the Flyers president submit a nomination package for the 2010 team and their accomplishment. 

“[Hughson] remembers Fort St. John as his home, and he loved the Flyers,” said van Nostrand. 

“So, I subsequently put together a package and sent in a nomination last September. Hughson called me in late February and said the selection committee had chosen us to be inducted. I give him all the credit in the world.”

Tyler Loney, a defenseman who played on the 2010 Flyers roster, says it has been a “pretty neat experience” to learn of his team’s induction over a decade after their Allan Cup victory.

“Time goes by pretty fast,” said Loney. 

“For myself, and I think for all the guys [on the team] — 14 years later, you hear this news, and it’s pretty cool. I think it’ll be pretty fun to go to the ceremony and reminisce about old times. It should be a good time, and I am looking forward to it.”

The full 2010 roster and list of coaching staff can be found here.

After a winless 2023-2024 season for the current Flyers team, van Nostrand believes this milestone achievement will have a positive impact on men’s senior hockey in Fort St. John in the future. 

“A lot of our current Flyers and members of the coaching staff who were not involved [with the organization] at that time think it’s the greatest thing to be in the BC Hockey Hall of Fame,” said van Nostrand. “They’re very, very impressed.”

The 2010 Fort St. John Flyers will join fellow 2024 inductees Shea Weber, Carey Price, Tom Kowal, and Scott Bradley for the BC Hockey Hall of Fame’s annual induction gala on July 19th in Penticton. 

More information about the event can be found on the BC Hockey Hall of Fame website.