Southwestern Saskatchewan's hockey prowess was on display last night with several local players having their names etched into the distinguished Ted Knight Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame.
Aneroid's Patrick Marleau headlined the induction class that included six individuals and two teams unveiled at the InnovationPlex in Swift Current, the home and birthplace of the hall.
Joining the 44-year-old as 2024 inductees were Stewart Valley's Travis Moen, Shaunavon's Tim Tisdale, defenceman Cory Sarich, goalie Jack Norris, and official Brad Meier. The 2016, 2018, and 2019 Kyle Elks and the 1995 Team Saskatchewan Male Under-17 team rounded out the class.
Marleau was inducted twice on the night, in the player category and as a member of the 1995 Team Saskatchewan.
"It hits close to home," the 23-year NHL veteran said Friday night. "You know the majority of people around here and you know the type of people that live here. To have my family here... that supported me all throughout my minor hockey career and through my NHL career."
Denis and Jeanette, Patrick's parents, and his sister Denise and brother Richard were in attendance for the double induction. A moment he was thrilled to share, as each of them made countless sacrifices to help him achieve his goals while also being his biggest supporter.
"To be able to share the journey back home in Saskatchewan and with my family as well," he said was one of his proudest moments. "Especially my dad to live out his dream through me."
He captained the 1995 Team Saskatchewan, as a 15-year-old, to the province's only gold medal in men's hockey at the Canada Winter Games. Three other southwest connections were a part of the team: Swift Current Broncos alumnus Jeremy Rondeau, Kyle's Carson Loftsgard, and Mankota's Kent Silbernagel.
"At the time when you're going through it, you don't think about it," he said. "A bunch of Saskatchewan boys coming together as a team and to do what we did against all the other teams across Canada was pretty amazing."
Marleau made the NHL at 18 years old and spent 21 seasons with the San Jose Sharks, two with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and a partial one with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He owns the NHL record for most games played in the regular season at 1,779 and sits third in NHL history for points scored by a Saskatchewan-born player with 1,197.
Moen, a few years younger than Marleau, had his chance to practice and train with the two-time Olympic gold medalist as a teenager growing up.
"Somebody you look up to, somebody from the southwest that had made it and obviously he was a star," he said. "Looked up to him and tried to keep up with him, it was hard some nights but pretty special."
During the 2008-09 season, the two southwest products spent part of a season together with the Sharks.
"He was the captain, so had a lot of respect for him," he said. "Lead by example, wasn't the most vocal... just did his job and tried to get people to follow his steps."
Moen and Sarich were the two inductees that won Stanley Cups, with the former calling the championship run with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007 his number-one hockey accomplishment.
The night was also about family for the 42-year-old as his son Carter, the Swift Current Broncos first round pick in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, was able to see firsthand how successful his father's career was even if he took a less traditional route to reach the NHL.
Moen was drafted by the Calgary Flames in 2000 but went unsigned until the fall of 2002 when the Chicago Blackhawks signed him. They assigned him to the AHL and by the start of the next season, the winger cracked the NHL club's roster on a full-time basis.
"I was very resilient," he said. "I worked extremely hard and had that attitude, I didn't care what other people thought I just believed in myself. It's a great message for kids, there's a lot of naysayers out there that say it's so hard to make it but if you have a passion in life and a goal in mind and work extremely hard and work harder than anybody else it's certainly attainable."