Wally Akervik

2022 Inductee
Wally Akervik was born in Duluth, Minn., and was a four-sport athlete at Duluth Central High School, helping his Trojan team reach the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament.

Ann Ninnemann

2022 Inductee
Ann Ninnemann was born in St. Paul, Minn., and began playing ringette at the age of four.  By her own admission, she played ringette through the sixth game and then hesitantly transitioned to ice hockey in the seventh grade.

Pat "Duffy" Dyer

2022 Inductee
Pat “Duffy” Dyer was born in Virginia, Minn., and played youth hockey in that Iron Range community.  After high school, he graduated from UW-Superior with a bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology and would go on to a long career at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth.

Rebecca Hamilton-Hildebrandt

2022 Inductee
Rebecca Hamilton-Hildebrandt (or “Coach Becky” as she is better known locally) was born and raised in Sauk Prairie and began playing hockey in 1982, the first year that Sauk Prairie had a hockey association.
  • Al Deming - 2019
Al Deming was born and raised in Guilford, New York.  After graduation from Cornell University in 1972, he moved to Wisconsin.  In 1978, a job change resulted in Deming’s move to Waupun, where he raised his family and began his involvement with youth hockey and the Waupun Hockey Association.

Like many other volunteer adults who had no background in the sport of ice hockey, Deming’s journey down the hockey path began with his children who wanted to play with the program in Waupun.  Always a believer in grass roots hockey, Deming was a member of the Waupun Youth Hockey Board, and served a term as Vice-president, and was then President from 1988-1998.  Under his leadership, the Waupun rink acquired a new dasher board system and a new Zamboni, all of which are still in use.  He and his son Dusty were presented the “Grant Father/Son Award” for the 1998-1999 season for exemplifying spirit, participation and dedication through their combined efforts to promote hockey in Waupun.  He served as the announcer for varsity high school games and Waupun Wolves games for many years.  Deming organized several coach and officiating seminars, as well as helping to host several WAHA State Tournaments and Senior Class Tournaments.
      
Deming has served continuously as a WAHA Regional Director for Region 5 beginning in 2001.  During that time his duties included serving on the WAHA/Hockey Hall of Fame Scholarship Committee, Vice President of Mites and Peewees, Chairman of the Tier I, Financial, Transitional, Blue Folder and Legal Committees.  Deming was elected President of the Board in 1916.  Deming is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame.  He attended the first two ADM National Coaches Symposiums and helped Guy Gosselin in running and speaking at the first ADM seminars in Wisconsin.
 
Deming has been a regular attendee at the USA Hockey Annual Congress and Mid-Winter Meeting.  He has been a member of the USA Hockey Youth Council since 2016, and a Tier I and Tier II National Tournament Director in that same time frame.  Deming was elected a USA Hockey Director in 2018 and continues to serve in that capacity.

Deming retired from East Select Sires and lives in Waupun with his wife Betty.  They have six children: Dan, Dusty, Greg, Kathy, Johnny and Nick..  He served World Dairy Expo as a Board member from 2001-2019, as Treasurer from 2012-2016 and as President from 2016-2019.  He has been the Budget Chairman for Immanuel Lutheran Church from 2006 to present.